The bow-leg boy

Eugene Field 1850 (St. Louis) – 1895 (Chicago)



Who should come up the road one day
But the doctor-man in his two-wheel shay!
And he whoaed his horse and he cried "Ahoy!
I have brought you folks a bow-leg boy!
 Such a cute little boy!
   Such a funny little boy!
     Such a dear little bow-leg boy!"

He took out his box and he opened it wide,
And there was the bow-leg boy inside!
And when they saw that cunning little mite,
They cried in a chorus expressive of delight:
 "What a cute little boy!
   What a funny little boy!
     What a dear little bow-leg boy!"

Observing a strict geometrical law,
They cut out his panties with a circular saw;
Which gave such a stress to his oval stride
That the people he met invariably cried:
 "What a cute little boy!
   What a funny little boy!
     What a dear little bow-leg boy!"

They gave him a wheel and away he went
Speeding along to his heart's content;
And he sits so straight and he pedals so strong
That the folks all say as he bowls along:
 "What a cute little boy!
   What a funny little boy!
     What a dear little bow-leg boy!"

With his eyes aflame and his cheeks aglow,
He laughs "aha" and he laughs "oho";
And the world is filled and thrilled with the joy
Of that jolly little human, the bow-leg boy--
 The cute little boy!
   The funny little boy!
     The dear little bow-leg boy!

If ever the doctor-man comes my way
With his wonderful box in his two-wheel shay,
I 'll ask for the treasure I'd fain possess--
Now, honest Injun! can't you guess?
 Why, a cute little boy--
   A funny little boy--
     A dear little bow-leg boy!

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:26 min read
64

Quick analysis:

Scheme aabbbbb ccddBBB eeccBBB ffggBBB xbbbbbb aahhbbb
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,504
Words 289
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7

Eugene Field

Eugene Field, Sr. was an American writer, best known for his children's poetry and humorous essays. more…

All Eugene Field poems | Eugene Field Books

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