Life, 1910-05-26 · page 14 of 44
Life — May 26, 1910 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This poem satirizes skyrocketing prices following World War I, when inflation severely strained American household budgets. The recurring refrain "bills, bills, bills" emphasizes relentless financial burden. The piece targets three professions notorious for rising costs: butchers (meat prices climbed during wartime rationing), doctors, and plumbers. Each verse depicts these tradesmen as either profiteering or incompetent—the plumber "kills time" on the job while customers pay inflated rates for minimal work. The satire's point: working families felt trapped in a cycle of perpetual debt, unable to escape mounting bills despite their protests that "we'll never pay." The phrase "they've got us in the thills / hooked up by the gills" uses fishing metaphors to suggest entrapment. This reflects genuine postwar anxiety about inflation and wage stagnation that characterized the early 1920s American economy.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
958 Life's Fresh Air Fund Previously acknowledged...........$1,862.70 A. E, Gallatin, 100.00 F. Potter Swain. 5.00 . Eleanor and Polly. 10.00 1.00 10.00 bert 10.00 Geo. W. 100.00 RS Bes evewsess: 5-00 TL. : 10.00 $2,113.70 ACKNOWLEDGED WITH THANKS, From the Williams Printing Company, 600 letterheads and 250 envelopes, for “ Life's Farm.” The Bills (By C. R. N., with apologies to E. A. P.) ERE’S the butcher with his bills, Yellow bills, What a charge of increased cost each item now fulfils Through the checrless winter days, How the butcher business pays. But he says he’s losing out. Yet he buys again and kills, Cuts and cleans and cans and chills. And the price of beef goes on, With a resolute endeavor, Now, now to sit or never, By the side of the pale faced moon. And the butcher's ever ready with his bills, bills, bills, With his bills, bills, bills, bills, bills, bills, bills, With his ever drinking, never shrink- ing bills. Here's the doctor with his bills, Sallow bills. What a hope of health to come their tota’ now instills! If again we're in such plight May it not be in the night, For the charges double up. worse than corns or chills ing so for pills. And it’s hard to heal while thinking of the bills, bills, bills, Of the ever ready, ever steady bills. Here's the plumber with his bills, Boundleess bills. es AT LIFE’S FRESH AIR FARM A GAME IN THE ORCHARD. What a balance in the bank the long drawn statement kills! How we swear we'll never pay; For altho they stayed all day They were only killing time; Sitting idly on the floor, Telling yarns, and nothing more, While a man Went clear back unto the store For some dope which he must pour From a can. When at last the iron was hot There was something else forgot. So they sat Killing time, time, time, With abandon most sublime, Till the eighth hour neared its end. Then they gathered up their plunder, While we stood and looked with wonder But we only could discern Lots of dirt and one small burn; And the same old trickling rills Where the lavatory spills, Oh, we swear we'll never pay; But it's written in the bills; What's the use. For they've got us in the thills, For we're hooked up by the gills. Yes, it’s written in the bills, In the bills, bills, bills, Yes, it’s written in the bills, In the bills, bills, bills, bills, bills, bills, In the never-changing, mind-deranging bills. A Tongue Twithter Thimplified “QOME of these tongue twisters are really very hard to enunciate, for instance: ‘The sea ceaseth, and it suffi- ceth us.” “That’th eathily thaid,’’ lithpingly thmiled Mithth Elithabeth. “ You thimp- ly thay it tho: ‘The thea theatheth, and it thuffitheth uth!’ ’” YOUNG MAN, STOP THAT , OR LL PUT A MUZZLE comicbooks.com