TheRoosevelt BearsgoFISHING

When the Roosevelt Bears had paid their fineFor the mischief done and the monkey shine,They said good-bye to the big giraffeAnd told him his neck was too long by half;And asked the time it took his foodTo reach his body from where he chewed;And why he held his head so high,And the size of collars he had to buy;

When the Roosevelt Bears had paid their fineFor the mischief done and the monkey shine,They said good-bye to the big giraffeAnd told him his neck was too long by half;

When the Roosevelt Bears had paid their fine

For the mischief done and the monkey shine,

They said good-bye to the big giraffe

And told him his neck was too long by half;

And asked the time it took his foodTo reach his body from where he chewed;And why he held his head so high,And the size of collars he had to buy;

And asked the time it took his food

To reach his body from where he chewed;

And why he held his head so high,

And the size of collars he had to buy;

And why he was neither round nor square;But the old giraffe didn’t seem to care;He wagged his tail and winked his eyeAnd nodded his head to say good-bye.When they quit the Zoo and got outside,“Let us take a train for a little ride;I’m tired of town and want to seeA farm or stream,” said TEDDY-B.So a train they took without the fare,For where it went they didn’t care.When “Tickets, please,” the conductor said,TEDDY-G began to scratch his headAnd to think up names of towns he knew,Like Hoboken and Kalamazoo;But when “Tickets, please,” he said again,TEDDY-G got busy with a tenAnd said, “Take this for your railway payAnd stop the train some time to-dayWhere fishing’s good if you go that way.”The conductor asked them questions strangeAbout their plans as he gave them change

And why he was neither round nor square;But the old giraffe didn’t seem to care;He wagged his tail and winked his eyeAnd nodded his head to say good-bye.

And why he was neither round nor square;

But the old giraffe didn’t seem to care;

He wagged his tail and winked his eye

And nodded his head to say good-bye.

When they quit the Zoo and got outside,“Let us take a train for a little ride;I’m tired of town and want to seeA farm or stream,” said TEDDY-B.

When they quit the Zoo and got outside,

“Let us take a train for a little ride;

I’m tired of town and want to see

A farm or stream,” said TEDDY-B.

So a train they took without the fare,For where it went they didn’t care.When “Tickets, please,” the conductor said,TEDDY-G began to scratch his headAnd to think up names of towns he knew,Like Hoboken and Kalamazoo;

So a train they took without the fare,

For where it went they didn’t care.

When “Tickets, please,” the conductor said,

TEDDY-G began to scratch his head

And to think up names of towns he knew,

Like Hoboken and Kalamazoo;

But when “Tickets, please,” he said again,TEDDY-G got busy with a tenAnd said, “Take this for your railway payAnd stop the train some time to-dayWhere fishing’s good if you go that way.”The conductor asked them questions strangeAbout their plans as he gave them change

But when “Tickets, please,” he said again,

TEDDY-G got busy with a ten

And said, “Take this for your railway pay

And stop the train some time to-day

Where fishing’s good if you go that way.”

The conductor asked them questions strange

About their plans as he gave them change

And slips of paper with holes punched through;He said a fishing stream he knew;He’d stop the train at any rateAnd show them where to buy some baitAnd fishing poles and hook and lineAnd a jolly inn to sleep and dine.They reached the place that day at two,And said good-bye to the railroad crew,

And slips of paper with holes punched through;He said a fishing stream he knew;

And slips of paper with holes punched through;

He said a fishing stream he knew;

He’d stop the train at any rateAnd show them where to buy some baitAnd fishing poles and hook and lineAnd a jolly inn to sleep and dine.

He’d stop the train at any rate

And show them where to buy some bait

And fishing poles and hook and line

And a jolly inn to sleep and dine.

They reached the place that day at two,And said good-bye to the railroad crew,

They reached the place that day at two,

And said good-bye to the railroad crew,

Copyright, 1907, by Edward Stern & Co., Inc.“They met a lad on his way from school,Whom they stopped to question about a rule.”

And went by a path up a mountain ridgeAs the train went on across a bridge.They found the place and got fitted outWith six poles apiece both long and stout,And bait enough and lines and hooksTo fish a year in a dozen brooks.For said TEDDY-G, “If fishing’s playThen I want enough, for I mean to stayRight by the game for at least a weekUntil every fish that’s in the creekIs caught and deemed and cooked and ateOr cut up in pieces to use for bait.”So down their rods and lines they tookTo the stream below to try their luck.

And went by a path up a mountain ridge

As the train went on across a bridge.

They found the place and got fitted out

With six poles apiece both long and stout,

And bait enough and lines and hooks

To fish a year in a dozen brooks.

For said TEDDY-G, “If fishing’s playThen I want enough, for I mean to stayRight by the game for at least a weekUntil every fish that’s in the creekIs caught and deemed and cooked and ateOr cut up in pieces to use for bait.”So down their rods and lines they tookTo the stream below to try their luck.

For said TEDDY-G, “If fishing’s play

Then I want enough, for I mean to stay

Right by the game for at least a week

Until every fish that’s in the creek

Is caught and deemed and cooked and ate

Or cut up in pieces to use for bait.”

So down their rods and lines they took

To the stream below to try their luck.

