Backblock Ballads and Later Verses/K'shoo

by C. J. Dennis

K'shoo

(A Rhybe wridded for The Gadfly)

Whed your dose is code as barbie,
  Ad you sduffle all the day,
Ad your head id is behavig
  Id a bost udbleased way;
Whed your ev'ry joid is achig
  With a very paidful cramb,
Whed your throad is dry ad tiglish,
  Ad your feed are code ad damb;
Whed your eyes are red ad rudding
  With the dears thad will cub oud;
You cad safely bake your bind ub
  There is very liddle doubd.

You've got a code—a code—
  Ad idfluedzal code;
You cahd tell how you caughd id,
  But id's got a good firb hode.
Your face is whide, your eyes are pigk,
  Your dose is red ad blue;
Ad you wish thad you were—
  Ah—Ah—Ah—h—Kish—SHOO-O-O!

I dode wad to be a boed,
  Ad I do nod log for fabe,
Bud I have to wride to get by bread
  Ad budder, all the sabe.
Id is very aggravadig,
  Ad this world is very hard
Whed the idfluenza fasteds
  Od a sendibendal bard.
Oh, I caddod sig of subber skies!
  I caddod twag by lyre!
For all the buses id the world
  Are powerless to idspire.

I've got a code—a code—
  A bost udpleased code;
I caddod sig a sog ob sprig,
  I caddod bake ad ode.
For inspirashud will nod cub;
  I'b feelig very blue;
Oh, would thad I was—
  Ah—
Ah—
Ah—h—
Kish—SHOO-O-O!

I have to wride adother verse,
  Ad dode doe whad to say;
But I've got to buy some bedicid
  To drive this code away;
Oh, the boed's is a hard, hard life,
  His lod is very sore;
Ad if bisfortude cubs to hib,
  He has to toil the bore.
And dow, I thig I've bade enough,
  By wridig this last verse,
To go ad buy byself sub stuff
  Before by code geds worse.

I've got a code—a code—
  Ad aggravadig code !
If I was well I'd wride you such
  A charbig liddle ode.
I'd sig of labkids od the sward,
  Bedeath the skies so blue,
If it wasn'd for the
  Ah—
Ah—
Ah—h—
Kish—SHOO-O-O!