The Happy Little Cripple Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCDE FFD D D GGC H D IIJJKKD KKLLDDD| I'm thist a little cripple boy an' never goin' to grow | A |
| An' get a great big man at all 'cause Aunty told me so | A |
| When I was thist a baby onc't I falled out of the bed | B |
| An' got 'The Curv'ture of the Spine' 'at's what the Doctor said | B |
| I never had no Mother nen fer my Pa runned away | C |
| An' dassn't come back here no more 'cause he was drunk one day | C |
| An' stobbed a man in thish ere town an' couldn't pay his fine | D |
| An' nen my Ma she died an' I got 'Curv'ture of the Spine ' | E |
| - | |
| I'm nine years old An' you can't guess how much I weigh I bet | F |
| Last birthday I weighed thirty three An' I weigh thirty yet | F |
| I'm awful little fer my size I'm purt' nigh littler 'nan | D |
| Some babies is an' neighbers all calls me 'The Little Man ' | - |
| An' Doc one time he laughed an' said 'I 'spect first thing you know | D |
| You'll have a little spike tail coat an' travel with a show ' | - |
| An' nen I laughed till I looked round an' Aunty was a cryin' | D |
| Sometimes she acts like that 'cause I got 'Curv'ture of the Spine ' | - |
| - | |
| I set while Aunty's washin' on my little long leg stool | G |
| An' watch the little boys an' girls a skippin' by to school | G |
| An' I peck on the winder an' holler out an' say | C |
| 'Who wants to fight The Little Man 'at dares you all today ' | - |
| An' nen the boys climbs on the fence an' little girls peeks through | H |
| An' they all says 'Cause you're so big you think we're 'feared o' you ' | - |
| An' nen they yell an' shake their fist at me like I shake mine | D |
| They're thist in fun you know 'cause I got 'Curv'ture of the Spine ' | - |
| - | |
| At evening when the ironin's done an' Aunty's fixed the fire | I |
| An' filled an' lit the lamp an' trimmed the wick an' turned it higher | I |
| An' fetched the wood all in fer night an' locked the kitchen door | J |
| An' stuffed the ole crack where the wind blows in up through the floor | J |
| She sets the kittle on the coals an' biles an' makes the tea | K |
| An' fries the liver an' the mush an' cooks a egg fer me | K |
| An' sometimes when I cough so hard her elderberry wine | D |
| Don't go so bad fer little boys with 'Curv'ture of the Spine ' | - |
| - | |
| But Aunty's all so childish like on my account you see | K |
| I'm 'most afeard she'll be took down an' 'at's what bothers me | K |
| 'Cause ef my good old Aunty ever would git sick an' die | L |
| I don't know what she'd do in heaven till I come by an' by | L |
| Fer she's so ust to all my ways an' ever'thing you know | D |
| An' no one there like me to nuss an' worry over so | D |
| 'Cause all the little childerns there's so straight an' strong an' fine | D |
| They's nary angel 'bout the place with 'Curv'ture of the Spine ' | - |
James Whitcomb Riley
(1)
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