Classic Poem

I sit here dreamin', dreamin' of the dear ol' country ranch,
An' a barefoot boy a-wadin' in the cool an' shaded branch;
“Splash, splash!” I hear the water, an' every ripple seems
To make a rill o' music that's runnin' through my dreams!
“Splash, splash!” the water goes;
Downward to the mill it flows;
What cares he for thorn or rose?
Water's cool—that's all he knows!
I sit here dreamin', dreamin' of the sweeter light that shines
On the wild blackberry blossoms an' the honeysuckle vines;
And “Splash!” I hear the water that in the sunshine gleams,
An' a rill o' music runnin' through the shadows o' my dreams!
“Splash, splash!” the water goes;
Downward to the mill it flows;
Cares the boy for thorn or rose?
Water's cool—that's all he knows!
I sit here dreamin', dreamin' till I seem to slip away,
Where the water loved to ripple past meadows sweet with hay;
Where dusky doves are wingin' in mornin's earliest beams
An' the barefoot boy is singin'—is singin' in my dreams!
“Splash, splash!” the water goes;
Downward to the mill it flows;
What cares he for thorn or rose?
Water's cool—that's all he knows!