KALAMAZOO
Once, in the city of Kalamazoo,The gods went walking, two and two,With the friendly phœnix, the stars of Orion,The speaking pony and singing lion.For in Kalamazoo in a cottage apartLived the girl with the innocent heart.Thenceforth the city of KalamazooWas the envied, intimate chum of the sun.He rose from a cave by the principal street.The lions sang, the dawn-horns blew,And the ponies danced on silver feet.He hurled his clouds of love around;Deathless colors of his old heartDraped the houses and dyed the ground.Oh shrine of the wide young Yankee land,Incense city of Kalamazoo,That held, in the midnight, the priceless sunAs a jeweller holds an opal in hand!From the awkward city of Oshkosh cameLove the bully no whip shall tame,Bringing his gang of sinners bold.And I was the least of his Oshkosh men;But none were reticent, none were old.And we joined the singing phœnix then,And shook the lilies of KalamazooAll for one hidden butterfly.Bulls of glory, in cars of warWe charged the boulevards, proud to dieFor her ribbon sailing there on high.Our blood set gutters all aflame,Where the sun slept without any shame,Cold rock till he must rise again.She made great poets of wolf-eyed men—The dear queen-bee of Kalamazoo,With her crystal wings, and her honey heart.We fought for her favors a year and a day(Oh, the bones of the dead, the Oshkosh dead,That were scattered along her pathway red!)And then, in her harum-scarum way,She left with a passing traveller-man—With a singing IrishmanWent to Japan.Why do the lean hyenas glareWhere the glory of Artemis had begun—Of Atalanta, Joan of Arc,Lorna Doone, Rosy O’Grady,And Orphant Annie, all in one?Who burned this city of KalamazooTill nothing was left but a ribbon or two—One scorched phœnix that mourned in the dew,Acres of ashes, a junk-man’s cart,A torn-up letter, a dancing shoe,(And the bones of the valiant dead)?Who burned this city of Kalamazoo—Love-town, Troy-town Kalamazoo?A harum-scarum innocent heart.
Once, in the city of Kalamazoo,The gods went walking, two and two,With the friendly phœnix, the stars of Orion,The speaking pony and singing lion.For in Kalamazoo in a cottage apartLived the girl with the innocent heart.Thenceforth the city of KalamazooWas the envied, intimate chum of the sun.He rose from a cave by the principal street.The lions sang, the dawn-horns blew,And the ponies danced on silver feet.He hurled his clouds of love around;Deathless colors of his old heartDraped the houses and dyed the ground.Oh shrine of the wide young Yankee land,Incense city of Kalamazoo,That held, in the midnight, the priceless sunAs a jeweller holds an opal in hand!From the awkward city of Oshkosh cameLove the bully no whip shall tame,Bringing his gang of sinners bold.And I was the least of his Oshkosh men;But none were reticent, none were old.And we joined the singing phœnix then,And shook the lilies of KalamazooAll for one hidden butterfly.Bulls of glory, in cars of warWe charged the boulevards, proud to dieFor her ribbon sailing there on high.Our blood set gutters all aflame,Where the sun slept without any shame,Cold rock till he must rise again.She made great poets of wolf-eyed men—The dear queen-bee of Kalamazoo,With her crystal wings, and her honey heart.We fought for her favors a year and a day(Oh, the bones of the dead, the Oshkosh dead,That were scattered along her pathway red!)And then, in her harum-scarum way,She left with a passing traveller-man—With a singing IrishmanWent to Japan.Why do the lean hyenas glareWhere the glory of Artemis had begun—Of Atalanta, Joan of Arc,Lorna Doone, Rosy O’Grady,And Orphant Annie, all in one?Who burned this city of KalamazooTill nothing was left but a ribbon or two—One scorched phœnix that mourned in the dew,Acres of ashes, a junk-man’s cart,A torn-up letter, a dancing shoe,(And the bones of the valiant dead)?Who burned this city of Kalamazoo—Love-town, Troy-town Kalamazoo?A harum-scarum innocent heart.
