LITTLE ORPHANT ANNIE

To all the little children:- The happy ones; and sad ones;
The sober and the silent ones; the boisterous and glad ones;
The good ones-Yes, the good ones, too; and all the lovely bad ones.

Little Orphant Annie's come to our house to stay,
An' washthe cups and saucers up, an' brush the crumbs away,
An' shoo the chickens off the porch, an' dust the hearth, an' sweep,
An' make the fire, an' bake the bread, an' earn her board-an'-keep,
An' all us other children, when the supper-things is done,
We set around the kitchen fire an' has the mostest fun
A-list'nin' to the witch-tales 'at Annie tells about,
An' the Gobble-uns 'at gits you
                        Ef You
                                  Don't
                                          Watch
                                                    Out!
Wunst they wuz a little boy wouldn't say his prayers,-
An' when he went to bed at night, away up-stairs,
His Mammy heerd him holler, an' his Daddy heerd him bawl,
An' when they turn't the kivverd down, he wuzn't there at all!
An' they seeked him up the chimney-flue, an' ever'-wheres, I guess;
But allthey ever found wuz thist his pants and roundabout;-
An' the Gobble-uns'll git you
                        Ef  You

                                   Don' t 
                                           Watch..
                                                    Out!

An' one time a little girl 'ud allus laugh an' grin,
An' make fun of ever' one, an' all her blood-an'-kin;
An' wunst, when they was "company," an' ole folks wuz there,
She mocked 'em an' shocked 'em, an'' said she didn't care!
An' thist as she kicked her heels, an' turn't to run an' hide,
They wuz two great big Black Things a-standin' by her side,
An' they snatched her through the ceilin' 'fore she knowed what she's about!
An' the Gobble-uns'll git you
                        .Ef You
                                    .Don't
                                            .Watch
                                                    .Out!
An' little Orphant Annie says, when the blaze is blue,
An' the lamp-wick sputters, an' the wind goes woo-oo!
An' you hear the crickets quit, an' the moon is gray,
An' the lightnin'-bugs in dew is all squenched away,-
You better mind yer parunts, an' yer teachurs fond an' dear,
An' churish them 'at loves you, an' dry the orphant's tear,
An' help the pore an' needy ones 'at clusters all about,
Er the Gobble-uns'll git you.
                        Ef You
                                    Don't
                                            Watch
                                                    Out!