Out of Debt

DE Christmas is finish’;
It was rather skinnish,^[1]
Yet still we are happy, an’ so needn’ fret,
For dinner is cookin’,
An’ baby is lookin’
An’ laughin’; she knows dat her pa owe no debt.

De pas’ hab de debtor,^[2]
An’ we cannot get her^[3]
To come back an’ grin at us as in time gone:
Dere’s no wine fe breakfas’,^[4]
An’ no one fe mek fuss,
We all is contented fe suck one dry bone.

No two bit o ‘ brater^[5]
Wid shopkeeper Marter,
I feel me head light sittin’ down by me wife;
No weight lef behin’ me
No gungu a line fe^[6]
De man who was usual^[7] to worry me life.

We’re now out o’ season,^[8]
But dat is no reason
Why we shan’t be happy wid heart free and light:
We feel we are better
Dan many dat fetter
Wid burden dey shoulder to mek Christmas bright.

Some ‘crape out de cupboard,
Not ‘memberin’ no wud^[9]
Dat say about fegettin’ when rainy day:
It comes widout warning
‘Fo’ daylight a marnin’,^[10]
An’, wakin’, de blue cloud ta’n black dat was gay.

De days dat gwin’ follow
No more will be hollow,
Like some dat come after de Christmas before:
We’ll lay by some money
An’ lick at de honey,^[11]
An’ neber will need to lock up our front door.^[12]

Jes’^[13] look at de brightness
Of dat poor an’ sightless
Old man on de barrel a playin’ de flute:
Wha’ mek him so joyful?
His lap is of toy full,
A pick’ninny play wid de patch on his suit.

Ours too de same blessin’,
An’ we’ve learn’ a lesson
We should have been learnin’ from years long ago:
A Christmas ‘dout pleasure^[14]
Gave dat darlin’ treasure,^[15]
An’ duty to Milly is all dat we owe.