Ah! John! how I do love to look
At theaese green hollor, an' the brook
Among the withies that do hide
The stream, a-growen at the zide;
An' at the road athirt the wide
An' shallow vword, where we young bwoys
Did peaert, when we did goo half-woys,
To bring ye gwain o' Zundays.
Vor after church, when we got hwome,
In evenen you did always come
To spend a happy hour or two
Wi' us, or we did goo to you;
An' never let the comers goo
Back hwome alwone, but always took
A stroll down wi' em to the brook
To bring em gwain o' Zundays.
How we did scote all down the groun',
A-pushen woone another down!
Or challengen o' zides in jumps
Down over bars, an' vuzz, an' humps;
An' peaert at last wi' slaps an' thumps,
An' run back up the hill to zee
Who'd get hwome soonest, you or we.
That brought ye gwain o' Zundays.
O' leaeter years, John, you've a-stood
My friend, an' I've a-done you good;
But tidden, John, vor all that you
Be now, that I do like ye zoo,
But what you wer vor years agoo:
Zoo if you'd stir my heart-blood now.
Tell how we used to play, an' how
You brought us gwain o' Zundays.