riley lived in his parents' home until he was 21 years old. at age five, he began spending time at the brandywine creek near greenfield. his poems "a barefoot boy" and "the old swimmin' hole" refer to his time there. as a child he was introduced to many people who later influenced his poetry. his father regularly brought home clients and disadvantaged people to help them. riley's poem "the raggedy man" is based on a german tramp his father hired to work at the family home. riley picked up the cadence and character of the dialect of central indiana from travelers along the old national road. their speech greatly influenced the hundreds of poems he wrote in 19th century hoosier dialect.