The Old Front Gate

Paul Laurence Dunbar 1872 (Dayton) – 1906



W'en daih's chillun in de house,  
   Dey keep on a-gittin' tall;
  But de folks don' seem to see
   Dat dey's growin' up at all,
  'Twell dey fin' out some fine day
   Dat de gals has 'menced to grow,
  W'en dey notice as dey pass
   Dat de front gate's saggin' low.
  W'en de hinges creak an' cry,
  An' de bahs go slantin' down,
 You kin reckon dat hit's time
  Fu' to cas' yo' eye erroun',
 'Cause daih ain't no 'sputin' dis,
  Hit's de trues' sign to show
 Dat daih's cou'tin goin' on
  W'en de ol' front gate sags low.
 Oh, you grumble an' complain,
  An' you prop dat gate up right;
 But you notice right nex' day
  Dat hit's in de same ol' plight.
 So you fin' dat hit's a rule,
  An' daih ain' no use to blow,
 W'en de gals is growin' up,
  Dat de front gate will sag low.
 Den you t'ink o' yo' young days,
  W'en you cou'ted Sally Jane,
 An' you so't o' feel ashamed
  Fu' to grumble an' complain,
 'Cause yo' ricerlection says,
  An' you know hits wo'ds is so,
 Dat huh pappy had a time
  Wid his front gate saggin' low.
 So you jes' looks on an' smiles
  At 'em leanin' on de gate,
 Tryin' to t'ink whut he kin say
  Fu' to keep him daih so late,
 But you lets dat gate erlone,
  Fu' yo' 'sperunce goes to show,
 'Twell de gals is ma'ied off,
  It gwine keep on saggin' low.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 25, 2023

1:21 min read
136

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCBDEFEGHIHJEKELMDMNEOEPLQLREIESTDTHEUE
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,255
Words 249
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 40

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Paul Laurence Dunbar was a seminal American poet of the late 19th and early 20th centuries Dunbar gained national recognition for his 1896 Lyrics of a Lowly Life one poem in the collection being Ode to Ethiopia more…

All Paul Laurence Dunbar poems | Paul Laurence Dunbar Books

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"The Old Front Gate" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/28927/the-old-front-gate>.

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