JOSH, JOHN

You have strayed away from your josh, John,
You have strayed away from your josh;
And between the spot where you stand
And your home in the flowery land,
The waves of an ocean dash, John,
The waves of an ocean dash.

Your "tail" is severed clean off, John,
Your pigtail is cut clean off;
I should like to see you, John, set down,
Right in the middle of your native town-
Yah! Wouldn't the Johnnies scoff, John,
"How can!" they would cry in scoff.

The hair now covers your head, John,
The hair now covers your head;
You have lost your nankin shirt of blue,
And a sorry coat of doubtful hue
Is seedily worn in its stead, John,
Is seedily worn in its stead.

A boot of at least thirteen, John,
A boot of at least thirteen,
And made of cowhide, strong and good,
In the place of a sole of solid wood,
On your elegant foot is seen, John,
On your elegant foot is seen.

You have come, as it were, alone, John,
You have come, as it were, alone;
And you lead an unhappy kind of life,
Coming without a cheerful wife,
A cheerful wife of your own, John,
An almond-eyed wife of your own.

You've left your national god, John,
You've left your god and your land;
You've left the dress of the land of flowers,
And in leaving these, haven't taken ours;
And you've friends upon neither hand, John,
You have friends upon neither hand.

Buffeted, beaten, and cursed, John,
Buffeted, beaten and cursed,
I think your life had happier been
As the slave of a nine-tailed Mandarin -
This last state is worse than the first, John,
This last state is by far the worst!

@immigrant @discrimination @Chinese

Text above appeared in Johnson, J. E., 1863, p. 18-19, Johnson's New Comic Songs No. 2, San Francisco, Appleton & Co. An earlier variant appeared in Stone, 1855, p. 62, Put's Original California Songster, 1st ed., San Francisco, Appleton & Co. Reprinted in Lingenfelter and Dwyer, 1968, Songs of the American West, p. 300. No music is given.
One of the few songs of the time that shows some sympathy (albeit grudgingly) for the Chinese immigrant. Worse times were to come with the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.