He was just a long, lean country gink
From 'way out West where th' hop-toads wink;
He was six feet two in his stockin' feet,
An' kept gittin' thinner th' more he'd eat.
But he was as brave as he was thin,
When th' war broke out he got right in.
Unhitch'd his plow, put th' mule away,
Then th' old folks heard him say:
CHORUS:
Good-by, Ma! Good-by, Pa!
Good-by, Mule, with yer old hee-haw!
I may not know what th' war's about,
But you bet, by gosh, I'll soon find out.
An' O my sweetheart, don't you fear,
I'll bring you a King fer a souvenir;
I'll get you a Turk an' a Kaiser, too,
An' that's about all one feller could do.
One pair of socks was his only load
When he struck fer town by the old dirt road.
He went right down to th' public square
An' fell in line with th' soldiers there.
Th' sergeant put him in uniform,
His gal knit mitts fer to keep him warm;
They drill'd him hard, they drill'd him long,
Then he sang his farewell song!