Show TOOK JOIUfMIE TO THE SHOW I Poor little Johnnie longed to go I And see the show Like any simple trusting lad Who viewed the walls in pictures clad Of men who lived on horses backs Or climbed each others heads in stacks Or drivelled dressed in stripes and spots Or tied themselves in double knots spot Or metamorphosed into wheels Or swung each other by the heels Or placid led unblemished lives Amid a fusillade of knives I Or punched the lion while he roared Or with their heads his mouth explored You would yourself have longed to go And see the show Then Johnnies father said Although I loathe abhor and hate the show I feel that little John should go The curious animals to see Twould never dose little grown For him to wander round alone My little boy shall go with me And Johnnies mother prudent dame And Johnnies auntie felt the same And Johnnies Uncle Lemuel His second cousin Samuel I His older sister Mary And Susan Ann and Sarah His brother and his brotherinlaw His fathers cautious mothermlaw And others went along with him To see that nought was wrong with him Twas not a sin to take you know Poor little Johnnie to the show As any one might be afraid Twas very hard with all this aid I For little John to see the show I They hustled him they jostled him They pulled him to and fro When one of them would chance to see I A knot of friends then he or she Would grasp the urchin by the hand So all the world would understand That they had simply come you know With Johnnie to the show And Johnnies heart was breaking His lengthened arms were aching His pulse was wildly throbbing His little breath was sobbing When with a new and different ache In every separate toe He lay at night in his own chare A dreary poor and lonely one And murmured Im the ojily one Of all the family small or large That didnt see the show Will Carleton in Every Where |