Goin' Home To-Day
My business on the jury's done--the quibblin' all is through--I've watched the lawyers right and left, and give my verdict true;I stuck so long unto my chair, I thought I would grow in;And if I do not know myself, they'll get me there ag'in;But now the court's adjourned for good, and I have got my pay;I'm loose at last, and thank the Lord, I'm going home to-day.
I've somehow felt uneasy like, since first day I come down;It is an awkward game to play the gentleman in town;And this 'ere Sunday suit of mine on Sunday rightly sets;But when I wear the stuff a week, it somehow galls and frets.I'd rather wear my homespun rig of pepper-salt and gray--I'll have it on in half a jiff, when I get home to-day.
I have no doubt my wife looked out, as well as any one--As well as any woman could--to see that things was done:For though Melinda, when I'm there, won't set her foot outdoors,She's very careful, when I'm gone, to tend to all the chores.But nothing prospers half so well when I go off to stay,And I will put things into shape, when I get home to-day.
The mornin' that I come away, we had a little bout;I coolly took my hat and left, before the show was out.For what I said was naught whereat she ought to take offense;And she was always quick at words and ready to commence.But then she's first one to give up when she has had her say;And she will meet me with a kiss, when I go home to-day.
My little boy--I'll give 'em leave to match him, if they can;It's fun to see him strut about, and try to be a man!The gamest, cheeriest little chap, you'd ever want to see!And then they laugh, because I think the child resembles me.The little rogue! he goes for me, like robbers for their prey;He'll turn my pockets inside out, when I get home to-day.
My little girl--I can't contrive how it should happen thus--That God could pick that sweet bouquet, and fling it down to us!My wife, she says that han'some face will some day make a stir;And then I laugh, because she thinks the child resembles her.She'll meet me half-way down the hill, and kiss me, any way;And light my heart up with her smiles, when I go home to-day!
If there's a heaven upon the earth, a fellow knows it whenHe's been away from home a week, and then gets back again.If there's a heaven above the earth, there often, I'll be bound,Some homesick fellow meets his folks, and hugs 'em all around.But let my creed be right or wrong, or be it as it may,My heaven is just ahead of me--I'm going home to-day.
Words in this poem
- thank n.
- A expression of gratitude; an acknowledgment expressive of a sense of favor or kindness received; obligation, claim, or desert, or gratitude; -- now generally used in the plural. [AS. Þanc, Þonc, thanks, favor, thought; akin to OS. thank favor, pleasure, thanks, D. & G. dank thanks, Icel. Þ\'94kk, Dan. tak, Sw. tack, Goth. Þagks thanks; -]
- somehow adv.
- In one way or another; in some way not yet known or designated; by some means; as, the thing must be done somehow; he lives somehow.
- rightly adv.
- Straightly; directly; in front. [AS. richtlice.]
- homespun a.
- Spun or wrought at home; of domestic manufacture; coarse; plain.
- outdoors adv.
- Abread; out of the house; out of doors.
- coolly adv.
- In a cool manner; without heat or excessive cold; without passion or ardor; calmly; deliberately; with indifference; impudently.
- whereat adv.
- At which; upon which; whereupon; -- used relatively.
- ought p. p.
- Was or were under obligation to pay; owed. [Orig. the preterit of the verb to owe. OE. oughte, aughte, ahte, AS. ahte. sq. root110. See Owe.]
- homesick a.
- Pining for home; in a nostalgic condition.
- folks n.
- In Anglo-Saxon times, the people of a group of townships or villages; a community; a tribe. [AS. folc; akin to D. volk, OS. & OHG. folk, G. volk, Icel. f, Sw. & Dan. folk, Lith. pulkas crowd, and perh. to E. follow.]
- ahead adv.
- In or to the front; in advance; onward. [Pref. a- + head.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Goin' Home To-Day is in the public domain. This text is taken from Farm Ballads, Project Gutenberg ebook #9500; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Will Carleton, Goin' Home To-Day, in Farm Ballads (1873), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #9500, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/carleton-farm-ballads/goin-home-to-day.html, id L23277.
Form and metre
Goin' Home To-Day is 42 lines in 7 stanzas of 6 lines each. Every stanza rhymes AABBCC. The metre is iambic heptameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 90%).
