Walt Whitman's Niece

[Verse 1] Last night or the night before that I won't say which night A seaman friend of mine I'll not say which seaman Walked up to a big old building I won't say which building Would not have walked up the stairs Not to say which stairs If there had not been two girls Leaving out the names of those two girls [Verse 2] I recall a door, a big long room I'll not tell which room I remember a deep blue rug But I can't say which rug A girl took down a book of poems Not to say which book of poems And as she read, I laid my head And I can't tell which head Down in her lap I can mention which lap [Interlude] My seaman buddy and his girl moved off After a couple of pages, and there I was All night long, laying and listening And forgetting the poems And as well as I could recall Or my seaman buddy could recollect The girl had told us that she was a niece of Walt Whitman But not which niece And it takes a night and a girl And a book of this kind A long, long time to find its way back [Verse 1] Last night or the night before that I won't say which night A seaman friend of mine I'll not say which seaman Walked up to a big old building I won't say which building Would not have walked up the stairs Not to say which stairs If there had not been two girls Leaving out the names of those two girls [Verse 2] I recall a door, a big long room I'll not tell which room I remember a deep blue rug But I can't say which rug A girl took down a book of poems Not to say which book of poems And as she read, I laid my head And I can't tell which head Down in her lap I can mention which lap