Alligator Rider

I was born in State of Florida,
On the banks of a mighty river,
Where each big alligator’s jaw
Makes the northern folks to shiver.

I truly was possessed with vim,
And some droll antics I would play,
While in the river I did swim,
And rode alligators in the bay.

It oft times amused spectators
Who came down south to gain their health,
To see me ride those alligators;
My sports to hotel brought great wealth.

In hotel were many waiters
To tend the guests, enjoyed my rides;
They loved to see the alligators
When with my spurs I pierced their hides.

My bridle great did them surprise,
I put no bit into their mouth,
But put my fingers in their eyes,
And thus amused the folks down south.

’Tis strange I still am a survivor,
Living ’mong earth’s sons and daughters,
For I was a wondrous diver,
And could boldly swim the waters.

Swifter far than any skaters
Do o’er north frozen waters glide,
I could stride my alligators,
And o’er the waters proudly ride.

Where this text comes from

First published in Poems of James McIntyre (1889). First located printing is this volume; an earlier periodical printing has not been established. [1]

Structure read from the source's markup; the words have not been compared against a page scan. Last checked 2026-08-20.

Taken from Standard Ebooks, standardebooks/james-mcintyre_poetry, poetry.xhtml. Rights: public domain (SE dedication; underlying text pre-1931).

Earlier sources (3)

This poem as JSON or plain text. Line anchors #L1–#L28.

Cite this poem

James McIntyre (1828?–1906). “Alligator Rider.” First published in Poems of James McIntyre (1889). Text: Poem Index, https://poemindex.org/james-mcintyre/alligator-rider/. Append #L14 to cite line 14, or #L4-L9 for lines 4–9.

More by James McIntyre