Natural Philosophy

Very offen I be t'inkin' of de queer folk goin' roun',
  And way dey kip a-talkin' of de hard tam get along--
  May have plaintee money too, an' de healt' be good an' soun'--
  But you’ll fin' dere’s alway somet'ing goin' wrong--
  'Course dere may be many reason w'y some feller ought to fret--
  But me, I’m alway singin' de only song I know--
  'T is n't long enough for music, an' so short you can't forget,
  But it drive away de lonesome, an' dis is how she go,
  "Jus' tak' your chance, an' try your luck."

  Funny feller’s w'at dey call me--"so diff'ren' from de res',"
  But ev'rybody got hees fault, as far as I can see--
  An' all de t'ing I’m doin', I do it for de bes',
  Dough w'en I’m bettin' on a race, dat’s often loss for me--
  "Oho!" I say, "Alphonse ma frien', to-day is not your day,
  For more you got your money up, de less your trotter go--
  But never min' an' don't lie down," dat’s w'at I alway say,
  An' sing de sam' ole song some more, mebbe a leetle slow--
  "Jus' tak' your chance, an' try your luck."

  S'pose ma uncle die an' let me honder-dollar, mebbe two--
  An' I don't tak' hees advice--me--for put heem on de bank--
‘stead o' dat, some lot'rie ticket, to see w'at I can do,
  An' purty soon I’m findin' out dey 're w'at you call de blank--
  Wall! de bank she might bus' up dere--somet'ing might go wrong--
  Dem feller, w'en dey get it, mebbe skip before de night--
  Can't tell--den w'ere’s your money?  So I sing ma leetle song
  An' don't boder wit' de w'isky, an' again I feel all right,
  "Jus' tak' your chance, an' try your luck."

  If you 're goin' to mak' de marry, kip a look out on de eye,
  But no matter how you 're careful, it was risky anyhow--
  An' if you 're too unlucky, jus' remember how you try
  For gettin' dat poor woman, dough she may have got you now--
  All de sam', it sometam happen dat your wife will pass away--
  No use cryin', you can't help it--dere’s your duty to you'se'f--
  You don't need to ax de neighbor, dey will tell you ev'ry day
  Start again lak hones' feller, for dere's plaintee woman lef'--
  "Jus' tak' your chance, an' try your luck."

  Poor man lak me, I’m not'ing: only w'en election’s dere,
  An' ev'rybody’s waitin' to ketch you by de t'roat--
  De money I be makin' den, wall! dat was mon affaire--
  An' affer all w'at diff'rence how de poor man mak' de vote?
  So I do ma very bes'--me--wit' de wife an' familee--
  On de church door Sunday morning, you can see us all parade--
  Len' a frien' a half a dollar, an' never go on spree--
  So w'en I’m comin' die--me--no use to be afraid--
  "Jus' tak' your chance, an' try your luck."