Tom the Thief

Tom the thief began his trade,
He stole a chicken first of all;
Then took away the sheep and goat,
And led the cow out of the stall.

We tied a rope around the cow
To keep the thief away;
He stole the cow and took the rope,
And quietly ran away!

I set a lamp beside the pond
To guard my precious fish;
The thief took all the catch away,
And stole the lamp and all the fish!

We put a strong and heavy net
To save the lemons all;
He stole the net, he stole the fruit,
Before the rain could fall!

At last the wretched thief was caught
And beaten black and blue;
Old Master Tim lost all his fame,
The thief was his son, too!

And so the bitter truth is learned
Beneath the morning sun:
A son is shaped by what he learns,
Not by what his father's done.