THE DOGS' MEAT MAN

Thomas Hudson

  IN Gray's Inn Lane, not long ago,
  An old maid liv'd a life of woe ;
  She was fifty-three, and her face like tan,
  When she fell in love with a dogs' meat man.
  Much she lov'd this dogs' meat man;
  He was a good-looking dogs' meat man;
  Her roses and lilies had turn'd to tan
  When she fell in love with a dogs' meat man.
  
  Every morning he went by, 
  Whether the weather was wet or dry, 
  And right opposite to her door did stan'
  And cry "dogs' meat!" this dogs' meat man. 
  Then her cat would run out to the dogs' meat man, 
  And rub against the barrow of the dogs' meat man, 
  As right opposite to her door did stan' 
  And cry  "dogs' meat!" this dogs' meat man. 
  
  One morn she kept him at the door,
  Talking half an hour or more ;
  For you must know that was her plan,
  To have a good look at the dogs' meat man.
  "Times are hard," says the dogs' meat man ;
  "Folks get in my debt," says the dogs' meat man;
  Then he took up his barrow and away he ran,
  And cried "dogs' meat!" this dogs' meat man.
  
  He soon saw which way the cat did jump,
  And his company he offered plump ;
  She couldn't blush, 'cause she'd got no fan,
  So she sot and grinn'd at the dogs' meat man.
  "If you'll marry me," says the dogs' meat man,
  "I'll marry you," says the dogs' meat man :
  For a quarter of peppermint then he ran,
  And she drink'd a "good health" to the dogs' meat man.
  
  That very evening he was seen
  In jacket and breeches of velveteen ;
  To Bagnigge Wells then in a bran
  New gown she went with the dogs' meat man. 
  She'd biscakes and ale with the dogs' meat man, 
  And she "walk'd arm in arm" with the dogs' meat man; 
  And the people all said vot round did stan' 
  He was quite a dandy dogs' meat man. 
  
  He said his customers, good lod !
  They ow'd him a matter of two pound odd;
  And she replied it was quite scan- 
  -dalous to cheat such a dogs' meat man.
  "If I had but the money," says the dogs' meat man,
  "I'd open a tripe shop," says the dogs' meat man,
  "And I'd marry you to-morrow."—She admir'd the plan, 
  And — she lent a five pound note to the dogs' meat man.
  
  He pocketed the money and went away,  
  She waited for him all next day;  
  But he never com'd, and she then began 
  To think that she was diddl'd by the dogs' meat man. 
  She went out to seek for the dogs' meat man, 
  But she cou'dn't find the dogs' meat man
  Some friend gave her to understan' 
  He'd got a wife and seven children, this dogs' meat man  
  
  So home she went in grief and tears, 
  All her hopes transform'd to fears,  
  And her hungry-cat-to miew began. 
  As much as to say "where's the dogs' meat man?" 
  She cou'dn't help thinking of the dogs' meat man, 
  The handsome swindling dogs' meat man; 
  So you see just in one day's short span, 
  She lost her heart—a five pound note—and the dogs' meat man.