I'm only a little toy dough-boy,
And I have neither sorrows nor fears;
But I patiently wait,
With my gun pointed straight
And my helmet pulled down on my ears.

The ugly wood lions and tigers
May show their white teeth if they please,
If the whole Noah's ark
Should threaten and bark
It wouldn't unstiffen my knees.

And some day when you are a soldier
With your helmet pulled down on your ears
I'll still be as straight
As I wonder and wait,
Standing my watch through the years.



Royalty


If I should meet a king or queen
Upon the street some day,
Do you think that I'd be frightened?
Why, I'd know just what to say.

"Your reverend majesties," I'd say,