This is the parody of Philip Larkin's "This Be The Verse"), which begins:


They tuck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to but they do.
They give you all the quilts they have
And add some pillows just for you.


According to E2 user Dreamvirus: "I have heard that the first line is not actually a parody, but was first spoken by a radio broadcaster who was reading Larkin's poetry, and said 'tuck' on the spur of the moment so as not to shock the listeners."

The poet Adrian Mitchell allegedly wrote this parody, although it doesn't seem to exist in its full form online. The middle verse is missing, but the last is supposedly:


Man hands on happiness to man.
It shines out like a sweetshop shelf.
So love your parents all you can
And have some cheerful kids yourself.


Frankly, I applaud whoever wrote this, as I was considering doing something similar myself. Larkin's poetry is so damn miserable, someone needs to transform all of his poems like this one.

Adrian Mitchell's poem, inspired by a radio announcer's mispronunciation of Larkin's first line, is on this link.

Here it is:

They tuck you up, your Mum and Dad
They read you Peter Rabbit, too.
They give you all the treats they had
And add some extra, just for you.

They were tucked up they were small,
(Pink perfume, blue tobacco-smoke),
By those whose kiss healed any fall,
Whose laughter doubled any joke.

Man hands on happiness to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
So love your parents all you can
And have some cheerful kids yourself.

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