Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, WEST SHORE ELERVASHUN, by OLIVER MURRAY EDWARDS


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

WEST SHORE ELERVASHUN, by                    
First Line: We held elecshun in our town
Last Line: Who haz the rite uv way?
Subject(s): Engineering & Engineers; Railroads; Travel; Railways; Trains; Journeys; Trips


We held elecshun in our town
'Bout railroads runnin' thru—
Sum wanted ter subway 'em down,
Sum elervate ter view;
Sum wuz fer West Shore rite uv way,
Sum fer the Northern Rout;
And sum thare wuz who knoo the leest,
Put up the loudest shout.

Thare wuz sum feller they calls Bill
Upon the Northern side,
A candel maker, sumwun sed,
Who wanted ter decide.
He sed he'd watched 'em nite and day
A belchin' smoak and sut;
The way he'd talk and spend his cash
You'd think he wuz a nut.

They hired an Engineer named Fay
Ter tell 'em what ter do,
And when he told 'em sum folks sed
The feller never knoo.
Sum hired a girl out Cleavlend way
Who wuz a peach ter shout,
Altho she did not reely know
What it wuz all about.

And when I heerd that woman say
The wurds they wud prepair,
It made me git rite up and walk
Outside ter breathe the air;
And when I heerd sum Docter croak,
Ter me it did appear
Thare must be properties in smoak
Within the nose and ear

That coats the membrains over so
No microbes kin git neer;
Perhaps the railroad's awful noise
Kin make deaf peepul heer.
It makes me sumtimes wunder why
He is a docter man
When he kin be so versatile
About a railroad plan.

Wimmin' and docters seem ter know
More than an engineer
Just whare a railroad orter go,
Ter them it is most cleer;
The men who bild and run the rodes
Shud surely take advice
From cooks, and maids, and orators,
Or else they are not nice.

Down in the districk whare I vote
Thare wuz a mile between
The hind-end of the votin' line
And that air vote merchine.
Boss Kelley wuz a hangin' 'round
Outside the polin' place,—
He must have bin a bettin', 'cause
He wuzn't in the race.

And when they all had voted 'til
They cudn't vote no more,
They started in a countin' 'til
The North Side bunch got sore.
The Docter sez—"Let me and Bill
Just count them votes wunz more,—
'Twas in the countin' Tunney wun—
And so with the West Shore."

It sure wuz vocal exercise
Just routin' rodes by mouth,
And if we wate a few more years
Sum folks may rout 'em south.
But when the votin's all bin dun,
Who haz the final say?
Who is it owns the railroads and
Who haz the rite uv way?





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