Of all the fishing that was ever doneBy Izaak Walton or his eldest son,Or by boys who fish with pins for hooks,That we read about in the picture books,Or for salmon trout which weigh a tonThat they say are caught in Oregon,

Of all the fishing that was ever done

By Izaak Walton or his eldest son,

Or by boys who fish with pins for hooks,

That we read about in the picture books,

Or for salmon trout which weigh a ton

That they say are caught in Oregon,

Or for shad in the River Delaware,Or for pike or black bass anywhere,The fish that day caught by the BearsWould take first prizes at all the fairs;And the way they caught them left and right,And the way they coaxed the fish to bite,And the way they tossed the fish in air,Landing in trees and everywhere,And the way they made the chipmunks run,The fish, themselves, enjoyed the fun.For one fish spoke, vows TEDDY-G,A great big pounder, two or three,And said he wouldn’t miss the gameEven if he never lived again.“A sport,” he said, “like TEDDY-G,Is the kind that fishes love to see.”

Or for shad in the River Delaware,Or for pike or black bass anywhere,The fish that day caught by the BearsWould take first prizes at all the fairs;

Or for shad in the River Delaware,

Or for pike or black bass anywhere,

The fish that day caught by the Bears

Would take first prizes at all the fairs;

And the way they caught them left and right,And the way they coaxed the fish to bite,And the way they tossed the fish in air,Landing in trees and everywhere,And the way they made the chipmunks run,The fish, themselves, enjoyed the fun.

And the way they caught them left and right,

And the way they coaxed the fish to bite,

And the way they tossed the fish in air,

Landing in trees and everywhere,

And the way they made the chipmunks run,

The fish, themselves, enjoyed the fun.

For one fish spoke, vows TEDDY-G,A great big pounder, two or three,And said he wouldn’t miss the gameEven if he never lived again.“A sport,” he said, “like TEDDY-G,Is the kind that fishes love to see.”

For one fish spoke, vows TEDDY-G,

A great big pounder, two or three,

And said he wouldn’t miss the game

Even if he never lived again.

“A sport,” he said, “like TEDDY-G,

Is the kind that fishes love to see.”

TEDDY-G got his line caught in a treeAnd climbed up on high to get it freeWhen a ’possum called down from above,“If you come up here you’ll get a shoveWhich will toss you off and break your headAnd put you fifteen weeks in bed.”But TEDDY-G just shook with gleeAnd said, “I’ll come right up to see.”The ’possum scared and trembled soHe fell off the limb and down belowWhere TEDDY-B broke an ugly fallBy catching him like a rubber ball.They fed that ’possum fishes eightAnd gave him hook and line and baitAnd told him stories about the ZooAnd the things they let the monkeys do.

TEDDY-G got his line caught in a treeAnd climbed up on high to get it freeWhen a ’possum called down from above,“If you come up here you’ll get a shove

TEDDY-G got his line caught in a tree

And climbed up on high to get it free

When a ’possum called down from above,

“If you come up here you’ll get a shove

Which will toss you off and break your headAnd put you fifteen weeks in bed.”But TEDDY-G just shook with gleeAnd said, “I’ll come right up to see.”The ’possum scared and trembled soHe fell off the limb and down belowWhere TEDDY-B broke an ugly fallBy catching him like a rubber ball.

Which will toss you off and break your head

And put you fifteen weeks in bed.”

But TEDDY-G just shook with glee

And said, “I’ll come right up to see.”

The ’possum scared and trembled so

He fell off the limb and down below

Where TEDDY-B broke an ugly fall

By catching him like a rubber ball.

They fed that ’possum fishes eightAnd gave him hook and line and baitAnd told him stories about the ZooAnd the things they let the monkeys do.

They fed that ’possum fishes eight

And gave him hook and line and bait

And told him stories about the Zoo

And the things they let the monkeys do.

They met a man by the stream that dayWho has fished for a hundred years they say,In ocean, river, creek and pond,And mountain brook and lake beyond,With statesmen bold and actors gay,And farmer lads found by the way.He told them stories of fish he’d caught,And when fish were few, of fish he’d bought.And then had talked of this big landAnd of men he knew on every hand:The true to love and those to hateWho fish for gain with stolen bait.He told them how to have most funWhen they struck the town of Washington;“Because,” he said, “though I’m on the shelf,I had some fun there once myself.”TEDDY-B said he would like to knowHow near a Roosevelt Bear could goTo the Capitol or MonumentWithout being shot by the President.

They met a man by the stream that day

Who has fished for a hundred years they say,

In ocean, river, creek and pond,

And mountain brook and lake beyond,

With statesmen bold and actors gay,

And farmer lads found by the way.

He told them stories of fish he’d caught,And when fish were few, of fish he’d bought.And then had talked of this big landAnd of men he knew on every hand:The true to love and those to hateWho fish for gain with stolen bait.

He told them stories of fish he’d caught,

And when fish were few, of fish he’d bought.

And then had talked of this big land

And of men he knew on every hand:

The true to love and those to hate

Who fish for gain with stolen bait.

He told them how to have most funWhen they struck the town of Washington;“Because,” he said, “though I’m on the shelf,I had some fun there once myself.”

He told them how to have most fun

When they struck the town of Washington;

“Because,” he said, “though I’m on the shelf,

I had some fun there once myself.”

TEDDY-B said he would like to knowHow near a Roosevelt Bear could goTo the Capitol or MonumentWithout being shot by the President.

TEDDY-B said he would like to know

How near a Roosevelt Bear could go

To the Capitol or Monument

Without being shot by the President.

Back to Index Next