I've been reciting this for my kids, nieces, nephews and other tiny tots for years! My son still asks me to say it once in a while and he's taller than me now. Great monologue.
A poem read by shep Woolley The sound of him reading it is at the bottom LITTLE AGGIE When Joe Dove took his elephants out on the road He made each one hold fast with his trunk To the tail of the elephant walking in front To stop them from doing a bunk. There were fifteen in all, so 'twere rather a job To get them linked up if n a row, But once he had fixed 'em Joe knew they'd hold on, For an elephant never lets go. The pace it was set by the big 'uns in front, 'Twas surprising how fast they could stride, And poor little Aggie, the one at the back... Had to run till she very near died. They were walking one Sunday from Blackpool to Crewe, They'd started at break of the day, Joe followed behind with a bagful of buns In case they got hungry on t'way. They travelled along at a rattling good pace Over moorland and valley and plain, And poor little Aggie the one at the back Her trunk fairly creaked with the strain. They came to a place where the railway crossed road, An ungated crossing it were, And they wasn't to know as the express was due At the moment that they landed there. They was half way across when Joe saw the express, It came tearing along up the track, He tried hard to stop, but it wasn't much good, For an elephant never turns back. He saw if he didn't do something at once The train looked like spoiling his troupe, So he ran on ahead and he waggled tho buns To show them they'd best hurry up When they caught sight of buns they all started to run, And they soon got across at this gait, Except poor little Aggie-the one at the back, She were one second too late. The express came dashing along at full speed, And caught her end on, fair and square She bounced off the buffers, turned head over heels, And lay with her legs in the air. Joe thought she were dead when he saw her lyin' there, With the back of her head on the line He knelt by her side, put his ear to her chest, And told her to say " ninety-nine." She waggled her tail and she twiggled her trunk, To show him as she were alive; She hadn't the strength for to say "ninety-nine," She just managed a weak "eighty-five." When driver of th' engine got down from his cab Joe said "Here's a nice howdedo, To see fifteen elephants ruined for life, by a clumsy big bugger like you The driver, "There's no need to mak' all this fuss, There's only one hit as I've seen." Joe said, "Aye, that's right, but they held on so tight You've pulled arse end off t' other fourteen." Joe still walks around with his elephant troupe, He got them patched up at the vet's, But Aggie won't walk at the back any more, 'Cos an elephant never forgets. by Marriott Edgar
I've been reciting this for my kids, nieces, nephews and other tiny tots for years! My son still asks me to say it once in a while and he's taller than me now. Great monologue.
A poem read by shep Woolley
The sound of him reading it is at the bottom
LITTLE AGGIE
When Joe Dove took his elephants out on the road
He made each one hold fast with his trunk
To the tail of the elephant walking in front
To stop them from doing a bunk.
There were fifteen in all, so 'twere rather a job
To get them linked up if n a row,
But once he had fixed 'em Joe knew they'd hold on,
For an elephant never lets go.
The pace it was set by the big 'uns in front,
'Twas surprising how fast they could stride,
And poor little Aggie, the one at the back...
Had to run till she very near died.
They were walking one Sunday from Blackpool to Crewe,
They'd started at break of the day,
Joe followed behind with a bagful of buns
In case they got hungry on t'way.
They travelled along at a rattling good pace
Over moorland and valley and plain,
And poor little Aggie the one at the back
Her trunk fairly creaked with the strain.
They came to a place where the railway crossed road,
An ungated crossing it were,
And they wasn't to know as the express was due
At the moment that they landed there.
They was half way across when Joe saw the express,
It came tearing along up the track,
He tried hard to stop, but it wasn't much good,
For an elephant never turns back.
He saw if he didn't do something at once
The train looked like spoiling his troupe,
So he ran on ahead and he waggled tho buns
To show them they'd best hurry up
When they caught sight of buns they all started to run,
And they soon got across at this gait,
Except poor little Aggie-the one at the back,
She were one second too late.
The express came dashing along at full speed,
And caught her end on, fair and square
She bounced off the buffers, turned head over heels,
And lay with her legs in the air.
Joe thought she were dead when he saw her lyin' there,
With the back of her head on the line
He knelt by her side, put his ear to her chest,
And told her to say " ninety-nine."
She waggled her tail and she twiggled her trunk,
To show him as she were alive;
She hadn't the strength for to say "ninety-nine,"
She just managed a weak "eighty-five."
When driver of th' engine got down from his cab
Joe said "Here's a nice howdedo,
To see fifteen elephants ruined for life, by a clumsy big bugger like you
The driver, "There's no need to mak' all this fuss,
There's only one hit as I've seen."
Joe said, "Aye, that's right, but they held on so tight
You've pulled arse end off t' other fourteen."
Joe still walks around with his elephant troupe,
He got them patched up at the vet's,
But Aggie won't walk at the back any more,
'Cos an elephant never forgets.
by Marriott Edgar