Love-Songs of Childhood

<p><SPAN name="link2H_4_0009" id="link2H_4_0009"></SPAN></p> <h2> THE DRUM </h2> <p>I'm a beautiful red, red drum,<br/> And I train with the soldier boys;<br/> As up the street we come,<br/> Wonderful is our noise!<br/> There's Tom, and Jim, and Phil,<br/> And Dick, and Nat, and Fred,<br/> While Widow Cutler's Bill<br/> And I march on ahead,<br/> With a r-r-rat-tat-tat<br/> And a tum-titty-um-tum-tum&mdash;<br/> Oh, there's bushels of fun in that<br/> For boys with a little red drum!<br/> The Injuns came last night<br/> While the soldiers were abed,<br/> And they gobbled a Chinese kite<br/> And off to the woods they fled!<br/> The woods are the cherry-trees<br/> Down in the orchard lot,<br/> And the soldiers are marching to seize<br/> The booty the Injuns got.<br/> With tum-titty-um-tum-tum,<br/> And r-r-rat-tat-tat,<br/> When soldiers marching come<br/> Injuns had better scat!<br/> Step up there, little Fred,<br/> And, Charley, have a mind!<br/> Jim is as far ahead<br/> As you two are behind!<br/> Ready with gun and sword<br/> Your valorous work to do&mdash;<br/> Yonder the Injun horde<br/> Are lying in wait for you.<br/> And their hearts go pitapat<br/> When they hear the soldiers come<br/> With a r-r-rat-tat-tat<br/> And a tum-titty-um-tum-tum!<br/> Course it's all in play!<br/> The skulking Injun crew<br/> That hustled the kite away<br/> Are little white boys, like you!<br/> But "honest" or "just in fun,"<br/> It is all the same to me;<br/> And, when the battle is won,<br/> Home once again march we<br/> With a r-r-rat-tat-tat<br/> And tum-titty-um-tum-tum;<br/> And there's glory enough in that<br/> For the boys with their little red drum!<br/></p> <div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />