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Riding To Town

By Paul Laurence Dunbar

Topics: classic

When labor is light and the morning is fair,     I find it a pleasure beyond all compare     To hitch up my nag and go hurrying down     And take Katie May for a ride into town;     For bumpety-bump goes the wagon,     But tra-la-la-la our lay.     There's joy in a song as we rattle along     In the light of the glorious day.     A coach would be fine, but a spring wagon's good;     My jeans are a match for Kate's gingham and hood;     The hills take us up and the vales take us down,     But what matters that? we are riding to town,     And bumpety-bump goes the wagon,     But tra-la-la-la sing we.     There's never a care may live in the air     That is filled with the breath of our glee.     And after we've started, there's naught can repress     The thrill of our hearts in their wild happiness;     The heavens may smile or the heavens may frown,     And it's all one to us when we're riding to town.     For bumpety-bump goes the wagon,     But tra-la-la-la we shout,     For our hearts they are clear and there 's nothing to fear,     And we've never a pain nor a doubt.     The wagon is weak and the roadway is rough,     And tho' it is long it is not long enough,     For mid all my ecstasies this is the crown     To sit beside Katie and ride into town,     When bumpety-bump goes the wagon,     But tra-la-la-la our song;     And if I had my way, I 'd be willing to pay     If the road could be made twice as long.

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"When labor is light and the morning is fair,..."

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Author:Paul Laurence Dunbar

"When labor is light and the morning is fair,..." by Paul Laurence Dunbar

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"The Text is taken from Percy's Reliques (1765), vol. i. p. 71, 'given from two MS. copies, transmitted from Scotland.' Herd had a very similar bal"

Paul Laurence Dunbar

About Paul Laurence Dunbar

Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872–1906) was an American poet and novelist who was one of the first African-American writers to gain national prominence. His poems in dialect—including "When Malindy Sings"—and standard English explore Black life with humor, pathos, and dignity.

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