We 're doin' so well down here--
But it 's not our fault an' we can't help dat,
De law she is made for all,
So our duty is wait for de rat-tat-tat
Of drum an' de bugle call.

An' it 's busy week for Elmire an' me,
I 'm sure you 'd pity us too--
Workin' so hard lak you never see,
For dere 's plaintee o' job to do--
Den half o' de night packin' up de stuff
We got on de small cabane--
An' buyin' a horse, dough he cos' enough,
For Yankee 's a hard trade man.

An' how can I sleep if ma wife yell out--
"Gedeon, dere she goes!"
An' bang an' tear all de house about
W'en Johnnie is blow hees nose?
Poor leetle chil'ren dey suffer too,
Lyin' upon de floor,
Wit' de bed made up, for dey never go
On de worl' lak dat before.

We got to be ready, of course, an' wait--
De chil'ren, de wife, an' me,
For show de Yankee upon de State,
Ba Golly! how smart we be.
You know de game dey call checker-boar'?
Wall! me an' ma wife Elmire,
We 're playin' dat game on de outside door
Wit' leetle wan gader near;

Jus' as de sun on de sky go down
An' mountain dey seem so fine,
Ev'ryt'ing quiet, don't hear a soun',
So I 'm lookin' across de line.
An' I t'ink of de tam I be leevin' dere
On county of Yamachiche,
De swamp on de bush w'ere I ketch de hare
De reever I use to feesh.

An' ma wife Elmire w'en she see de tear,
She cry leetle bit herse'f--
Put her han' on ma neck, an' say, "Ma dear,
I 'm sorry we never lef';
But money 's good t'ing, an' dere 's nice folk too,
Leevin' upon Vermont--
Got plaintee o' work for me an' you--
Is dere anyt'ing more we want?

Dere 's w'at dey 're callin' de war beez-nesse--
It 's troublesome t'ing, of course,
But no gettin' off--mus' strike wit' de res',
No matter--it might be worse--
We 're savin' along--never lose a day,
An' ready w'en bugle blow--"
But dat was de very las' word she say,
For dere it commence to go,

Blowin' away on de mountain dere,
W'ere snow very seldom melts,
Down by de reever an' ev'ryw'ere,
We could n't hear not'ing else--
Nobody stop to fin' out de place,
Too busy for dat to-day--
But we never forget de law in de case
W'en feller he spik dis way--

"Strike for your home an' your own contree!
Strike for your native lan'!
Kip workin' away wit' de spade an' hoe,
Den jump w'en