Explore "Old Indiany. Fragment Intended for a Dinner of the Indiana Society of Chicago" by James Whitcomb Riley on Textopian.
Old Indiany, 'course we know / Is first, and best, and _most_, also, / Of _all_ the States' whole forty-four: -- / She's first in ever'thing, that's shore! -- / And _best_ in ever'way as yet / Made known to man; and you kin bet / She's _most_, because she won't confess / She ever was, or will be, _less_! / And yet, fer all her proud array / Of sons, how many gits away! -- / No doubt about her bein' _great_ / But, fellers, she's a leaky State! / And them that boasts the most about / Her, them's the ones that's dribbled out. / Law! jes' to think of all you boys / 'Way over here in Illinoise / A-celebratin', like ye air, / Old Indiany, 'way back there / In the dark ages, so to speak, / A-prayin' for ye once a week / And wonderin' what's a-keepin' you / From comin', like you ort to do.
You're all a-lookin' well, and like / You wasn't "sidin' up the pike," / As the tramp-shoemaker said / When "he sacked the boss and shed / The blame town, to hunt fer one / Where they didn't work fer fun! " / Lookin' _extry_ well, I'd say, / Your old home so fur away. -- / Maybe, though, like the old jour., / Fun hain't all yer workin' fer.