Wednesday, March 18, 2015

“Sleepy Sam”



Old Sleepy Sam
     Warn’t worth a dang,
No matter how you took him;
     His good wife Clo’
     Ten years ago
Packed up her duds an’ shook him.
     He was so dead
     Fur sleep they said
He didn’t seem to mind it;
     But slept all day
     The same ol’ way,
At least the so opined it.

When sleepy Sam struck Gungawamp two score of years ago
Jest who he was or whence he come nobody seemed to know;
He simply hit our lively town one day all in a heap,
An’ then the only thing he done was go right off to sleep.
He slept all through the hull blamed week an’ Sunday’s was the same;
We couldn’t wake him long enough to learn his secunt name.
He’d go to sleep where’re he set, an’ ‘twasn’t any sham,
An’ so there warn’t no other way but call him “Sleepy Sam”.

One day Bill Jones got short for help an’ went clen out to Sam’s.
An’ offered him a dollar if he’d come an’ smoke some hams;
An’ Sam he yawned an’ garped an’ stretched an’ settled in a heap
An’ Bill he couldn’t wake him up an’ so left him asleep.
“Gosh ding him for a sleepy head,” said Bill to us that night,
“He’s got ol’ Rip Van Winkle skinned for sleep clean out o’ sight;
He ain’t no bus’ness livin’ here in this here active town,
He’d orter live where they hev night the hull blamed year around.”

One day Sam’s dwellin’ ketched afire an’ ev’rybody run
To help put out the fire an’ at the same time have some fun;
They ‘spected just for once they’d see ol’ Sam a-flyin’ round,
A-luggin’ stuff out of the house to safety on the ground.
But there he set in his ol’ chair ez sleepy as could be,
While half the roof was blazin’ up, an awful sight to see.
They yanked him out, an’ shook him up an’ Sam said, yawnin’ deep:
“Fur He’ben’s sake put out the fire, an’ let me go to sleep!”

Old Sleepy Sam
     Warn’t worth a-dang,
No matter how you took him;
     They stopped the blaze
     Then turned their gaze
On Sleepy Sam an’ shook him.
     But Sam jest set –
     He’s settin’ yet, –
His sleepy nap unbroken;
     He’ll never wake
     Except to taste
A drink, I’ve heard it spoken.



March 18, ‘09

 

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