The Little Slit in the Tail

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I’M GLAD that the Bushmen can’t see me now
  A-doing it tall in the town;
I’ve an inch-brimmed hat on my sun-burnt brow—
  And my collar jumps up and down.
I’m wearing a vest that would charm a snake,
  And a tie like a lost soul’s wail;
And I’m dressed in a coat of the latest make,
  With a little slit in the tail:
With a little slit in the tail of it,
  With a little slit in the tail.

My pants alone are a thing of joy,
  And they’re built to show my bends,
With a crease behind and a crease before,
  And a little curl in the ends.
I carry my nose-rag in my cuff,
  And the lot should get me gaol—
I paid five guineas for my rig-out,
  And one for the slit in the tail:
For the little slit in the tail of it,
  For the little slit in the tail.

© Henry Lawson