Old Man's Nursery Rhyme

I     In the jolly winters      Of the long-ago,     It was not so cold as now -      O! No! No!     Then, as I remember,      Snowballs to eat     Were as good as apples now.      And every bit as sweet!     II     In the jolly winters      Of the dead-and-gone,     Bub was warm as summer,      With his red mitts on, -     Just in his little waist-      And-pants all together,     Who ever hear him growl      About cold weather?     III     In the jolly winters      Of the long-ago -     Was it HALF so cold as now?      O! No! No!     Who caught his death o' cold,      Making prints of men     Flat-backed in snow that now's      Twice as cold again?     IV     In the jolly winters      Of the dead-and-gone,     Startin' out rabbit-huntin' -      Early as the dawn, -     Who ever froze his fingers,      Ears, heels, or toes, -     Or'd 'a' cared if he had?      Nobody knows!     V     Nights by the kitchen-stove,      Shellin' white and red     Corn in the skillet, and      Sleepin' four abed!     Ah! the jolly winters      Of the long-ago!     We were not as old as now -      O! No! No!