Henry Blake’s chum, he came up from the farm, And my! he was awful ashamed In school not to know the big bone in your arm Or what the equator was named. But when it came recess we all stood about And waited until he would come, And he told us things we had never found out-- And my! Henry’s proud of his chum!
Once upon a time rare flowers grew On every shrub and bush we used to see; The skies above our heads were always blue, The woods held secrets deep for you and me; The hillsides had their caves where tales were told Of swart-cheeked pirates from a far-off clime, When cutlases were fierce and rovers bold-- Don’t you remember?--Once upon a time.
Once upon a time from sun to sun The hours were full of joy--there was no care, And webs of gaudy dreams in air were spun Of deeds heroic and of fortunes fair; The jangling schoolhouse bell was all the woe Our spirits knew, and in its tuneless chime Was all the sorrow of the long ago-- Don’t you remember?--Once upon a time.
Once upon a time the witches rode In sinister and ominous parade Upon their sticks at night, and queer lights glowed With eery noises by the goblins made; And many things mysterious there were For boyish cheeks to pale at through the grime That held them brown; and shadows queer would stir-- Don’t you remember?--Once upon a time.
Once upon a time our faith was vast To compass all the things on sea and land That boys have trembled o’er for ages past, Nor ever could explain or understand, And in that faith found happiness too deep For all the gifted tongues of prose or rime, And joys ineffable we could not keep-- Don’t you remember?--Once upon a time.
Five minutes chasing butterflies Way over, off the road; Five minutes watching Willie Price Do tricks with his pet toad; Five minutes helping Gibbsie get His pig back in the pen-- I wonder if it’s school-time yet? I guess I’m late again.
I think I lost a little time Because I walked so slow Where Johnny Watkins lost a dime A day or two ago. It’s underneath the leaves somewhere, And Johnny feels so blue That I just stopped a minute there Because he asked me to.
And then it rained a little bit, And Dominick McPhee Had his straw hat and had to sit Under a good thick tree, Or else he’d get it spoiled and get The top all swelled. You see, A straw hat is not safe to wet-- His kind, especially.