A New Year’s Song Love and laughter lead you Down the pathways of the year, And may each morning feed you From the golden spoon of cheer; May every eye be shining, And every cheek aglow, And may the silver lining Of the clouds forever show. May peace and plenty find you, May pain and grief dep... »
A Pat On The Back A PAT on the back is a wonderful thing, It gives a man courage to whistle and sing; When hope is departing, the outlook is grim, A pat on the back then says volumes to him. It whispers: ‘Keep at it! You’re doing all right, Just dig in your toes and get busy and fight, T... »
A Patriot It’s funny when a feller wants to do his little bit, And wants to wear a uniform and lug a soldier’s kit, And ain’t afraid of submarines nor mines that fill the sea, They will not let him go along to fight for liberty They make him stay at home and be his mother’s d... »
A Patriotic Creed To serve my country day by day At any humble post I may; To honor and respect her flag, To live the traits of which I brag; To be American in deed As well as in my printed creed. To stand for truth and honest toil, To till my little patch of soil, And keep in mind the debt I owe To... »
A Patriotic Wish I’d like to be the sort of man the flag could boast about; I’d like to be the sort of man it cannot live without; I’d like to be the type of man That really is American: The head-erect and shoulders-square, Clean-minded fellow, just and fair, That all men picture w... »
A Personal View Of War I NEVER pondered much on war, Except to think it was inspiring To have a cause to battle for, To hear the guns and cannons firing; To see brave men rush up to death Without a sign or trace of terror, To give their country blood and breath, But now I know it’s all an erro... »
A Place At The Top THERE’S a place for you at the top, my boy, Are you willing to try to get it? It’s true that trouble will try to stop Your efforts, but will you let it? The road is long and the path is rough, Designed for men of the proper stuff, And you can’t get by with a comm... »
A Plea GOD grant me these: the strength to do Some needed service here; The wisdom to be brave and true; The gift of vision clear, That in each task that comes to me Some purpose I may plainly see. God teach me to believe that I Am stationed at a post, Although the humblest ‘neath the sky, Whe... »
A Prayer God grant me kindly thought And patience through the day, And in the things I’ve wrought Let no man living say That hate’s grim mark has stained What little joy I’ve gained. God keep my nature sweet, Teach me to bear a blow, Disaster and defeat, And no resentment show. If ... »
A Preference I”D rather be considered dull Than use my brain denouncing things; I’d rather not be critical And utter words that carry stings. I’d rather never speak at all Than speak as one who seems to feel That other’s faults, howe’er so small, It proves him clever to... »
A Scare There are noises that freeze up the blood, There’s the sound of the burglar at night As he’s picking the lock, and the thud Of a wind-worried door I thought tight; But there’s nothing that frightens me more Nor causes such horrible dread As the bumpety-bump on the floor Whe... »
A Real Thriller We were speakin’ of excitement, an’ the hair upliftin’ thrills That sorter dot life’s landscape, like the bill board ads. for pills, An’ one feller spoke of bein’ in a railroad wreck or two An’ another one of skatin’ on some ice that le... »
A Song Rough be the road and long, Steep be the hills ahead, Grant that my faith be strong, Fearlessly let me tread. After the day’s hard test Home — with its peaceful rest. Heavy my burdens be, Let me not falter though, Soon I shall come to see Home, where the roses grow. Home, where the swal... »
A Successful Dad OTHERS may laugh at my feeble endeavor To capture life’s prizes, and others may sneer; The whole world may loudly declare I shall never Be worthy the gunpowder to blow me from here. It may be I ‘m punk as a parlor reciter, And when I begin grown-ups take to the woods; Bu... »
A Suggestion IF you’ve grumbled through the day Without driving care away, If in spite of all your grouches Troubles on you have kept piling; If regardless of your kicking And your cussing, they’re still sticking, Why not switch your tactics, mister, And try smiling? If your frowning wil... »
