The Reckoning

It’s fine to have a blow-out in a fancy restaurant,

With terrapin and canvas-back and all the wine you want;

To enjoy the flowers and music, watch the pretty women pass,

Smoke a choice cigar, and sip the wealthy water in your glass.

It’s bully in a high-toned joint to eat and drink your fill,

But it’s quite another matter when you

                                                                         Pay the bill.

It’s great to go out every night on fun or pleasure bent;

To wear your glad rags always and to never save a cent;

To drift along regardless, have a good time every trip;

To hit the high spots sometimes, and to let your chances slip;

To know you’re acting foolish, yet to go on fooling still,

Till Nature calls a show-down, and you

                                                                         Pay the bill.

Time has got a little bill — get wise while yet you may,

For the debit side’s increasing in a most alarming way;

The things you had no right to do, the things you should have done,

They’re all put down; it’s up to you to pay for every one.

So eat, drink and be merry, have a good time if you will,

But God help you when the time comes, and you

                                                                         Foot the bill.