OLD DAN GETS THE COAL
Old Dan, he lives in a stable, he does,
He sleeps in a stable stall.
Old Dan, he eats in the stable, he does,
He eats the hay from the manger, he does,
He pulls the hay
And he chews the hay
When he eats in his stable stall.
Old Dan, he leaves the stable, he does,
He pulls the wagon behind.
Old Dan he goes trotting along, so he does,
He trots with the wagon all empty, he does;
The wagon, it clatters,
The mud, it all spatters
Old Dan with the wagon behind.
Old Dan, he trots to the dock, he does,
He trots to the coal barge dock.
Old Dan, he stands by the barge, he does,
He stands and the big crane creaks, it does.
Up! into the chute,
Bang! out of the chute
Comes the coal at the coal barge dock!
Old Dan, he pulls the load, he does,
He pulls the heavy load.
Old Dan he pulls the coal, he does,
He slowly pulls the heavy coal.
The wagon thumps,
It bumps, it clumps
When old Dan pulls the load.
Old Dan, he stands by the house, he does,
And the coal rattles out behind.
Old Dan stands still by the house, he does,
He stands and the slippery coal, so it does
Goes rattlety klang!
Zippy kabang!
As it slides from the wagon behind!
Old Dan, he then leaves the house, so he does,
A-pulling the wagon behind.
Old Dan he goes trotting along, so he does,
He trots with the wagon all empty, he does.
The wagon it clatters,
The mud it all spatters
Old Dan with the wagon behind.
Old Dan, comes home to his stable, he does,
Home to his stable stall.
He finds the hay in the stable, he does,
He eats the hay from the manger, he does,
He pulls the hay,
He chews the hay,
Then he sleeps in his stable stall.
THE SUBWAY CAR
The relationship which this story aims to clarify is the social significance of the subway car—its construction and the need it answers to. Children have enjoyed the verse better, I think, than any other in the book.