Part I

Franco is a little boy,
A little boy is Franco.
I’ll get him a little toy,
For he is my jo.

And today is his birthday
And this the birds know;
And do you know what they say
Of Johnny Lee Franco?

“Franco is a little boy,
A little boy is Franco.
His birthday is of great joy,
But will he ever grow?”

Laughed I; for though he is older
Than he was a year ago,
He is yet to reach my shoulder-
And yet to reach my brow!

But now, since he is older
And still very coy,
I will get him something dearer
Than a little toy.

What is this dearer thing
I bring for Franco?
Ting a ling, ting a ling,
None but he shall know.

Part II

Franco has a little shadow,
Little shadow, little shadow,
Franco has a little shadow,
As little as he.
And wherever that Franco went,
Franco went, Franco went,
There ’tis sure to be.

And for every mischief Franco did,
Franco did, Franco did,
It did darker grow.
But the little shadow wished to be,
Wished to be, wished to be,
White and pure as snow.

And as Franco’s birthday falls today,
Falls today, falls today,
He’ll be good fellow.
So little shadow you shall be,
You shall be, you shall be,
White and pure as snow.

Part III

A happy birthday, Johnny Lee Franco!
The clock now striketh ding-dong, ding-ding-dong,
And “happy birthday!” the three worlds echo.

Like a restless wind I blew to and fro
And uprooted trees that seemed stiff and strong;
But now like a breeze do I softly blow.

But ’tis thou, O sometime little fellow,
Who must, with a breath taken deep and long,
At one puff the lighted candles blow.

By my black beard swear I that I will go
And strike by Odin’s name the brazen gong
And whoop a prairie’s whoop of a whoop-whoop-O!

Swear I by my black beard – which downwards flow –
That of all the pals which to me belong,
Only you I worthy count, O my jo!

Beat the drum with a measured beat and low,
And strike a tune to this my greeting song.
A happy birthday, Johnny Lee Franco!
And “happy birthday!” the three worlds echo.

Part IV

This is
Not a gift of gold,
Nor a gift of myrrh,
Nor a gift of frankincense
Which wise men from the east
Brought for Jesus the Christ,
The name above all the names,
Mankind’s Saviour, Prince of peace.

Yet this is
Not an unworthy gift,
Not an ignoble gift
For ‘sometime little’ Franco.

This is
Just a little gift,
Just a little key-chain
Meant for the truly great;
Men like Adolph Hitler,
Like Napolean Bonaparte,
Men like Winston Churchill,
Like Johnny Lee Franco.

For
They hold the key to fame,
They hold the key to fortune,
And hold the key to greatness.

So
Take this little gift,
Not an unworthy gift,
Not an ignoble gift,
Take this little key-chain,
O ‘sometime little’ Franco.