John Brown is a man
Without houses or lands,
Himself he supports
By the work of his hands.
He brings home his wages
Each Saturday night,
To his wife and his children,
A very good sight.
His eldest boy, Dicky,
On errands when sent,
To loiter and chatter
Was very much bent;
The neighbours all call'd him
An odd little trout,
His shoes they were broke,
And his toes they peep'd out.
To see such old shoes
All their sorrows were rife;
John Brown he much grieved,
And so did his wife,
He kiss'd his boy Dicky,
And stroked his white head,
"You shall have a new pair,
My dear boy," he then said.
"I've here twenty shillings,
And money has wings;
Go first get this note changed,
I want other things."
Now here comes the mischief--
This Dicky would stop
At an ill-looking, mean-looking
Greengrocer's shop.
For here lived a chattering
Dunce of a boy;
To prate with this urchin
Gave Dicky great joy.
And now, in his boasting,
He shows him his note,
And now to the green-stall
Up marches a goat.
The laughed, for it was
This young nanny-goat's way
With those who pass'd by her
To gambol and play.
All three they went on
In their frolicsome bouts,
Till Dick dropt the note
On a bunch of green sprouts.
Now what was Dick's wonder
To see the vile goat,
In munching the green sprouts,
Eat up his bank note!
He crying ran back
To John Brown with the news,
And by stopping to idle
He lost his new shoes.