Strange that the city thoroughfare, br Noisy and bustling all the day, br Should with the night renounce its care, br And lend itself to children's play! br br Oh, girls are girls, and boys are boys, br And have been so since Abel's birth, br And shall be so till dolls and toys br Are with the children swept from earth. br br The self-same sport that crowns the day br Of many a Syrian shepherd's son, br Beguiles the little lads at play br By night in stately Babylon.