When The Train Comes In Monologue
| When The Train Comes In Monologue by Nixon Waterman | |
| Character: | Unknown |
| Gender: | Male |
| Age (range): | ? |
| Style: | Comedy |
| Length: | 5 minutes |
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- Well, yes, I calkerlate it is a little quiet here
- Fer one who's b'en about the world and traveled fur an' near;
- But maybe 'cause I never lived no other place, to me
- The town seems 'bout as lively as a good town ort to be.
- We go about our bizness in a quiet sort o' way,
- Ner think' o' the outside world, exceptin' wunst a day
- We gather at the depot, where we laff an' talk an' spin
- Our yarns an' watch the people when the train comes in.
- Si Jenkins, he's the jestice o' the peace, he allers spends
- His money fer a paper which he glances through an' lends
- To some the other fellers an' we all take turns an' chat,
- An' each one tells what he 'u'd do if he was this er that;
- An' in a quiet sort o' way, afore a hour's gone,
- We git a purty good idee o' what's a-goin' on,
- An' gives us lots to think about until we meet ag'in
- The follerin' to-morrer when the train comes in.
- When I git lonesome-like I set aroun' the barber-shop
- Er corner groc'ry, where I talk about the growing crop
- With fellers from the country; an' if the sun ain't out too hot,
- We go to pitchin' hoss-shoes in Jed Thompson's vacant lot
- Behin' the livery stable; an' afore the game is done
- As like as not some feller'll say his nag kin clean outrun
- The other feller's an' they take 'em out an' have a spin;
- But all git back in town afore the train comes in.
- I see it in the papers 'at some folks, when summer's here,
- Pack up their trunks an' journey to the seashore every year
- To keep from gittin' sunstruck; I've a better way than that,
- Fer when it's hot I put a cabbage-leaf inside my hat
- An' go about my bizness jes thought it wasn't warm--
- Fact is I ain't a-doin' much sense I moved off my farm;
- An' folks 'at loves the outside world, if they've a mind to, kin
- See all they ort to of it when the train comes in.
- An' yit I like excitement, an' they's nothin' suits me more
- 'An to git three other fellers, so's to make a even four,
- 'At knows the game jest to a T, an' spend a half a day
- In some good place a-fightin' out a battle of croquet.
- There's Tubbs who tends the post-office, an' old Doc Smith and me
- An' Uncle Perry Louden--it 'u'd do you good to see
- Us fellers maul them balls aroun'; we meet time an' ag'in.
- An' play an' play an' play until the train comes in.
- An' take it all in all I bet you'd have to look aroun'
- A good, long while afore you'd find a nicer little town
- 'An this 'n' is. The people live a quiet sort o' life,
- Ner carin' much bout the world with all its woe an' strife.
- An' here I mean to spend my days, an' when I reach the end
- I'll say, "God bless ye!" an' "Good-bye," to every faithful friend;
- An' when they foller me to where they ain't no care ner sin,
- I'll meet 'em at the depot when the train comes in.
Credits: Reprinted from Modern Literature for Oral Interpretation. Ed. Gertrude E. Johnson. New York: The Century Co., 1920.
