As I was bendin’ a hook one day
A furriner strawled along the kay.
His cheeks was white as gannet's wing,
An’ he looked a whisht an’ wakely thing.
His clo'es was nate an’ spickety span,
But I sez to meself “Now there's a man!”
An’ I sez to meself “Now look at his legs,
They'm like a couple o’ crabpot pegs.”
An’ I sez to meself “A bit of a squall
Would blow his bones to the end of all.”
An’ I sez — but I didn’ had time to say
For a scraitch went up from the end o’ the kay,
Where a cheeld was aswingin’ jest afore,
An’ now there wasn’ no cheeld no more,
Then a'most afore I could see him go,
That furriner sprang in the say below.
He couldn’ swim much, but he keeped afloat
Jest while I tumbled into the boat,
An’ I hooked him up an’ lugged him aboard,
An’ he had that cheeld clipped tight as cord.
He trembled an’ shook, he was wake an’ white,
But he awnly sez “Is the kid alright?”
Sure‘ nuff, an’ he simmed to understand
When I gived him a hearty shake o’ the hand.
I started abendin’ the hook agen,
An’ I sez “There's different looks to men,
Braave hearts in whisht poor bodies bide,
An’ looks do n't count to what's inside.”