Appreciation

If with interest you are viewing,

Some writing that Pappy's doing,

If you love and like him

Tell him now;

Don't withhold your approbation,

Till the preacher starts his oration,

And he lies with snowy lillies

On his brow;

Now matter how you shout it,

He won't really know about it,

He won't know how many tear-drops

You have shed;

If you think some praise is due him,

Now's the time to slip it to him,

For he cannot read his tombstone

When he's dead.

More than fame and more than money,

Is your praise, both kind and sunny,

And your love and affection

You would blend;

For it gives his life a savor,

And it makes you stronger, braver,

And it gives you heart and spirit

To the end;

If he earns your praise – bestow it,

If you love him let him know it,

Let your words of true endearment

Then be said;

Do not wait till life is over,

And he's underneath the clover,

For he cannot read his tombstone

When he's dead.