The Mulberry Tree

It's many's the scenes which is dear to my mind     As I think of my childhood so long left behind;     The home of my birth, with it's old puncheon-floor,     And the bright morning-glories that growed round the door;     The warped clab-board roof whare the rain it run off     Into streams of sweet dreams as I laid in the loft,     Countin' all of the joys that was dearest to me,     And a-thinkin' the most of the mulberry tree.     And to-day as I dream, with both eyes wide-awake,     I can see the old tree, and its limbs as they shake,     And the long purple berries that rained on the ground     Whare the pastur' was bald whare we trommpt it around.     And again, peekin' up through the thick leafy shade,     I can see the glad smiles of the friends when I strayed     With my little bare feet from my own mother's knee     To foller them off to the mulberry tree.     Leanin' up in the forks, I can see the old rail,     And the boy climbin' up it, claw, tooth, and toe-nail,     And in fancy can hear, as he spits on his hands,     The ring of his laugh and the rip of his pants.     But that rail led to glory, as certin and shore     As I'll never climb thare by that rout' any more -     What was all the green lauruls of Fame unto me,     With my brows in the boughs of the mulberry tree!     Then it's who can fergit the old mulberry tree     That he knowed in the days when his thoughts was as free     As the flutterin' wings of the birds that flew out     Of the tall wavin' tops as the boys come about?     O, a crowd of my memories, laughin' and gay,     Is a-climbin' the fence of that pastur' to-day,     And, a-pantin' with joy, as us boys ust to be,     They go racin' acrost fer the mulberry tree.