| |
| YOU bad leetle boy, not moche you care | |
| How busy you’re kipin’ your poor gran’ père | |
| Tryin’ to stop you ev’ry day | |
| Chasin’ de hen aroun’ de hay— | |
| W’y don’t you geev’ dem a chance to lay? | 5 |
| Leetle Bateese! | |
| |
| Off on de fiel’ you foller de plough, | |
| Den w’en you’re tire you scare de cow, | |
| Sickin’ de dog till dey jomp de wall, | |
| So de milk ain’t good for not’ing at all— | 10 |
| An’ you’re only five an’ a half dis fall, | |
| Leetle Bateese! | |
| |
| Too sleepy for sayin’ de prayer to night? | |
| Never min’, I s’pose it’ll be all right. | |
| Say dem to-morrow—ah! dere he go! | 15 |
| Fas’ asleep in a minute or so— | |
| An’ he’ll stay lak dat till de rooster crow, | |
| Leetle Bateese! | |
| |
| Den wake us up right away tout de suite | |
| Lookin’ for somet’ing more to eat, | 20 |
| Makin’ me t’ink of dem long leg crane— | |
| Soon as dey swaller, dey start again; | |
| I wonder your stomach don’t get no pain, | |
| Leetle Bateese! | |
| |
| But see heem now lyin’ dere in bed, | 25 |
| Look at de arm onderneat’ hees head; | |
| If he grow like dat till he ’s twenty year | |
| I bet he’ll be stronger dan Louis Cyr, | |
| An’ beat all de voyageurs leevin’ here, | |
| Leetle Bateese! | 30 |
| |
| Jus’ feel de muscle along hees back, | |
| Won’t geev’ heem moche bodder for carry pack | |
| On de long portage, any size canoe; | |
| Dere ’s not many t’ing dat boy won’t do, | |
| For he ’s got double-joint on hees body too, | 35 |
| Leetle Bateese! | |
| |
| But leetle Bateese! please don’t forget | |
| We rader you’re stayin’ de small boy yet; | |
| So chase de chicken an’ mak’ dem scare, | |
| An’ do w’at you lak wit’ your ole gran’ père, | 40 |
| For w’en you’re beeg feller he won’t be dere— | |
| Leetle Bateese! | |
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