The Raggedy Man
by James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916)
O The Raggedy Man! He works fer Pa;
An’ he’s the Goodest man ever you saw!
He comes to our house every day,
An’ waters the horses, an’ feeds ’em hay;
An’ he opens the shed—an’ we all ist laugh
When he drives out our little old wobble-ly calf;
An’ nen—ef our hired girl says he can—
He milks the cow fer ’Lizabuth Ann.—
Ain’t he a’ awful good Raggedy Man?
Raggedy! Raggedy! Raggedy Man!
W’y, The Raggedy Man—He’s ist so good
He splits the kindlin’ an’ chops the wood;
An’ nen he spades in our garden, too,
An’ does most things ’at boys can’t do.—
He clumbed clean up in our big tree—
An’ shooked a’ apple down fer me—
An’ nother’n too, fer ’Lizabuth Ann—
An’ nother’n, too, fer The Raggedy Man.—
Ain’t he a’ awful kind Raggedy Man?
Raggedy! Raggedy! Raggedy Man!
An’ The Raggedy Man, he knows most rhymes
An’n tells ’em ef I be good, sometime;
Knows ’bout Giunts, an’ Griffuns, an’ Elves,
An’ the Squidgicum-Squees ’at swallers therselves!
An’, wite by the pump in our pasture-lot,
He showed me the hole ’at the Wunks is got,
’At live ’way deep in the ground, an’ can
Turn into me, er ’Lizabuth Ann!
Ain’t he a funny old Raggedy Man?
Raggedy! Raggedy! Raggedy Man!
The Raggedy Man—one time when he
Was makin’ a little bow-’n-’orry fer me,
Says, “When you’re big like your Pa is,
Air you go’ to keep a fine store like his—
An’ be a rich merchunt—an’ wear fine clothes?—
Er what air you go’ to be goodness knows!”
An’nen he laughed at ’Lizabuth Ann,
An’ I says, “’M go’ to be a Raggedy Man!
I’m ist go’ to be a nice Raggedy Man!”
Raggedy! Raggedy! Raggedy Man!
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