Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, SINCE PATSY SHAY'S A SCOUT, by THOMAS AUGUSTINE DALY


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

SINCE PATSY SHAY'S A SCOUT, by                    
First Line: I useter run wit' patsy shay
Last Line: Since patsy shay's a scout.
Alternate Author Name(s): Daly, T. A.
Subject(s): Boy Scouts


I USETER run wit' Patsy Shay
W'en him an' I wuz small,
But since he's got religion, say!
He's proud as hellenall!
Dey wuz a time w'en him an' I
Wuz twins in dese here scenes,
An' useter rob, an' cuss, an' lie,
Like reg'lar human bein's.
W'en him an' I wuz nine or so
We owned de world, we did,
But den somebody had ter go
An' spoil de bloomin' kid;
An' now he never chums wit' me
Or shows up hereabout --
Oh, things ain't like dey useter be
Since Patsy Shay's a scout.

Four years ago, w'en we wuz eight,
We up an' run away,
An' watched a chanct ter hop a freight
Ter see de U. S. A.
We made it up ter go out West --
Where bears an' cowboys grew
An' Indians an' all the rest --
An' we'd of done it, too;
But some one must of told a cop
About our little game,
Because he come an' made us stop --
Gee! Wuzn' 'at a shame?
We said w'en we wuz twelve we meant
Ter go, wit'out a doubt,
But now de time has came an' went --
An' Patsy Shay's a scout!

I seen dis Patsy yisterd'y,
A-marchin' past our court.
An' hully chee! he seemed ter be
A reg'lar Christian sport.
A soldier hat wuz on 'is bean,
An' big shoes on 'is feet
An' all de fixin's in between
Wuz fancy an' complete;
A kid's-size suit o' army clo'es,
A watch stuck on 'is wrist,
A hankercher ter blow 'is nose --
Oh, nothin' wuzn' missed.
He useter be my chum, but, say,
De worl's toined inside out,
An' now he seems so fur away
Since Patsy Shay's a scout.

I wouldn' mind if some one come
An' made me Christian, too.
Dis life I lead is purty bum;
I'm game fur som'pin new.
I hear dese guys is out fur coin,
An' if dey raise enough
I guess a lot o' kids will join
Dat onct wuz mighty tough.
I ain't a-sayin' I'll be one;
I'm twelve years old, yer see,
An' I ain't on'y jist begun
To feel me oats, b'chee!
But if dey git some coin to spend
An' want ter fit me out,
I'll try ter be deir little friend --
Since Patsy Shay's a scout.





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...
Home: PoetryExplorer.net