Squirrel Play

Chick, chick, chirr-ree!
    One, two, three, here are we,
Merry little squirrels as ever you’ll see,
Capering freely as free can be,
On the nuttiest boughs of the hickory tree;
Chick, chee-e, chirr-r, chir-ree,
With a mouth full of nuts & a heart full of glee,
Jaunty jolly & full of spirit. (a spree:)

We whisk & we frisk, we are nimble & brisk
And many a break neck flight we risk,
As we leap, with a sweep, from limb to limb,
So limber & slim that they rock & swim
Hither & thither, to & fro,
Up & down as a bough will go
With a hang-bird’s nest when the west-winds blow;

Chick, chee-roo-ho-ho, -ho-ho!

Ho. ho, we know where the chestnuts grow,
Shell-barks, butter-nuts; where we put our nuts,
Little boys have to be spry to go!
In the hollow tree, or the stump below,
Under the leaves, or under the snow;
Ha, ha we know, & so might show;
We could if we would, but no, no, no!
With running & cunning we’ll hide from the foe.

We run for fun, with a chip-chee-ree,
    Round & round, from the tree to the ground,
From the ground, with a bound, to the tree;
With a flint, & fling, & a cheer, we spring
Up & again up, down & then up,
    Flickering nickering, never to stop
Till we skip & hope to the very tip-top
    Of the hickory tree! Chick cheree
    Chip-chick, chirr-r-chee-ee!