The speaker begins by listing almost nothing. "Walking papers" suggests dismissal, as if they've been fired or sent away, and all they have left is a sandwich. That small, ordinary detail is almost funny, and it makes the loss feel real and human rather than grand.
Then the poem lurches. The speaker carries water to a bridge, a quiet, practical act, and then adds a cannon "to judge the king." The jump from sandwich to cannon is startling. It suggests someone with no power or position who still wants to hold authority to account, even through force, or at least through a dramatic gesture.
The mood is dry, defiant and a little absurd. The speaker sounds calm, even matter-of-fact, yet something dangerous is building underneath. The title, which has the devil hearing voices, adds a strange, unsettling note. Judging by the imagery, the poem leaves us unsure whether this is rebellion, madness, or both.