The Journey, by Anonymous 1909

You's gotter hab some trouble in dis rough ol' world ob ours,
You's gotter fight de bumble bee, sometimes to pick de flowers;
You's gwinter fin' a heap o' roughness in de rocky road,
Befo' you gits wha' you kin rest an' lay aside de load.
But be humble, an' don' grumble,
'Case you sometimes slip an' stumble,
An' seems to drap behin' de res' ob all de hustlin' throng,
Don't stop an' staht a-whinin'
An' a-whimperin' an' a-pinin',
But pick yoh feet up, honey, an' go travellin' along.

You may hab fears o' troubles dat'll hit yo' hard some day,
But dar's wusser boun' to ketch yo' if yo' halts along de way.
You's gotter keep a-movin'. Some is fast and some is slow,
But all dat's looked foh from you is to do de best you know.
So don't you wait an' worry,
Ef you falls down in yoh hurry,
An' never mind the chaffin'
An' de hollerin' an' de laughin',
Jes' pull yohse'f together as you hums a little song,
But pick yoh feet up, honey, and go travellin' along.