Danny could be counted on To run some kind of scam. And usually the victim was His older brother Sam. But Jimmy liked pranks And pulled quite a few. Jumping out at passersby Was a favorite thing to do.
One day I took them with Mom’s express consent To our favorite notions store, Woolworth five and ten. We looked and touched; Added to our Christmas list. And as we paid for candy I was clueless what was amiss.
As we were walking home Out on the street again Suddenly, goggle eyed I saw the show begin. Out of each kid’s pocket A trinket, a toy appeared. This is precisely what I had originally feared.
The little shoplifters stole! The blame would befall me. Their only thought was They got all this for free. I told them to take it back But they just angrily said no. I had other recourse, it seemed Then to let our Mama know.
Mama went a bit frantic Her voice went high and loud. And of course, my brothers Were no longer quite so proud. Jimmy smacked Sammy And Sammy started crying. Mama smacked them all. And Danny started lying.
Then Mama walked them Every one of the three Back to the five and dime And they confessed tearfully. Mama paid for the things And told them no TV And sent them to bed soon After supper was history.
And all of them blamed me But, Mama said I did well. It wasn’t to please Mama. I didn’t want them to go to hell. And I was a bit P.O.ed; They took advantage of me. So, they could just grumble. It made no difference to me.
That’s the way things went With three regular brothers. There were fights and fits. They often miffed our mother. Jimmy smacked Sammy And Sammy started crying. Mama smacked them all And Danny started lying.