Pa And The Camera

Pa, he got the camera, then
He looked up where the sun had been
And called up out to our front yard
(Where other times, we'd all been barred)
And said he thought he oughtta take
A picture there (though just a fake)
To send to Uncle Louis Gus
Who'd sent the camera once to us.

Pa's sorta proud-like, so you see.
He wanted Unc to think that we
Had a picture place. And so
He paced back and forth, to and fro,
Took all the plants that were out back
To hide the front of our old shack.
Then he got us'n all set.
Yessir, I can see it yet.

Ma, she stood in front of all
Bub, you shoulda hear'ed him squall.
He didn't want to stand by Ma;
He wanted no one else but Pa.
He's the youngest one, you know;
We have to pet him awful. So
We let him have his way,
Else we'd have had no peace all day.

Brother Jim and brother Jack,
They both loomed up way in back.
And sister Ruth, why goodness knows
Powdered like heck her big pug nose.
But Edith's husband, it's a pity,
Just because he's from the city,
Just had to look better than all the rest
And got all dressed up in his Sunday best.

But when we got the photo back
Of Ma and the kids and our old shack,
Honest, I could laugh and shout—
'Cause Edith's husband was left out!