I'm a beautiful red, red drum, <br />And I train with the soldier boys; <br />As up the street we come, <br />Wonderful is our noise! <br />There's Tom, and Jim, and Phil, <br />And Dick, and Nat, and Fred, <br />While Widow Cutler's Bill <br />And I march on ahead, <br />With a r-r-rat-tat-tat <br />And a tum-titty-um-tum-tum - <br />Oh, there's bushels of fun in that <br />For boys with a little red drum! <br /> <br />The Injuns came last night <br />While the soldiers were abed, <br />And they gobbled a Chinese kite <br />And off to the woods they fled! <br />The woods are the cherry-trees <br />Down in the orchard lot, <br />And the soldiers are marching to seize <br />The booty the Injuns got. <br />With tum-titty-um-tum-tum, <br />And r-r-rat-tat-tat, <br />When soldiers marching come <br />Injuns had better scat! <br /> <br />Step up there, little Fred, <br />And, Charley, have a mind! <br />Jim is as far ahead <br />As you two are behind! <br />Ready with gun and sword <br />Your valorous work to do - <br />Yonder the Injun horde <br />Are lying in wait for you. <br />And their hearts go pitapat <br />When they hear the soldiers come <br />With a r-r-rat-tat-tat <br />And a tum-titty-um-tum-tum! <br /> <br />Course it's all in play! <br />The skulking Injun crew <br />That hustled the kite away <br />Are little white boys, like you! <br />But 'honest' or 'just in fun,' <br />It is all the same to me; <br />And, when the battle is won, <br />Home once again march we <br />With a r-r-rat-tat-tat <br />And tum-titty-um-tum-tum; <br />And there's glory enough in that <br />For the boys with their little red drum!<br /><br />Eugene Field<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-drum/
