A Bum of a Man

Don’t walk on the grass, no sleeping on the bench Well if this don’t throw in that old monkey wrench What was it bothering? Since no one else was here Just old Hank and his stogie and his warm bottle of beer Just fresh from the hall where he dined on that meal Rice and gravy and a slice of what they called veal But it’s free for the taking and pickings are slim And to tell you the truth, it wasn’t bothering him Well he looked left and right and set down for a rest As he lit up a stogie and blew out a smoky breath He sipped from the bottle and lay back his tired head Then rolled up his jacket and then went to bed Soon a uniformed officer was tapping with his stick Said, don’t even think of pulling any of your tricks He was hauled off to a site down off Third and Green And thrown in the alley that cleanliness had never seen The stench and noise kept him awake and alert One never knew what to expect in this filth and dirt Just as on cue, those hoodlums all arrived As old Hank wondered to himself would he come out alive? Just then a paddy wagon screeched to a halt real fast As the hoodlums night didn’t have long to last They also grabbed old Hank and threw him in the bus Right next to an old con by the name of Handy Gus A night in the slammer, fighting was their plea As old Hank just shook his head and said “how can this be?” Then just before breakfast, they set him free once again As it’s back on the streets right where yesterday began Was it his clothing or was it his beard? He really didn’t know Whatever it was, they again ordered him out in the cold Maybe it was his clothes, they were all ragged and torn But if memory serves me correctly all roses do have thorns He thought of the old days when Uncle Sam came to call He joined to fight the japs although he was small And this is his reward, boy ain’t life just grand Go off to war and fight but now you’re just a bum of a man