He's not very handsome or clever,
He's slow in his wits — and he's fat,
And yet he's a soldier of Uncle Sam's —
Now, whaddy you know about that?
We always called him Dummy,
And thought he would n't fight;
We sneered at him and jeered at him —
He was — and is — a sight!
His feet are big, his head is small,
His German blood is slow,
But at the call for volunteers,
Why, did n't Heinie go?
He's workin’ as a hostler
( He used to be a clerk )
He do n't enjoy his job, that boy,
But Heinie is no shirk.
“This is my country just as much
As it is yours,” says he;
“I'm gonna do what I can do
To keep it mine!... You'll see!
“My father, he come over here
To get away from things;
He could n't abide on th’ other side —
Aristocrats and kings.
The Stars and Stripes mean liberty,
I've always understood;
So gimme the right to work — or fight —
I betcha I'll make good.
“As a chambermaid to horses
In a battery that's new,
The work is rough and mean enough
And would n't appeal to you;
But I've got my place and I'll stick to it —
Can any man do more?
I've never had a chance, like dad,
To prove myself before.”
Perhaps he wo n't get a commission;
Perhaps he is dull, and all that;
But somehow I feel that he's better than me —
Now whaddy you know about that?