Once, in the city of Kalamazoo,The gods went walking, two and two,With the friendly phœnix, the stars of Orion,The speaking pony and singing lion.For in Kalamazoo in a cottage apartLived the girl with the innocent heart.
Once, in the city of Kalamazoo,
The gods went walking, two and two,
With the friendly phœnix, the stars of Orion,
The speaking pony and singing lion.
For in Kalamazoo in a cottage apart
Lived the girl with the innocent heart.
Thenceforth the city of KalamazooWas the envied, intimate chum of the sun.He rose from a cave by the principal street.The lions sang, the dawn-horns blew,And the ponies danced on silver feet.He hurled his clouds of love around;Deathless colors of his old heartDraped the houses and dyed the ground.Oh shrine of the wide young Yankee land,Incense city of Kalamazoo,That held, in the midnight, the priceless sunAs a jeweller holds an opal in hand!
Thenceforth the city of Kalamazoo
Was the envied, intimate chum of the sun.
He rose from a cave by the principal street.
The lions sang, the dawn-horns blew,
And the ponies danced on silver feet.
He hurled his clouds of love around;
Deathless colors of his old heart
Draped the houses and dyed the ground.
Oh shrine of the wide young Yankee land,
Incense city of Kalamazoo,
That held, in the midnight, the priceless sun
As a jeweller holds an opal in hand!
From the awkward city of Oshkosh cameLove the bully no whip shall tame,Bringing his gang of sinners bold.And I was the least of his Oshkosh men;But none were reticent, none were old.And we joined the singing phœnix then,And shook the lilies of KalamazooAll for one hidden butterfly.Bulls of glory, in cars of warWe charged the boulevards, proud to dieFor her ribbon sailing there on high.Our blood set gutters all aflame,Where the sun slept without any shame,Cold rock till he must rise again.She made great poets of wolf-eyed men—The dear queen-bee of Kalamazoo,With her crystal wings, and her honey heart.We fought for her favors a year and a day(Oh, the bones of the dead, the Oshkosh dead,That were scattered along her pathway red!)And then, in her harum-scarum way,She left with a passing traveller-man—With a singing IrishmanWent to Japan.
From the awkward city of Oshkosh came
Love the bully no whip shall tame,
Bringing his gang of sinners bold.
And I was the least of his Oshkosh men;
But none were reticent, none were old.
And we joined the singing phœnix then,
And shook the lilies of Kalamazoo
All for one hidden butterfly.
Bulls of glory, in cars of war
We charged the boulevards, proud to die
For her ribbon sailing there on high.
Our blood set gutters all aflame,
Where the sun slept without any shame,
Cold rock till he must rise again.
She made great poets of wolf-eyed men—
The dear queen-bee of Kalamazoo,
With her crystal wings, and her honey heart.
We fought for her favors a year and a day
(Oh, the bones of the dead, the Oshkosh dead,
That were scattered along her pathway red!)
And then, in her harum-scarum way,
She left with a passing traveller-man—
With a singing Irishman
Went to Japan.
Why do the lean hyenas glareWhere the glory of Artemis had begun—Of Atalanta, Joan of Arc,Lorna Doone, Rosy O’Grady,And Orphant Annie, all in one?Who burned this city of KalamazooTill nothing was left but a ribbon or two—One scorched phœnix that mourned in the dew,Acres of ashes, a junk-man’s cart,A torn-up letter, a dancing shoe,(And the bones of the valiant dead)?Who burned this city of Kalamazoo—Love-town, Troy-town Kalamazoo?
Why do the lean hyenas glare
Where the glory of Artemis had begun—
Of Atalanta, Joan of Arc,
Lorna Doone, Rosy O’Grady,
And Orphant Annie, all in one?
Who burned this city of Kalamazoo
Till nothing was left but a ribbon or two—
One scorched phœnix that mourned in the dew,
Acres of ashes, a junk-man’s cart,
A torn-up letter, a dancing shoe,
(And the bones of the valiant dead)?
Who burned this city of Kalamazoo—
Love-town, Troy-town Kalamazoo?
A harum-scarum innocent heart.
A harum-scarum innocent heart.