The poetical works of Samuel Woodworth

Where's Roberts, that red-headed fellow?
I wanted to give him a call, sir;
They told me down there in the cellar,
I 'd find him up here in the hall, sir.
I 've come from the country, you know,
For farming is my occupation;
To see what you city folks show
On a fourth of July celebration.
Umpti-uddity, &c.

To Hobok I rode in a wagon,
And sailed over the river in style, sir;

For the boat had a pole with a flag on,
And a big pot of water to boil, sir.
The stovepipe was smoking like fury,
An iron thing bobbed up and down, sir,
And all, just to make, I assure you,
A wheel in the water go round, sir.

We landed, at length, in your city,
Without the least morsel of dread, sir,
For I thought it a wonderful pity,
If I could n't find the Bull's Head, sir.
So I travelled right up to Broadway,
Where gridirons are laid out in the street, sir,
For wood is so scarce here, they say,
The sun has to boil all the meat, sir.

The people were thicker than mustard,
Each girl with her beautiful lips, sir,
Looked sweeter than honey or custard,
And smiled like a basket of chips, sir;
The windows were chuck full of gay things,
And boys in every shop, sir,
Were buying those little red playthings,
That cracked away pop-ity pop! sir.

The crowd it grew thicker and thicker,
Along by the Park iron fence, sir,
Where gingerbread, cherries, and liquor,
Were spread upon tables in tents, sir.

There was lobsters, and oysters, and clams,
Green pease, new potatoes, and gravy,
With pigs ready roasted, and hams,
Enough to provision the navy.

The Park was all crowded with people,
And so was the big City-Hall, sir,
Chuck full, from the steps to the steeple,
The gallery, windows, and all, sir.
They were waiting to see the procession,
And sure enough, after a while, sir
Mechanics of every profession,
Formed a line that extended a mile, sir.

And there was the veteran corps,
Each member an old seventy-sixer,
In the very same dress that he wore,
When he peppered John Bull for his tricks, sir.
Each man who had courage and pluck,
And boasted political stamina,
In his hat had the tail of a buck,
In honor of Mister St. Tammany.

And then came a beautiful ship,
I'm sorry I could n't get near her;
All handsomely rigged and equipped,
With a neat little fellow to steer her.

And there was a seven-foot Venus,
As big as the wife of a giant,
They said it was one Mrs. Genius,
I mean to ask Halleck or Bryant.

But don't let 's forget the brave fellows,
Whose things at a fire never fail, sir,
They work 'em all one like a bellows,
And every one spouts like a whale, sir.
All these, with a thousand more people,
Marched off, for their edification,
To a building without any steeple,
To hear Hooper Cumming's oration.

Then I heard such a fifing and drumming,
I axed the folks what was to pay, sir,
They told me the soldiers were coming,
All marching along in Broadway, sir.
And soon in the Park was paraded,
The strength of our city, I'll bet, sir,
With no other view, I'm persuaded,
But to honor the brave Lafayette, sir.

Then there was the famous balloon,
That travels ten miles in a minute,
Set out on a voyage to the moon,
With a parley vous Francois man in it;

Besides a boat-race on the water,
Where one of them travelled so fast, sir,
I wonder how t'other one caught her,
Without e'er a sail or a mast, sir.

So, having seen everything new,
I thought I would finish the day, sir,
By coming with Sally and Sue,
And Ichabod, here to the play, sir.
But if you should relish my song,
I'll make you another and bring it;
Much better, because not so long,
And red-headed Roberts shall sing it.

Sung by Mr. Roberts at the Chatham Theatre, in 1825, in the character of a country boy.

University of Virginia Library

A FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION.