I believe this poem is very old because of the word phonograph and its use in the poem. I do not remember the last two lines about pretense when I first read it so I am not including it as I believe it forgery. I have seen it out of order around the internet--what a shame! To my knowledge, this is the original:
You Tell On Yourself
A poem aligning with the Word in with Matthew 7:20 “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."You tell on yourself by the friends you seek,
By the very manner in which you speak,
By the way you employ your leisure time,
By the use you make of dollar and dime.
You tell what you are by the things you wear,
By the spirit in which you burdens bear,
By the kind of things at which you laugh,
By the records you play on the phonograph.
You tell what you are by the way you walk,
By the things of which you delight to talk,
By the manner in which you bear defeat,
By so simple a thing as how you eat.
By the books you choose from the well-filled shelf:
In these ways and more, you tell on yourself.
— Author Unknown
