’Tis the richer man before you,
    Dearer leathers grace his feet;
’Twas the better man that wore you
    In the tramps through dust and heat!

Oft rebuffed by “super’s” snarling,
    When I asked him for a “show”,
On that long tramp to the Darling
    In the days of long ago;

Tell me, if you know it, whether,
    As I sadly tramped away,
Bore I heavy on your leather,
    Worn-out pair of Bluchers, say?

Though your leather’s cracked and rotten,
    Though you may be ugly brutes,
I’ll preserve you unforgotten,
    Worn-out pair of Blucher boots!