Lyr. Add: THE GROUND-HOG SONG
Thomas Cartwright, MO, 1929

I'll shoulder my gun an' whistle up my dog,
I'll shoulder up my gun an' whistle up my dog,
I'm goin' up the mountain for to ketch a ground-hog,
Ground hog, ground hog!

Old Aunt Sal went a-runnin' for the brush,
Old Aunt Sal went a-runnin' for the brush,
Good God-a-mighty, here's the hog sign fresh!
Ground hog, ground hog!

One in a clift an' two in a log,
One in a clift an' two in a log,
All jumped on to my old hound dog,
Ground hog, ground hog!

Run here, boys, with a great long pole,
Run here, boys, with a great long pole,
Punch this ground hog out o' this hole!
Ground hog, ground hog!

Big old feller settin' on a log,
Big old feller settin' on a log,
Heerd him whistle an' I knowed he was a hog,
Ground hog, ground hog!

Way down yonder in the forks of the branch.
Way down yonder in the forks of the branch,
The old sow fiddled an' the pigs all danced,
Ground hog, ground hog!

Big old feller, big as any bear,
Big old feller, big as any bear,
Meat 'll do to eat, hide 'll do to wear,
Ground hog, ground hog!

We hung him up an' we skinned one side,
We hung him up an' we skinned one side,
Good God-a-mighty, what a ground hog hide!
Ground hog, ground hog!

We scraped him down from his head to his feet,
We scraped him down from his head to his feet,
Good God-a-mighty, what a big pile of meat!
Ground hog, ground hog!

We drug him to the house an' put him on to b'ile,
We drug him to the house an' put him on to b'ile,
Good God-a-mighty, you could smell him forty mile!
Ground hog, ground hog!

Children all hollered an' squalled an' cried,
Children all hollered an' squalled an' cried,
All love ground hog baked or fried,
Ground hog, ground hog!

Old Aunt Sal was the mammy of 'em all,
Old Aunt Sal was the mammy of 'em all,
Fed 'em on ground hog afore they could crawl,
Ground hog, ground hog!

Old Aunt Sal come trottin' down the hall,
Old Aunt Sal come trottin' down the hall,
Sayin' Good God-a-mighty, don't let 'em eat it all!
Ground hog, ground hog!

In she come with a snicker an' a grin,
In she come with a snicker an' a grin,
Ground hog grease all over her chin,
Ground hog, ground hog!

"Learned in Arkansas."

Pp. 152-152, with musical score, No. 413, The Ground-Hog Song.
Vance Randolph, 1980, Ozark Folksongs, vol. 3; University of Missouri Press.