American Old Time Song Lyrics: 51 Dimes And Dollars

Theater, Music-Hall, Nostalgic, Irish & Historic Old Songs, Volume 51

DIMES AND DOLLARS.
By Henry Mills.

"Dimes and dollars! dollars and dimes!"
Thus an old miser rang the chimes,
As ho sat by the side of an open box,
with ironed angles and massive locks:
And he heaped the glittering coin OU high,
And cried in delirious ecstasy­"Dimes And dollars! dollars and dimes!
Ye are the ladders by which man climbs
Over his fellows. Musical chimes! -
Dimes and dollars! dollars and dimes!"

A sound on the gong, and the miser rose,
And his laden coffer did quickly close,
And locked secure. "These are the times
For a man to look after his dollars And dimes.
A letter! Ha! from my prodigal son.
The old tale-poverty. Pshaw, begone!
Why did he marry when I forbade?
As he has sown, so he most reap;
But I my dollars secure will keep.
A sickly wife and starving times?
He should have wed with dollars and dimes."

Thickly the hour of midnight fell;
Doors and windows were bolted well.
"Ha! "cried the miser, "not so bad-
A thousand dollars to-day I've made.
Money makes money; these are the times
To double and treble the dollars And dimes.
Now to sleep, and to-morrow to plan-
Rest is sweet to a wearied man."
And he fell asleep with the midnight chimes-
Dreaming of glittering dollars and dimes.

The sun rose high, and its beaming ray
Into the miser's room found way;
It moved from the foot till It lit the head
Of the miser's low uncurtained bed;
And it seemed to say to him, "Sluggard, awake;
Thou hast a thousand dollars to make!
Up, man, up!" How still was the place,
As the bright ray fell on the miser's face!
Ha! the old miser at last is dead.
Dreaming of gold, his spirit fled,
And he left behind but an earthly clod
Akin to the dross that he made his god.

What now avails the chinking chimes
Of dimes and dollars! dollars and dimes!
Men of the times) men of the times!
Content may not rest with dollars And dimes.
Use them well, and their use sublimes
The mineral dross of the dollars And dimes.
Use them ill, And a thousand crimes
spring from a coffer of dollars and dimes.
Men of the tunes! men of the times!
Let charity dwell with your dollars and dimes.