The King of My Backyard - Tom Paxton

I had a bulldog;

he had me

Rough and tough as any dog can be

Every evenin' when the sun went down

That bulldog, he went running around

He was mean, he was hard

He was the king of my backyard

He was short, he wasn’t any too tall

Said, don’t you worry about nothing at all

Anybody come messin' around

I’m the dog that’s gonna bring them down

I am mean, I am hard

I’m the king of your backyard

Late last Monday, wasn’t too late

Somebody sneakin' by the alley gate

Four foot eleven and a hundred and three

Smallest burglar that you ever did see

He was mean, he was hard

He was creepin' into my backyard

My dog barked, like I knew he would

The burglar picked up the kindlin' wood

My dog hollered and the burglar said, «Git!»

Down the alley my bulldog lit

He was mean, he was hard

He was the chicken of my backyard

My dog went right through my fence

I have not seen that bulldog since

Loved that dog but I’ve had my fill

And I keep a canary on my windowsill

He is mean, he is hard

He is the king of my backyard