Shoestring Serenade

Papa Kerski, A young cucumber In America's pickling pot, Told his girl he could:

1. Make good money as a butcher
2. Put some kids through school
3. Still speak decent Polish

And if that wasn't good enough He'd maybe think about Going to some night school Like Buzzy and Uncle Walt.

Good enough prospects, She thought, good enough.

It was just after the war And, what the hell, You could loosen your belt.

You can always sell meat, Papa Kerski said, And so they soon had:

One of those new refrigerators One of those new televisions A baby boy named Paul.

Sometime around Korea Things began to go wrong.

Papa Kerski said it Was just ingratitude.

She knew he'd say that Because he always thought He was as infallible as Jimmy Stewart or Gig Young.

To little Kerski This was as new As the discovery Of frozen TV dinners.

In any event, He had nothing to say.