The Old Times Were the Best

James Whitcomb Riley 1849 (Greenfield) – 1916 (Indianapolis)



Friends, my heart is half aweary
Of its happiness to-night:
Though your songs are gay and cheery,
And your spirits feather-light,
There's a ghostly music haunting
Still the heart of every guest
And a voiceless chorus chanting
That the Old Times were the best.

CHORUS

All about is bright and pleasant
With the sound of song and jest,
Yet a feeling's ever present
That the Old Times were the best.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 16, 2023

22 sec read
410

Quick analysis:

Scheme ababcdcD edeD
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 391
Words 72
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 4

James Whitcomb Riley

James Whitcomb Riley was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry respectively. more…

All James Whitcomb Riley poems | James Whitcomb Riley Books

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