Paul Laurence Dunbar - Soliloquy of a Turkey lyrics

Dey 's a so't o' threatenin' feelin' in de blowin' of de breeze, An' I 's feelin' kin' o' squeamish in de night; I 's a-walkin' 'roun' a-lookin' at de diffunt style o' trees, An' a-measurin' dey thickness an' dey height. Fu' dey 's somep'n mighty 'spicious in de looks de da'kies give, Ez dey pa** me an' my fambly on de groun,' So it 'curs to me dat lakly, ef I caihs to try an' live, It concehns me fu' to 'mence to look erroun'. Dey's a cu'ious kin' o' shivah runnin' up an' down my back, An' I feel my feddahs rufflin' all de day, An' my laigs commence to trimble evah blessid step I mek; W'en I sees a ax, I tu'ns my head away. Folks is go'gin' me wid goodies, an' dey 's treatin' me wid caih, An' I 's fat in spite of all dat I kin do. I 's mistrus'ful of de kin'ness dat's erroun' me evahwhaih, Fu' it 's jes' too good, an' frequent, to be true. Snow 's a-fallin' on de medders, all erroun' me now is white, But I 's still kep' on a-roostin' on de fence; Isham comes an' feels my breas'bone, an' he hefted me las' night, An' he 's gone erroun' a-grinnin' evah sence. 'T ain't de snow dat meks me shivah; 't ain't de col' dat meks me shake; 'T ain't de wintah-time itse'f dat's 'fectin' me; But I t'ink de time is comin', an' I 'd bettah mek a break, Fu' to set wid Mistah Possum in his tree. Wen you hyeah de da'kies singin', an' de quahtahs all is gay, 'T ain't de time fu' birds lak me to be 'erroun'; Wen de hick'ry chip is flyin', an' de log 's been ca'ied erway, Den hit's dang'ous to be roostin' nigh he groun'. Grin on, Isham! Sing on, da'kies! But I flop my wings an' go Fu' de sheltah of de ve'y highest tree, Fu' dey 's too much close ertention--an' dey's too much fallin' snow-- An' it's too nigh Chris'mus mo'nin' now fu' me.