Wandering Joe
Tell me, O wandering Joe!
How many miles did you go?
Why, one to my mother’s,
And three to my brother’s,
And just half a dozen
To hunt up a cousin;
And half a mile yonder
A hen-roost to plunder;
And three half miles back
To cover the track.
Then a half and a half
To water the calf,
And a half and a quarter
Before I found water;
Add a quarter to that,
When I chased a black bat;
Then two to town,
To see Jim Brown;
And two, and none,
And one for fun,
And one for luck,
And one for pluck;
And one for trouble,
And two for double;
And then ’twas best
To sit and rest.
And now, my friend, says Joe,
How many miles did I go?
Whether fair, whether foul,
Be it wet or dry,
Cloudy time or shiny time
The sun’s in the sky.
Gloomy-night, sparkle-night,
Be it glad or dread,
Cloudy time or shiny time,
Stars are overhead.