Young Lonigan - James T. Farrell [468]
And as goddamn unadulterated dull, said Studs.
“You’ll never have a second home, and when you have your own home, and your own children, you will know the truth of what we say. You’ll remember then, and say Mother and Dad were right, if I only had listened to them when I had the chance.”
If I listened to them, where in the name of Christ would I be now? Shut up. Shut up, for Christ’s sake, shut up, you make my head dizzy and my ears go around, said Studs.
“The home is next to heaven, your father is next to God, and your mother is next to the Blessed Virgin Mary.”
Wheeee! said Studs, feeling a strangeness, feeling brave at saying things he had never had the heart to say and he only wished that people, some of the fellows were there to hear him say these things.
. . .
S ing’em, sing’em, sing them blues, said Studs.
M is the million things she did for you.
O means only that she’s growing older
T is for the tears she shed to save you.
H is for her heart of purest gold
E is for her eyes with lovelight shining
R is right and right she’ll always be.
P ut them all together, they spell Mother
A word that means the world to me.