| |
| US two wuz boys when we fell out,— | |
| Nigh to the age uv my youngest now; | |
| Don’t rec’lect what ’t wuz about, | |
| Some small deeff’rence, I ’ll allow. | |
| Lived next neighbors twenty years, | 5 |
| A-hatin’ each other, me ’nd Jim,— | |
| He havin’ his opinyin uv me, | |
| ’Nd I havin’ my opinyin uv him. | |
| |
| Grew up together ’nd would n’t speak, | |
| Courted sisters, ’nd marr’d ’em, too; | 10 |
| ’Tended same meetin’-house oncet a week, | |
| A-hatin’ each other through ’nd through! | |
| But when Abe Linkern asked the West | |
| F’r soldiers, we answered,—me ’nd Jim,— | |
| He havin’ his opinyin uv me, | 15 |
| ’Nd I havin’ my opinyin uv him. | |
| |
| But down in Tennessee one night | |
| Ther’ wuz sound uv firin’ fur away, | |
| ’Nd the sergeant allowed ther’ ’d be a fight | |
| With the Johnnie Rebs some time nex’ day; | 20 |
| ’Nd as I wuz thinkin’ uv Lizzie ’nd home | |
| Jim stood afore me, long ’nd slim,— | |
| He havin’ his opinyin uv me, | |
| ’Nd I havin’ my opinyin uv him. | |
| |
| Seemed like we knew there wuz goin’ to be | 25 |
| Serious trouble f’r me ’nd him; | |
| Us two shuck hands, did Jim ’nd me, | |
| But never a word from me or Jim! | |
| He went his way ’nd I went mine, | |
| ’Nd into the battle’s roar went we,— | 30 |
| I havin’ my opinyin uv Jim, | |
| ’Nd he havin’ his opinyin uv me. | |
| |
| Jim never come back from the war again, | |
| But I hain’t forgot that last, last night | |
| When, waitin’ f’r orders, us two men | 35 |
| Made up ’nd shuck hands, afore the fight. | |
| ’Nd, after it all, it ’ssoothin’ to know | |
| That here I be ’nd yonder ’s Jim,— | |
| He havin’ his opinyin uv me, | |
| ’Nd I havin’ my opinyin uv him. | 40 |
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