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I am crowdin' close to eighty, gittin' mighty near the end, 

 My hair is white an' scattered, an' my back has gol a bend. 

 I am shaky on my trotters, an' my eyes has got so dim 

 I kin scarcely see yon mountain that so of'en I have dim. 

 I've gathered up some treasures that I value mighty high, 

 An' thar's one which all the money o' the earth could aever buy. 

 Among my goods an' chattels here I prize it more than all 

 That ol' Kentucky rifle hangin' thar ag'in the wall. 



Its stock is scarred an' battered, an' its bar'l is full o' nicks ; 

 Lts lock is worn with sarvice till I scarce kin hear its clicks. 

 It's lost the shinin' beauty 'at it had when I was young. 

 But when it speaks it hasn't lost the sharpness of its tongue. 

 It was my lone companion when this country was a wild, 

 I loved it dear as father ever loved a favored child. 

 An' I've seed some moments when to me 'twas all in all, 

 That ol' Kentucky rifle hangin* thar agf'in the wall. 



Lots o' deer has fell before it ; yes, an' main a panther, i > i, 



An' in early days some Injuns knowed about what it could do. 



An'a squir'l'seye peepin' at me from the very tallest tree 



I could bu'st all into bits an' bring the critter down to me. 



An 'theChris'mas' shootin' matches, master mine! hut wa'n't the tun 



An' I reckon I surprised 'em with the shootin 'at I done. 



Every turkey 'at I drawed on caught the vengeance of a ball. 



From 'at ol' Kentucky rifle hangin thar ag'in the wall. 



I have seed the new inventions they are makin' now-a-days. 



An' I own they're mighty slick in a variety o' ways ; 



They are han'some fur to look at. you can load 'em with a snap, 



An' you never have the trouble of puttin' on a cap ; 



You kin shoot 'em mighty lively when you bring 'em to the scratch. 



Never have to ram ver bullets, never have to cut a patch. 



But fur close an' hair-breadth shootin' I could one day down 'em all 



With that ol' Kentucky rifle hangin' thar ag'in the wall. 



Thar's one thing makes me love it as I never did afore— 

 When I heered the ringin" summons callin' loyal men to war ; 

 All the fire that nerved my daddy in the Revolution days 

 Got a-surgin' in my bosoni till my heart was all ablaze. 

 Then I shouldered that ol' rifle, filled my bullet pouch with lead, 

 Put that ol' warm cap o' coonskin sort o' keerless on my head, 

 An' I offered them the sarvice of a mighty keen-eyed man 

 Fur to do some fancy shootin' under glorious old Berdan. 



I'm not inclined to braggin' — quit that business long 

 But when I am called to answer fur m\ statements here below, 

 I kin face the great Commander with a conscience Tar an' brijht, 

 Arter savin' that ol' rifle done her shar' in mam alight. 

 Mus'n't it 'a' been surprisin', when a Reb thought lie was hid. 

 Fur to git a sharp remembrance i as a many ol 'em did'. 

 That the optics of a Yank was penetratin' as a haw 

 When a s'archin' fur a graxcoat hid up in trees or i" 



Through the bloody war I packed her. and brought her home 

 Proud an' sassy o' tin' record that 1 tuk her in to win : 

 An' when age was creepin' on me an' I couldn't shool no n 

 With m v shak\ hands I hung her up to rest above the door. 

 When this ol' an' worn-oul bod) underneath the ground the) hide. 

 I've asked 'em fur t<> lav it sorl o' lovin' b) m\ -id<\ 

 An' when Gabr'el blows his trumpet I'll man h up'ard at the 

 Hangin' on to that ol' rifle over thar ag'in the wall. 



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