THE LITTLE BALL OF YARN
(Murray Hale & Alden Blasdell)

It was in the month of May,
when the jacks begin to bray
And the jennies come prancing around the barn;
Said the jennie to the jack:
"Will you climb up on my back?
You can wind up my little ball of yarn."

It was in the month of June,
When the roses were in bloom
And the jennies were loose around the barn;
There I met a little Miss
And I simply asked her this:
May I wind up your little ball of yarn?"

She said, "Why don't you go to those
Who have money and fine clothes;
Why don't you go to the with your charms?"
But she finally gave consent,
And through the fields we went,
And we wound up her little ball of yarn.

After getting her consent,
Just around the stump we went,
And I asked her where she kept her little charm;
She said beneath her gown
So I gently laid her down,
And I wound up her little ball of yarn.

It was nine days after this,
when I went to take a piss,
I found my cock all mattery and warm,
Then I knew that by mishap
She had given me the clap
As I wound up her little ball of yarn.

It was nine months after that,
In my office chair I sat,
Wondering if I'd done her any harm
There appeared before the door
Her father and several more
"Marry my daughter, since you've got her ball of yarn."

It was nine days after that
In my office chair I sat,
Wondering if I'd done her any harm;
Then there came a gentle tapping,
And the doctor stood there laughing,
"You're the daddy of a little ball of yarn."

It was nine days after that,
In my office chair I sat,
Wondering if I'd done her any harm;
then an officer in blue
Said, "Young man, I'm after you.
You're the daddy of a little ball of yarn."

Collected 1933, McCammon, Idaho. The two informants learned their
versions in St. John, Idaho about 1919. Found in Songs and Ballads,
by James Kenneth Larson.

Elsewhere in the Larson MSS, Larson attributes verses 1 & 5 to Verrell Basdell,
verses 3 & 8 to Murray Hale, and verses 6 & 7 to Gilbert Illum.


See here: https://archive.org/details/1933-1972jameskennethlarson/page/n60/mode/1up?q=yarn