A Toast To Happiness To happiness I raise my glass, The goal of every human, The hope of every clan and class And every man and woman. The daydreams of the urchin there, The sweet theme of the maiden’s prayer, The strong man’s one ambition, The sacred prize of mothers sweet, The tramp of... »
A Toast To The Men Here’s to the men! Since Adam’s time They’ve always been the same; Whenever anything goes wrong, The woman is to blame. From early morn to late at night, The men fault-finders are; They blame us if they oversleep, Or if they miss a car. They blame us if, beneath ... »
A Valentine YOUR cheeks are pinker than the rose, Your eyes are bluer than the skies; Than you no fairer blossom grows, In you all earthly sweetness lies. Without you life were drear to me, I dream of you the night long through; Oh, sweetheart! hear my humble plea: Please let me hook your waists for... »
A Vanished Joy When I was but a little lad of six and seven and eight, One joy I knew that has been lost in customs up-to-date, Then Saturday was baking day and Mother used to make, The while I stood about and watched, the Sunday pies and cake; And I was there to have fulfilled a small boy’s f... »
A Vow I might not ever scale the mountain heights Where all the great men stand in glory now; I may not ever gain the world’s delights Or win a wreath of laurel for my brow; I may not gain the victories that men Are fighting for, nor do a thing to boast of; I may not get a fortune here, but th... »
A Wish I’d like to be a boy again, a care-free prince of joy again, I’d like to tread the hills and dales the way I used to do; I’d like the tattered shirt again, the knickers thick with dirt again, The ugly, dusty feet again that long ago I knew. I’d like to play first base ... »
A Warm House And A Ruddy Fire A warm house and a ruddy fire, To what more can man aspire? Eyes that shine with love aglow, Is there more for man to know? Whether home be rich or poor, If contentment mark the door He who finds it good to live Has the best that life can give. This the end of mortal st... »
A Woman’s Love There are times a woman’s love Fer a man stands out, I guess, More ‘n usual, like as when Sickness comes or else distress; But I reckon that it shines Brighter than a taller dip When a man is goin’ away An’ she comes t’ pack his grip. ‘Pears t’... »
A Woman’s Ways IT ‘S human for a woman To enjoy a little cry; Though a man will grin and bear ’em And pass little troubles by, A woman seeks a pillow And her face she buries in it, Starts the bitter tears to running, And she’s better in a minute. It’s human for a woman ... »
A Wonderful World IT ‘S a wonderful world when you sum it all up, And we ought to be glad we are in it; The fellow who drinks from old Misery’s cup Gets the goblet of joy the next minute. In a wonderful way In the course of a day Strange changes occur as by magic, There are solemn and sa... »
A Year’s New Wish MAY all your little cares depart By which your heart is troubled; May perfect peace supplant the smart, And all your joys be doubled. May every wish you have come true, And every sky above be blue. May every foe become your friend, And every wrong be righted; And may your pat... »
About Boys Show me the boy who never threw A stone at someone’s cat; Or never hurled a snowball swift At someone’s high silk hat. Who never ran away from school, To seek the swimming hole; Or slyly from a neighbor’s yard Green apples never stole. Show me the boy who never broke A p... »
Accomplished Care All things grow lovely in a little while, The brush of memory paints a canvas fair; The dead face through the ages wears a smile, And glorious becomes accomplished care. There’s nothing ugly that can live for long, There’s nothing constant in the realm of pain; Right al... »
Afraid Of His Dad Bill Jones, who goes to school with me, Is the saddest boy I ever see. He’s just so ‘fraid he runs away When all of us fellows want to play, An’ says he dassent stay about Coz if his father found it out He’d wallop him. An’ he can’t go With us to... »
After A Proposal IS IT so sudden? Then did you believe, dear, Those evenings I called at your flat And lovingly, longingly gazed in your eyes, That I merely had come for a chat? Did it strike you the times that I lingered till twelve And hated to leave you alone, I was doing that merely to fill up m... »
