I went to the dances at Chandlerville,
And played snap-out on the floor of Hickory Grove,
And went to the picnics and hauled the water,
And gathered the berries,
And caught the minnows,
And went berrying,
And rode the pony to town.
What is this I hear of sorrow and weariness,
Anger, discontent and dropping hopes?
Degenerate sons and daughters,
Life is too strong for you—
It takes life to love Life.
By the stretches of years,
By the broken bones,
By the burned hands,
By the loss of children,
By the long days of grief and pain—
Life is too strong for you.
It takes life to love Life.