The True Man Edgar Guest This is the sort of a man was he: True when it hurt him a lot to be; Tight in a corner an' knowin' a lie 'Would have helped him out, but he wouldn't buy His freedom there in so cheap a way --- He told the truth though he had to pay. Honest! Not in the easy sense, When he needn't worr about expense --- We'll all play square when it doesn't count And the sum at stake's not a large amount --- But he was square when the times were bad, An' keepin' his word took all he had. Honor is something we all profess, But most of us cheat --- some more, some less --- An' the real test isn't the way we do When there isn't a pinch in either shoe; It's whether we're true to our best or not When the right thing's certain to hurt a lot. That is the sort of a man was he: Straight when it hurt him a lot to be; Times when a lie would have paid him well, No matter the cost, the truth he'd tell; An' he'd rather go down to a drab defeat Than save himself if he had to cheat.
