My Father-In-Law And I

My father-in-law is a careworn man,     And a silent man is he;     But he summons a smile as well as he can     Whenever he meets with me.     The sign we make with a silent shake     That speaks of the days gone by,     Like men who meet at a funeral,     My father-in-law and I.     My father-in-law is a sober man     (And a virtuous man, I think);     But we spare a shilling whenever we can,     And we both drop in for a drink.     Our pints they fill, and we say, Ah, well!     With the sound of the world-old sigh,     Like the drink that comes after a funeral,     My father-in-law and I.     My father-in-law is a kindly man,     A domestic man is he.     He tries to look cheerful as well as he can     Whenever he meets with me.     But we stand and think till the second drink     In a silence that might imply     That wed both get over a funeral,     My father-in-law and I.