After All Is Said And Done AFTER all is said and done, After all the work and fun, After all the sighing’s over And the laughter fades away, Then the cares that now beset us And the little wrongs that fret us Will diminish in their value As we sail across the bay. There will be no friends depa... »
All For The Best Things mostly happen for the best. However hard it seems to-day, When some fond plan has gone astray Or what you’ve wished for most is lost An’ you sit countin’ up the cost With eyes half-blind by tears o’ grief While doubt is chokin’ out belief, You... »
All That Matters When all that matters shall be written down And the long record of our years is told, Where sham, like flesh, must perish and grow cold; When the tomb closes on our fair renown And priest and layman, sage and motleyed clown Must quit the places which they dearly hold, What to our cr... »
Alone Strange thoughts come to the man alone; ‘Tis then, if ever, he talks with God, And views himself as a single clod In the soil of life where the souls are grown. ‘Tis then he questions the why and where, The start and end of his years and days, And what is blame and what is praise, ... »
Along The Paths O’ Glory Along the paths o’ glory there are faces new to-day, There are youthful hearts and sturdy that have found the westward way. From the rugged roads o’ duty they have turned without a sigh, To mingle with their brothers who were not afraid to die. And theyR... »
Ambition If you would rise above the throng And seek the crown of fame, You must do more than drift along And merely play the game. Whatever path your feet may tread, Whatever be your quest, The only way to get ahead Is striving for the best. ‘Tis not enough to wish to do A day’s toil fa... »
America God has been good to men. He gave His Only Son their souls to save, And then he made a second gift, Which from their dreary lives should lift The tyrant’s yoke and set them free From all who’d throttle liberty. He gave America to men— Fashioned this land we love, and then Deep in... »
An Ode To Nellie AH Nellie, you were always fair, and you were always good and true, I’ve sung about your wealth of hair, and praised your eyes, so soft and blue, Your charms are many I confess, but now my pen in hand I take To praise in my poor humble way the strawb’ry shortcake that yo... »
An Easy World It’s an easy world to live in if you choose to make it so; You never need to suffer, save the griefs that all must know; If you’ll stay upon the level and will ‘do the best you can You will never lack the friendship of a kindly fellow man. Life’s an easy road to... »
An Apple Tree In France An apple tree beside the way, Drinking the sunshine day by day According to the Master’s plan, Had been a faithful friend to man. It had been kind to all who came, Nor asked the traveler’s race or name, But with the peasant boy or king Had shared its blossoms in t... »
An Old-Fashioned Welcome There’s nothing cheers a fellow up just like a hearty greeting, A handclasp and an honest smile that flash the joy of meeting; And when at friendly doors you ring, somehow it seems to free you From all life’s doubts to hear them say: ‘Come in! We’re g... »
An Uncle BEIN’ uncle to the kids, Laughin’ lips an’ drowsy lids Grimy hands an’ tattered clothes, Cheeks as red as any rose; Willie Browns an’ Jimmy Whites, Sarah Smiths an’ Mabel Brights; One an’ all I ‘m glad t’ see, Love t’ hear ’e... »
Another Mouth To Feed We’ve got another mouth to feed, From out our little store; To satisfy another’s need Is now my daily chore. A growing family is ours, Beyond the slightest doubt; It takes all my financial powers To keep them looking stout. With us another makes his bow To breakfast... »
Answering Age AGE is calling to me, with his finger long and grim, It is urging me to wander down the dreary lanes with him, It has lined my cheeks with furrows, and has tinged my hair with gray, And is ever whispering to me that I’ve grown too old to play; But the heart of me keeps saying, &#... »
Answering The Grumblers When night time comes an’ I can go Back to the folks who love me so, An’ see ’em smile an’ hear ’em sing, An’ feel their kisses, then, by jing! I vow this world is mighty fine An’ run upon a great design. I trudge away at break o̵... »
