A Stranger Stood At The Gates of Hell
Guest Post by Lewis Sharrard Author Unknown
My dead grandfather wrote typed today’s post for me. I was planning on exploring the history of margarine by tracing its definitions through 150+ years of dictionary definitions, thereby demonstrating that historically, margarine has not been a vegetarian product, and moreover the “spreadable butter” butter-canola oil mix that has recently been introduced to the market ought to be classified as margarine. That research has been mostly done, and no doubt I’ll regale you on that fascinating topic soon enough.
But, while I was browsing my dictionary collection (yes, I collect dictionaries, and no doubt I’ll explain more when I’m re-introducing the history of margarine), I stumbled across a poem written typed by my grandfather who-knows-when, folded and tucked into the pages of his old Merriam Webster’s New International Dictionary, Second Edition. I was thrilled to read new work by this brilliant man, and am even happier to be able to As comments at the end detail, the source of this poem is unknown, but I am glad to be able to publish this truly unearthed text as its content relates, in part, to the reforms in farming policy during the FDR administration that have led to the prevalence of agribusiness conglomerate-run factory farms that dominates our agricultural landscape today. And so, without further ado….
A Stranger Stood at the Gates of Hell
by Lewis Sharrard ???
A stranger stood at the gates of Hell,
And the Devil himself answered the bell.
He looked him over from head to toe,
And said, my friend, I’d like to know
What have you done in the line of sin
To entitle you to come within?
Then Franklin D. with his usual guile,
Stepped forth and flashed his toothy smile.
When I took charge in thirty
A nation’s faith was mine, said he.
I promised this and I promised that,
And I calmed them down with a fireside chat.
I spent their money on fishing trips,
And fished from the decks of their battleships.
I gave them jobs on the WPA,
Then raised their wages and took it away.
I killed their pigs and burned their crops.
I raised their wages and closed their shops.
I double-crossed both old and young,
And still the fools my praises sung.
I brought back beer and what do you think?
I taxed it so high they couldn’t drink.
I furnished money with government loans
When they missed a payment I took their homes.
When I wanted to punish the folks,you know,
I’d put put my wife on the radio.
I paid them to let their farms stand still,
And imported foodstuffs from Brazil,
I curtailed crops when I felt real mean
And shipped corn in from the Argentine.
When they’d start to worry, stew and fret
I’d get them chanting the alphabet
With the A.A.A. and the N.L.B.,
The W.P.A. and the C.C.C.
With these many units I got their goats
But still I crammed it down their throats.
My workers worked with the speed of snails
While the taxpayers chewed their finger nails.
When the organizers needed dough,
I closed up plants for the C.I.O.
I ruined jobs and I ruined health
And I put the screws to the rich men’s wealth.
And some who couldn’t stand the gaff
Would call on me, and how I’d laugh.
When they got strong on certain things
I’d pack and head for Warm Springs.
I ruined their country, their homes, and then
I placed the blame on Nine Old Men.
Now Franklin talked both long and loud,
And the Devil stood, and his head was bowed.
At last he said, Let’s make it clear
You’ll have to move, you can’t stay here,
For once you’ve mingled with this mob
I’d have to hunt myself a job!
I’m not really familiar with many of the political references that are made in the poem, but it smacks of being current: of indignation at the policies as they were being implemented, and I really enjoy how the farm policy changes that made it tougher for family farms to survive are cited as damning evidence.
If you have a piece of food-related writing that you think belongs on Corduroy Orange, email it to me and I’ll see if I agree. All submissions are subject to editing.
October 24th, 2007 at 10:45 am
I think if you do some more research that Lew had merely copied this poem. It may have been in his handwriting, but I don’t think he claimed to have written it. Go check out http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1903710/posts.
October 24th, 2007 at 11:44 am
Try this lilnk. I got carried away with my punctuation and got an extra period in the above.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1903710/posts
October 24th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
It was actually typed out, which led to my assumption that he had written it, though it’s neither signed nor dated. I’ve found a couple of other pages that have the text on them, all of them citing it as “anonymous,” and none offering evidence as to where it was first published. Any information that anyone might have as to its original source would be greatly appreciated.
March 30th, 2009 at 1:11 am
This poem was published in the Denver Post sometime during the 30s. As a school child I memorized the poem, and to this day I could recite about of it from memory. I am happy to now have the complete poem.
My father was a stanch Republican, and I always thought FDR’s first name was “that damn”
October 10th, 2009 at 6:51 pm
I, too, found this poem “typed” in my Dad’s collection of things he found interesting. For years I have wondered who actually wrote it. I’ll keep looking, but thanks for verifying the accuracy of Dad’s copying.
January 17th, 2012 at 9:40 pm
Thanks so much for putting this online. I, too, have a typed copy from my grandfather. In checking your version and other versions online, I find mine more extensive. I do not know who the author is. Have you found out yet? I had wondered if my grandfather had written it because he was in the publishing business and words were his trade and he was a Republican! Anyone that can provide more info is welcome to contact me. Thanks.
February 20th, 2013 at 8:42 pm
i found this poem typed and folded up in a book i got at auction 20yrs ago in pennsylvania; the book is long gone but i kept the poem; i liked the poem then and put it aside; i recently found it again and my daughters googled it to try to find the author; my original was typed on onion skin paper and must have been the 10th copy; how funny that we have traced it back to this cooking blog! long live the world wide web!
August 21st, 2021 at 3:20 pm
I have a hand written copy—- my hand— done when I was a young school girl. Late 4os,maybe 1950. Don’t know what I copied it from but I always have it. I was fond of FDR even at age 8 and thought the poem interesting. My parents benefited from his alphabet groups.——WPA,CCC.
January 11th, 2022 at 2:44 am
I too have found two pages typewritten. The paper is old and yellowed and is in a folder dating back to FDR’s early years in politics. My family dates back to War of 1812 and Civil War . One Great Great Aunt lived with my folks as I grew up in the 1930’s. Many papers are too fragile to read. This work strikes a note what is happening now. Too Bad Very Sad
September 2nd, 2022 at 8:48 pm
I saw this poem in the paper that my Uncle’s obituary was published in on February 1943 in Sioux City, Iowa. He died in a army airplane crash while training as a tail-gunner. It shows a different side of FDR than what I grew up believing.
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May 6th, 2025 at 4:54 pm
Crazy I found a handwritten letter of this poem in my grandmothers school year that she kept all these years. I like to know who is the original writer. Her poem is called “Rejected” not a stranger stood at the gates of hell. I thought she wrote this till I am seeing others with the same typewritten out.
August 10th, 2025 at 4:43 pm
I just found this typed poem “Rejected” in my father’s old stuff. Very brown and old with some cracks where it was folded. Very cool to know others have this. Would love to know more of its history and origin.