Splittin' Ob De Rail

33

AIR, -- "Sittin' on a rail."

1. OLD Abe walk'd out by de light ob de moon,
For Abe, you know, 's a sly old 'coon,
And merrily he did sing dis tune,
A splittin' ob de rail,
A splittin' ob de rail,
De ten foot oak fence rail.
He cut his cut wid wedge and glut,
And maul of hickory tough.

2. Tom Ewing boil'd de brackish water,
Corwin drove faster than he oughter,
But Abe's de real ring - tail snorter,
A splittin' ob de rail,
A splittin' ob de rail,
De ten foot white oak rail.
He drove his glut right through de cut,
Wid maul and hickory tough.

3. Bill Seward, with his manners bland,
And fame that spread throughout the land,
Thought he the White House would command,
But never split de rail,
He never split de rail,
Old fashioned worm fence rail,
Nor drove the glut clean through de cut
Wid maul of hickory tough.

4. They trotted out one Neddy Bates,
And ciphered largely on their slates,
But, though they searched through all his dates
He never split de rail,
He never split de rail,
Split hairs but not de rail,
Nor drove de glut into de cut,
Wid maul of hickory tough.

5. Ben Wade dey said was good wid spade,
And graves for by - gone Whigs had made,
But people didn't like his trade --
He nebber split de rail,
He had not split de rail,
De ole Virginny rail;
His wa'n't the glut to rend de cut,
Wid maul of hickory tough.

6. Some politicians thought dat Chase
Would be de foremost in de race,
But soon he had to gin de place
To Abe, who split de rail --
To him who split de rail,
The time - defying rail,
And who can maul de Democrats,
Wid motto "Never fail."