THE DIFFERENCE

“It's just this way,” said Danny O'Shay,

As he whittled a stick and the hours away,

“A player can booze for a year or two,

The same as me or the same as you.

You meet a ball-gamer now and then

Who can guzzle more than the most of men.

But sooner or later he has to go

The way I was chased from the big league show.

“The difference, kid,” said Danny O'Shay,

“Between the hard and the easy way,

As far as ball players goes, at least,

Is a difference big as the West and East.

I played ten years before I was spurned,

And this is the lesson your uncle learned:

The boozer THINKS he is splitting the wood,

The man that is sober KNOWS he's good.

“You see,” continued Danny O'Shay,

“A dog and a man must have his day.

I played like a demon for seven years,

‘ Till I switched to whiskey and quit my beers.

I laughed at the friends that steered me right,

But here's the difference, black and white:

The boozer THINKS he is splitting the wood,

The man that is sober KNOWS he's good.”