Swimmin' Days

Swimin’ ain’t what it yuster be,

Not by a jug full, no–sir–ee;

Uv course, the water’s jest ez wet,

The woods is there, an’ all uv thet;

The shadders ‘crost the eddy lie

Jest ez they did in days gone by;

The dam sends up its steam an’ roar

Jest ez it did in days uv yore,

An’ turkles drop “kerplunk” into

The water ez they yuster do.

But swimmin’, swimmin’, no–sir–ee,

Ain’t hardly what it yuster be.

Don’t hev the fun we hed those days,

When we hed time enough to laze

Around the dam, lay in the sun

An’ bake till we wuz p’nigh done,

Then run an’ dive, the hull blame pack,

Inter the pond ag’in, ker-whack!

Then chase each other long the shore,

Tie up the clothes uv one or more,

Throw mud on some poor feller when

He wuz most getting’ dry, an’ then

Make him go in ag’in. Dear suz,

Them swimmin’ days ain’t what they wuz!

Another uv them bygone joys

Wuz duckin’ uv the smaller boys;

Can’t dew it now, they’ve growed, you see,

An’ are ez big ez yew an’ me.

An’ some hez moved away, an’ some

Are busy workin’ here here to hum.

No sir, them dayz hev all gone by

Can’t bring ‘em back now ef we try;

The lickin’s too, we uster get

When we got hom all red an’ wet,

Don’t come no more to yew an’ me;

Swimmin’ ain’t what it uster be!

June 16, 1904