By An’ By

By an’ by I’ll git my pole,

     By an’ by;

They’ll be Heaven in my soul,

     By an’ by;

I will steal away frum ma

Down to where the fishes are;

I will spit upon my hook

An’ I’ll drop it in the brook

     By an’ by.

Ma will miss me frum the yard,

     By an’ by;

She will holler fur me hard,

     By an’ by;

But the gurgle uv the stream

Like enough will drown her scream;

An' I’ll fish an’ fish away

Where the speckled beauties lay,

     By an’ by.

Ef I ketch a likely mess

     By an’ by,

Ma will smile with happerness

     By an’ by,

           But –

Ef I hev an empty creel

Someway I kin sorter feel

How thet apple sprout will dance

On the seat uv my ol’ pants

     By an’ by!

Dec. 22, ‘97

Published in the

 January Little Joker

 And Storyist

  (widely quoted)