The Raggedy Man

by James Whitcomb Riley

O THE RAGGEDY MAN! He works fer Pa;
An' he's the Goodest man ever you saw!
He comes to our house every day,
An' waters the horses, an' feeds `em hay;
An' he opens the shed---an' we all ist laugh
When he drives out our little old wobble-ly calf;
An' nen---ef our hired girl says he can---
He milks the cow fer `Lizabuth Ann.---
    Ain't he a' awful good Raggedy Man?
        Raggedy! Raggedy! Raggedy Man!

W'y, The Raggedy Man---He's ist so good
He splits the kindlin' an' chops the wood;
An' nen he spades in our garden, too,
An' does most things `at boys can't do.---
He clumbed clean up in our big tree---
An' shooked a' apple down fer me---
An' nother'n too, fer `Lizabuth Ann---
An' nother'n, too, fer The Raggedy Man.---
    Ain't he a' awful kind Raggedy Man?
        Raggedy! Raggedy! Raggedy Man!

An' The Raggedy Man, he knows most rhymes
An'n tells `em ef I be good, sometime;
Knows `bout Giunts, an' Griffuns, an' Elves,
An' the Squidgicum-Squees `at swallers therselves!
An', wite by the pump in our pasture-lot,
He showed me the hole `at the Wunks is got,
`At live `way deep in the ground, an' can
Turn into me, er `Lizabuth Ann!
    Ain't he a funny old Raggedy Man?
        Raggedy! Raggedy! Raggedy Man!

The Raggedy Man---one time when he
Was makin' a little bow-'n-'orry fer me,
Says, "When you're big like your Pa is,
Air you go' to keep a fine store like his---
An' be a rich merchunt---an' wear fine clothes?---
Er what air you go' to be goodness knows!"
An'nen he laughed at `Lizabuth Ann,
An' I says, "`M go' to be a Raggedy Man!
    I'm ist go' to be a nice Raggedy Man!"
        Raggedy! Raggedy! Raggedy Man!