Poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

The Girl of the U.S.A.

Oh! the maidens of France are certainly fine,
   And I think every fellow will state
That the ’what-you-may-call-it’ coiffured way
   They put up their hair is great!
And they know how to dress, and they wear their clothes
   In a fetching, Frenchy way;
And yet to me, there is just one girl-
   The girl of the U.S.A.

I like to listen when French girls talk,
   Though I’m weak in the ’parlez-vous’ game;
But the language of youth in every land
   Is somehow about the same,
And I’ve learned a regular code of shrugs,
   And they seem to know what I say!
But the girl whose voice goes straight to my heart
   Is the girl of the U.S.A.

I haven’t a word but words of praise
   For these dear little girls of France;
And I will confess that I’ve felt a thrill
   As I faced their line of advance!
But I haven’t been taken a prisoner yet,
   And I won’t be, until the day
When I carry my colours to lay at the feet
   Of a girl of the U.S.A.

1. Worldly Wisdom
2. At Eleusis
3. Affirm
4. At Forty-Eight
5. I Shall Not Forget

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