[Skip Navigation]

Poetry Archives

A continuing selection of classic and contemporary poems.

Circumstances Alter Cases

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Tim Murphy’s gon’ walkin’ wid Maggie O’Neill,
        O chone!
If I was her muther, I’d frown on sich foolin’,
        O chone!
I’m sure it’s unmutherlike, darin’ an’ wrong
To let a gyrul hear tell the sass an’ the song
Of every young felly that happens along,
        O chone!

An’ Murphy, the things that’s be’n sed of his doin’,
        O chone!
’Tis a cud that no dacent folks wants to be chewin’,
        O chone!
If he came to my door wid his cane on a twirl,
Fur to thry to make love to you, Biddy, my girl,
Ah, wouldn’t I send him away wid a whirl,
        O chone!

They say the gossoon is indecent and dirty,
        O chone!
In spite of his dressin’ so.
        O chone!
Let him dress up ez foine ez a king or a queen,
Let him put on more wrinkles than ever was seen,
You’ll be sure he’s no match for my little colleen,
        O chone!

Faith the two is comin’ back an’ their walk is all over,
        O chone!
’Twas a pretty short walk fur to take wid a lover,
        O chone!
Why, I believe that Tim Murphy’s a kumin’ this way,
Ah, Biddy jest look at him steppin’ so gay,
I’d niver belave what the gossipers say,
        O chone!

He’s turned in the gate an’ he’s coming a-caperin’,
        O chone!
Go, Biddy, go quick an’ put on a clane apern,
        O chone!
Be quick as ye kin fur he’s right at the dure;
Come in, master Tim, fur ye’re welcome I’m shure.
We were talkin’ o’ ye jest a minute before.
        O chone!
Online text © 1998-2009 Poetry X. All rights reserved.
From The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar | Dodd, Mead And Company, 1922
Add Keyword Tags

Separate each tag with a space. You may add as many tags as you'd like to each poem.

What are tags?
Tags, sometimes called “folksonomies,” are words that describe or categorize a poem, like “20th century modernism” or “Italian sonnet”. Tags can help you find poems that have something in common, based on how other people classify them.

More Info

This site will work and look better in a browser that supports web standards, but it is accessible to any Internet device.