The Man Behind

There’s the man behind the gun,

     And the man behind the loom,

There’s the man behind the stove,

     And the wife behind the broom.

There’s the man behind the bank,

     And the man behind the mill,

There’s the man behind the club,

     And the man behind the quill.

There’s the man behind the horse,

     And the man behind the cow;

There’s the man behind the hoe,

     And the man behind the plow.

There’s the man behind the fist,

     And the man behind the curse,

There’s the man behind the pick

     And the man behind the hearse.

There’s the man behind the jokes,

     And the man behind the rhymes;

I’d rather be behind them all

     Than the man behind the times.

Sept. 22, 1904