See other poems in iambic heptameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 AABBCC throughA · trueA · inB · ag'inB · payC · dayC
- 2 AABBCC downA · townA · setsB · fretsB · grayC · dayC
- 3 AABBCC oneA · doneA · outdoorsB · choresB · stayC · dayC
- 4 AABBCC boutA · outA · offenseB · commenceB · sayC · dayC
- 5 AABBCC canA · manA · seeB · meB · preyC · dayC
- 6 AABBCC thusA · usA · stirB · herB · wayC · dayC
- 7 AABBCC whenA · againA · boundB · aroundB · mayC · dayC
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic heptameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| My business on the jury's done--the quibblin' all is through-- | 14 | ·/˘··/˘······· |
| I've watched the lawyers right and left, and give my verdict true; | 14 | ···/˘······/˘· |
| I stuck so long unto my chair, I thought I would grow in; | 14 | ·············· |
| And if I do not know myself, they'll get me there ag'in; | 14 | ·······/····˘/ |
| But now the court's adjourned for good, and I have got my pay; | 14 | ····˘/········ |
| I'm loose at last, and thank the Lord, I'm going home to-day. | 14 | ·········/˘··· |
| I've somehow felt uneasy like, since first day I come down; | 14 | ·/··˘/˘······· |
| It is an awkward game to play the gentleman in town; | 14 | ···/˘····/˘˘·· |
| And this 'ere Sunday suit of mine on Sunday rightly sets; | 14 | ···/·····/·/˘· |
| But when I wear the stuff a week, it somehow galls and frets. | 14 | ·········/···· |
| I'd rather wear my homespun rig of pepper-salt and gray-- | 14 | ·/˘··/···/˘··· |
| I'll have it on in half a jiff, when I get home to-day. | 14 | ·············· |
| I have no doubt my wife looked out, as well as any one-- | 14 | ···········/˘· |
| As well as any woman could--to see that things was done: | 14 | ···/˘/˘······· |
| For though Melinda, when I'm there, won't set her foot outdoors, | 14 | ··˘/˘·······// |
| She's very careful, when I'm gone, to tend to all the chores. | 14 | ·/˘/˘········· |
| But nothing prospers half so well when I go off to stay, | 14 | ·/˘/˘········· |
| And I will put things into shape, when I get home to-day. | 14 | ·············· |
| The mornin' that I come away, we had a little bout; | 14 | ······˘/···/˘· |
| I coolly took my hat and left, before the show was out. | 14 | ·/˘··········· |
| For what I said was naught whereat she ought to take offense; | 14 | ······˘/····˘/ |
| And she was always quick at words and ready to commence. | 14 | ···/·····/˘·˘/ |
| But then she's first one to give up when she has had her say; | 14 | ·············· |
| And she will meet me with a kiss, when I go home to-day. | 14 | ·············· |
| My little boy--I'll give 'em leave to match him, if they can; | 14 | ·/˘··········· |
| It's fun to see him strut about, and try to be a man! | 14 | ·············· |
| The gamest, cheeriest little chap, you'd ever want to see! | 14 | ·/˘/˘˘/˘··/··· |
| And then they laugh, because I think the child resembles me. | 14 | ··········˘/˘· |
| The little rogue! he goes for me, like robbers for their prey; | 14 | ·/˘······/˘··· |
| He'll turn my pockets inside out, when I get home to-day. | 14 | ···/˘/········ |
| My little girl--I can't contrive how it should happen thus-- | 14 | ·/˘···˘/···/˘· |
| That God could pick that sweet bouquet, and fling it down to us! | 14 | ······˘/······ |
| My wife, she says that han'some face will some day make a stir; | 14 | ·············· |
| And then I laugh, because she thinks the child resembles her. | 14 | ··········˘/˘· |
| She'll meet me half-way down the hill, and kiss me, any way; | 14 | ···········/˘· |
| And light my heart up with her smiles, when I go home to-day! | 14 | ·············· |
| If there's a heaven upon the earth, a fellow knows it when | 14 | ···/·····/˘··· |
| He's been away from home a week, and then gets back again. | 14 | ··˘/········˘/ |
| If there's a heaven above the earth, there often, I'll be bound, | 14 | ···/·····/˘··· |
| Some homesick fellow meets his folks, and hugs 'em all around. | 14 | ·/·/˘········· |
| But let my creed be right or wrong, or be it as it may, | 14 | ·············· |
| My heaven is just ahead of me--I'm going home to-day. | 14 | ·/··˘/···/˘··· |
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