Pretty is the queen that rules our land, o'er hard-working peasants known by Substance.

The lines read like a satirical, allegorical couplet in which “Pretty” is personified as a monarch—suggesting that beauty, charm, or surface appeal holds sovereign power in society. The “hard-working peasants known by Substance” implies an underclass defined by labor and practical worth, yet politically or culturally ruled by appearances. The contrast between “Pretty” and “Substance” frames a critique of social values: those who produce real material value may be subordinated to those who command attention through aesthetics or status. The diction (“queen,” “peasants,” “rules our land”) evokes a feudal hierarchy to underscore how entrenched and systemic this preference for appearance can be.