'Weh Down Souf and other Poems :

When I wuz a little boy,
I set me down to cry,
Bekaze my little brudder
Had de biggis' piece ub pie.
But when I had become a man
I made my min' to try
An' hustle roun' to git myself
De biggis' piece ub pie.

An', like in bygone chil'ish days,
De worl' is hustlin' roun'
To git darselbes de biggis' slice
Ub honor an' renown;
An' ef I fails to do my bes',
But stan' aroun' an' cry,
Dis ol' worl' will git away
Wid bof de plat' an' pie.

An' eben should I git a slice,
I mus' not cease to try,

But keep a-movin' fas' ez life,
To hol' my piece ub pie.
Dis ruff ol' worl' has little use
Fur dem dat chance to fall,
An' while youze gittin' up agin'
'Twill take de plat' an' all.

Yet, ef I fin' my fellow man
Don' miss his piece ub pie,
An' dis hard world is standin' roun'
To kick him ef he cry,
An' do' my poshun may be small,
I'll ack jes' like er man,
An' gib to him a piece ub min',
To help him ef I can.

Fur when tiz mine to go alone
To de happy hom' ub love,
I kin not take de smallis' piece
To dat bright lan' above;
An' when I reach de gol'en gate,
In de glory lan' on high,
I'll not be axed how much I had,
But how I used my pie.

University of Virginia Library

DE BIGGIS' PIECE UB PIE.