The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #113763   Message #2462678
Posted By: Jim Dixon
10-Oct-08 - 09:33 PM
Thread Name: Lyr ADD: Miss Fogarty's Christmas Cake (C F Horn)
Subject: Lyr Add: MISS FOGGERTY'S CAKE
Felleman, Hazel. The Best Loved Poems of the American People. New York: Doubleday, 1936, p 482:


MISS FOGGERTY'S CAKE

As I sat by my window last evening,
The letterman brought unto me
A little gilt-edged invitation
Saying, "Gilhooley, come over to tea."

Sure I knew 'twas the Foggertys sent it,
So I went for old friendship's sake,
And the first thing they gave me to tackle
Was a slice of Miss Foggerty's cake.

Miss Martin wanted to taste it,
But really there weren't no use,
For they worked at it over an hour
And couldn't get none of it loose.

Till Foggerty went for a hatchet
And Killey came in with a saw;
That cake was enough, by the powers,
To paralyze any man's jaw.

In it were cloves, nutmegs and berries,
Raisins, citron and cinnamon, too;
There were sugar, pepper and cherries,
And the crust of it nailed on with glue.

Miss Foggerty, proud as a preacher,
Kept winking and blinking away,
Till she fell over Flanigan's brogans
And spilt a whole brewing of tay.

"O, Gilhooley," she cried, "you're not eating,
Just take another piece for my sake."
"No, thanks, Miss Foggerty," says I,
"But I'd like the recipe for that cake."

McNulley was took with the colic,
McFadden complained of his head,
McDoodle fell down on the sofa
And swore that he wished he was dead.

Miss Martin fell down in hysterics,
And there she did wriggle and shake,
While every man swore he was poisoned
By eating miss Foggerty's cake.