Answering The Usual Questions My name is Johnny Vincent Brown, I live on Leicester Court, My Pa’s not here, he’s gone downtown, An’ I am three feet short, An’ I weigh sixty-three pounds, too, An’ I know my A, B, C’s, An’ I say good-bye an’ howdy-do, An... »
April Thoughts Listen to the laughter of the brook that’s racin’ by! Listen to the chatter of the black-birds on the fence! Stand an’ see the beauties of the blue that’s in the sky- Then ask of God why mortals haven’t any better sense Than to quarrel an’ to battle... »
Arcady Where is the road to Arcady, Where is the path that leads to peace, Where shall I find the bliss to be, Where shall the weary wanderings cease? These are the questions that come to me, Where is the road to Arcady? Is there a mystic time and place To which some day shall the traveler fare, Whe... »
As Fall The Leaves As fall the leaves, so drop the days In silence from the tree of life; Born for a little while to blaze In action in the heat of strife, And then to shrivel with Time’s blast And fade forever in the past. In beauty once the leaf was seen; To all it offered gentle shade; Men ... »
As It Goes In the corner she’s left the mechanical toy, On the chair is her Teddy Bear fine; The things that I thought she would really enjoy Don’t seem to be quite in her line. There’s the flaxen-haired doll that is lovely to see And really expensively dressed, Left alone, all unc... »
As It Is I might wish the world were better, I might sit around and sigh For a water that is wetter And a bluer sort of sky. There are times I think the weather Could be much improved upon, But when taken altogether It’s a good old world we’re on. I might tell how I would make it, But wh... »
As It Looks To The Boy His comrades have enlisted, but his mother bids him stay, His soul is sick with coward shame, his head hangs low to-day, His eyes no longer sparkle, and his breast is void of pride And I think that she has lost him though she’s kept him at her side. Oh, I’m sorry f... »
As We Prayed Often as we watched her there From our lips there fell this prayer, ‘God, give us the pain to bear! Let us suffer in her place, Take the anguish from her face, Soothe her with Thy holy grace.’ Then the angels came, and they Took her lovely soul away From the torture house of... »
At Breakfast Time My Pa he eats his breakfast in a funny sort of way: We hardly ever see him at the first meal of the day. Ma puts his food before him and he settles in his place An’ then he props the paper up and we can’t see his face; We hear him blow his coffee and we hear him chew hi... »
At Christmas A man is at his finest towards the finish of the year; He is almost what he should be when the Christmas season’s here; Then he’s thinking more of others than he’s thought the months before, And the laughter of his children is a joy worth toiling for. He is less a self... »
At Dawn They come to my room at the break of the day, With their faces all smiles and their minds full of play; They come on their tip-toes and silently creep To the edge of the bed where I’m lying asleep, And then at a signal, on which they agree, With a shout of delight they jump right onto ... »
At Pelletier’s We’ve been out to Pelletier’s Brushing off the stain of years, Quitting all the moods of men And been boys and girls again. We have romped through orchards blazing, Petted ponies gently grazing, Hidden in the hayloft’s spaces, And the queerest sort of places Th... »
At Sugar Camp At Sugar Camp the cook is kind And laughs the laugh we knew as boys; And there we slip away and find Awaiting us the old-time joys. The catbird calls the selfsame way She used to in the long ago, And there’s a chorus all the day Of songsters it is good to know. The killdeer in th... »
At The Cottage SHE wanted to be asked again, And so she wiped the dishes, She took a knife, and with the men She helped to clean the fishes; She made her bed and swept the floor, She ran for water gayly, She tackled every menial chore, And pared potatoes daily. She wanted to be asked again, She ran ... »
At The Door He wiped his shoes before his door, But ere he entered he did more; ‘Twas not enough to cleanse his feet Of dirt they’d gathered in the street; He stood and dusted off his mind And left all trace of care behind. ‘In here I will not take,’ said he, ‘The stain... »