when I was young my grandmother liked to scare the living daylights out of us at parties, in the firelight by saying;
I stood by the churchyard gate.
It was very dark and very late.
I saw three corpse come within,
Very pale and very thin.
I said to the corpse,
Shall I be like you when I am dead.
The corpse said "" Yahhhh".(Say this as a yell)

Seems very similar to your yarn.. This was back in 1949..