Oh! thik Gammony Gay is so droll,
That if he's at hwome by the he'th,
Or wi' vo'k out o' door, he's the soul
O' the meeten vor antics an' me'th;
He do cast off the thoughts ov ill luck
As the water's a-shot vrom a duck;
He do zing where his naighbours would cry
He do laugh where the rest o's would sigh:
Noo other's so merry o' feaece,
In the pleaece, as Gammony Gay.
An' o' worken days, Oh! he do wear
Such a funny roun' hat,—you mid know't—
Wi' a brim all a-strout roun' his heaeir,
An' his glissenen eyes down below't;
An' a cwoat wi' broad skirts that do vlee
In the wind ov his walk, round his knee;
An' a peaeir o' girt pockets lik' bags,
That do swing an' do bob at his lags:
While me'th do walk out drough the pleaece,
In the feaece o' Gammony Gay.
An' if he do goo over groun'
Wi' noo soul vor to greet wi' his words,
The feaece o'n do look up an' down,
An' round en so quick as a bird's;
An' if he do vall in wi' vo'k,
Why, tidden vor want ov a joke,
If he don't zend em on vrom the pleaece
Wi' a smile or a grin on their feaece:
An' the young wi' the wold have a-heaerd
A kind word vrom Gammony Gay.
An' when he do whissel or hum,
'Ithout thinken o' what he's a-doen,
He'll beaet his own lags vor a drum,
An' bob his gay head to the tuen;
An' then you mid zee, 'etween whiles,
His feaece all alive wi' his smiles,
An' his gay-breathen bozom do rise,
An' his me'th do sheen out ov his eyes:
An' at last to have praise or have bleaeme,
Is the seaeme to Gammony Gay.
When he drove his wold cart out, an' broke
The nut o' the wheel at a butt.
There wer "woo'se things," he cried, wi' a joke.
"To grieve at than cracken a nut."
An' when he tipp'd over a lwoad
Ov his reed-sheaves woone day on the rwoad,
Then he spet in his han's, out o' sleeves,
An' whissel'd, an' flung up his sheaves,
As very vew others can wag,
Eaerm or lag, but Gammony Gay.
He wer wi' us woone night when the band
Wer a-come vor to gi'e us a hop,
An' he pull'd Grammer out by the hand
All down drough the dance vrom the top;
An' Grammer did hobble an' squall,
Wi' Gammon a-leaeden the ball;
While Gammon did sheaeke up his knee
An' his voot, an' zing "Diddle-ee-dee!"
An' we laugh'd ourzelves all out o' breath
At the me'th o' Gammony Gay.
When our tun wer' o' vier he rod
Out to help us, an' meaede us sich fun,
Vor he clomb up to dreve in a wad
O' wet thorns, to the he'th, vrom the tun;
An' there he did stamp wi' his voot,
To push down the thorns an' the zoot,
Till at last down the chimney's black wall
Went the wad, an' poor Gammon an' all:
An' seaefe on the he'th, wi' a grin
On his chin pitch'd Gammony Gay.
All the house-dogs do waggle their tails,
If they do but catch zight ov his feaece;
An' the ho'ses do look over rails,
An' do whicker to zee'n at the pleaece;
An' he'll always bestow a good word
On a cat or a whisselen bird;
An' even if culvers do coo,
Or an owl is a-cryen "Hoo, hoo,"
Where he is, there's always a joke
To be spoke, by Gammony Gay.