Classic and Contemporary Poetry
JOHN PAUL JONES, by NATHALIA CRANE First Line: Tis john paul jones - the janitor's boy Last Line: With never a thought of fame. Subject(s): Jones, John Paul (1747-1792); Love; Soldiers | ||||||||
'TIS John Paul Jonesthe janitor's boy, He lives on the gun-deck floor, Where all of the windows are action ports, And the dumbwaiters rattle and roar. The old trash tins are our hand grenades, And the rugs on the backyard lines Are the mains of the Britisher Serapis That we fight with our bursting "Nines." 'Tis John Paul Jonesmy Admiral; His hair is a glorious red; And I am the maiden who serves as the mate To see that the sawdust is spread. He leans on the rail of the laundry tubs As the Serapis lifts on our lee; Our gun crews chant by the carronades And the powder boys yell in their glee. For he who stands in Colonial rags, Is born to the gift of the game Of shaking the dust from a Serapis, Or the dust from the halls of fame. I whirl the wheel of the wash machine In the spray of a soap-suds sea; But I know in my heart that the daring Jones Is winning the fight for me. And I think it is sweet of John Paul Jones, In playing the good old game, To do all the fighting just for love With never a thought of fame. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...ALL ARMIES ARE THE SAME by ERNEST HEMINGWAY ABSENT WITH OFFICIAL LEAVE by RANDALL JARRELL PORT OF EMBARKATION by RANDALL JARRELL THE CONFESSION OF ST. JIM-RALPH by DENIS JOHNSON OPERATION MEMORY by DAVID LEHMAN |
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