Classic Poem

We're all nervous, very very nervous,
And we're all nervous at our house in town,
There's myself, and my Aunt, and my Sister, and my Mother, —
And if left in the dark we're all quite frightened at each other!
Our Dog runs away if there's a stranger in the house,
And our great Tabby Cat is quite frightened at a mouse, —
For she's so nervous, very very nervous,
And we're all nervous at our house in Town.

My poor shaking Aunt can't work at her needle,
And my shaking hand spills half my cup of tea —
When wine at her dinner my timid Sister's taking —
She drops it on the table, so much her hand is shaking —
And my poor old shaky Mother, when to take her snuff she tries
To pop it in her nose, — o! she pops it in her eyes.
For she's so nervous, very very nervous,
And we're all nervous at our house in Town.

We all at dinner, shake — shake at carving,
And as for snuffing candles, we all put out the light;
T'other evening after dinner we all to snuff did try,
But my Aunt couldn't do it, nor my Sister, nor could I;
" Child! Give me the snuffers!" — said my mother in a flout —
" I'll show you how to do it!" — so she did, and snuffed it out ,
For she's so nervous, very very nervous, —
And we're all of us nervous at our house in Town.

We're getting much too nervous to go out to dinner
For we all sit a'shaking, just like puppets upon wires.
I'm too nervous to speak loud, so I'm scarcely ever able
To ask for what I want, or to talk across the table; —
And my poor shaking Aunt wheree're she sits, is sure to see,
Some sympathising Jelly always shaking vis a vis, —
Which makes her more nervous, very very nervous, —
And we're all of us nervous at our house in Town.

We're too nervous to get ready in time to go to church,
So we never go at all, since we once went late one day;
For the Clergyman looked at us, with a dreadful sort of frown,
And my poor shaky Mother caught his eye and tumbled down; —
And my Aunt and Sister fainted, — and tho' with care and pain
We dragged them slowly out, — yet we've never been again —
And we're all nervous, very very nervous,
And we're all of us nervous at our house in Town.

Our nerves in stormy weather are particularly bad ,
And a single peal of thunder is enough to drive us mad .
So, when a storm comes on, we in a fright begin
To lock ourselves in closets where the lightning can't come in.
And for fear a little thunder to our nervous ears should come,
We each turn a barrel organ, and my Mother beats a drum,
For we're all nervous, very very nervous,
And we're all nervous at our house in Town.