Right Here At Home

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Right here at home, boys, in old Hoosierdom,
  Where strangers allus joke us when they come,
  And brag o' _their_ old States and interprize--
  Yit _settle_ here; and 'fore they realize,
  They're "hoosier" as the rest of us, and live
  Right here at home, boys, with their past fergive!

  Right here at home, boys, is the place, I guess,
  Fer me and you and plain old happiness:
  We hear the World's lots grander--likely so,--
  We'll take the World's word fer it and not go.--
  We know _its_ ways aint _our_ ways--so we'll stay
  Right here at home, boys, where we know the way.

  Right here at home, boys, where a well-to-do
  Man's plenty rich enough--and knows it, too,
  And's got a' extry dollar, any time,
  To boost a feller up 'at _wants_ to climb
  And 's got the git-up in him to go in
  And _git there_, like he purt'-nigh allus kin!

  Right here at home, boys, is the place fer us!--
  Where folks' heart's bigger 'n their money-pu's';
  And where a _common_ feller's jes as good
  As ary other in the neighborhood:
  The World at large don't worry you and me
  Right here at home, boys, where we ort to be!

  Right here at home, boys--jes right where we air!--
  Birds don't sing any sweeter anywhere:
  Grass don't grow any greener'n she grows
  Acrost the pastur' where the old path goes,--
  All things in ear-shot's purty, er in sight,
  Right here at home, boys, ef we _size_ 'em right.

  Right here at home, boys, where the old home-place
  Is sacerd to us as our mother's face,
  Jes as we rickollect her, last she smiled
  And kissed us--dyin' so and rickonciled,
  Seein' us all at home here--none astray--
  Right here at home, boys, where she sleeps to-day.

© James Whitcomb Riley