Enlisted

Said Uncle Sam, "It's up to me
An army to maintain."
And so he called for volunteers;
He almost called in vain.

And then said he, "I'll draft them out,
And then they'll hear my call,
From twenty-one to thirty-one,
I guess I'll get them all."

He put the names all in a box,
And shook them all up right,
And then he drew them one by one,
Said he, "You'll have to fight."

He drew the name of Tommy Jones,
But Tommy had a wife,
"So please excuse me, Uncle Sam,"
Said Sam, "Not on your life."

Bob Fulton bought an auto,
And he thought he'd take a trip,
But Uncle Sammy just said, "No,"
So Bobby pack your grip.

John Turner owned a hardware store,
He thought he ought to run,
But Sam was mad, he almost swore,
So Johnny get your gun.

Then Uncle Sammy just sat down
And stroked his long, white beard,
Said he, "Some men don't want to
fight
I guess they're all afeared."

^__Nettie Squire Sutton.

A Book of Poems
Nettie Squire Sutton
(Minneapolis, KS: Messenger Press. n.d.)
Pages 44-45