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THE
KID'S LAST FIGHT
by
Anonymous
Submitted
by Jim Woodley
Us two was pals, the Kid and me;
‘Twould cut no ice if some gayzee,
As tough as hell, jumped either one,
We’d both light in and hand him some.
Both
of a size, the Kid and me,
We tipped the scales at thirty-three;
And when we’d spar ‘twas give and take,
I wouldn’t slug for any stake.
One
day we worked out in the gym,
Some swell guy hangin’ round called 'Slim'
Watched us and got stuck on the Kid,
Then signed him up, that’s what he did.
This
guy called "Slim" he owned a string
Of lightweights, welters, everything;
He took the Kid out on the road,
And where they went none of us knowed.
I
guessed the Kid had changed his name,
And fightin’ the best ones in the game.
I used to dream of him at night
No letter came... he couldn’t write.
In
just about two months or three
I signed up with Bucktooth McGee.
He got me matched with Denver Brown,
I finished him in half a round.
Next
month I fought with Brooklyn Mike;
As tough a boy who hit the pike;
Then Frisco Jim and Battlin’ Ben,
And knocked them all inside of ten.
I took
‘em all and won each bout,
None of them birds could put me out;
Then sportin’ writers watched me slug,
Then all the papers run my mug.
"He’d
rather fight than eat," they said’,
"He’s got the punch, he’ll knock ‘em dead,"
There’s only one I hadn’t met,
That guy they call, "The Yorkshire Pet"
He’d
cleaned ‘em all around in France,
No one in England stood a chance;
And I was champ in U.S.A.,
And knocked ‘em cuckoo every day.
Now
all McGee and me could think
Was how we’d like to cross the drink,
And knock this bucko for a row,
And grab a wagon load of dough.
At
last Mac got me matched all right,
Five thousand smackers for the fight;
Then me and him packed up our grip,
And went to grab the championship.
I done
some trainin’ and the night
Set for the battle sure was right;
The crowd was wild, for this here bout
Was set to last till one was out.
The
mob went crazy when the Pet
Came in, I’d never seen him yet,
And then I climbed up through the ropes,
All full of fight and full of hopes.
The
crowd gave me an awful yell
‘Twas even money at the bell
They stamped their feet and shook the place,
The Pet turned ‘round... I saw his face!
My
guts went sick, that’s what they did,
For Holy Gee, it was the Kid!
We just had time for one good shake,
We meant it too, it wasn’t fake.
Whang!
went the bell, the fight was on,
I clinched until the round was gone,
A-beggin’, that he’d let me take
The fall for him... he wouldn’t fake
Hell,
no the Kid was on the square,
And said we had to fight it fair,
The crowds had bet their dough on us,
We had to fight... the honest cuss.
The
referee was yellin’, "Break."
The crowd were sore and howlin’, "Fake!"
They’d paid their dough to see a scrap,
And so far we’d not hit a tap.
The
second round we both begin.
I caught a fast one on the chin;
I stood like I was in a doze,
Until I got one on the nose.
I started
landin’ body blows,
He hooked another on my nose,
That riled my fightin’ blood like hell,
And we were sluggin’ at the bell.
The
next round started from the go
The millin' we did wasn’t slow,
I landed hard on him, and then ,
He took the count right up to ten.
He
took the limit on one knee,
A chance to get his wind and see;
At ten he jumped like a flash
And on my jaw he hung a smash.
I’m
fightin’ too there, toe to toe,
And hittin’ harder, blow for blow,
I damn soon knowed he couldn’t stay,
He rolled his eyes... you know the way
The
way he staggered made me sick,
I stalled, MacGee yelled, "Cop him quick!"
The crowd was wise and yellin’, "Fake!"
They’d seen the chance I wouldn’t take.
The
mob kept tellin’ me to land,
And callin’ things I couldn’t stand;
I stepped in close and smashed his chin,
The kid fell hard... he was all in.
I carried
him into his chair,
And tried to bring him to for fair.
I rubbed his wrists, done everything.
A doctor climbed into the ring.
And
I was scared as I could be,
The Kid was starin’ and couldn’t see:
The doctor turned and shook his head;
I looked again... the Kid was dead!
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