THE OLD SPENCER RIFLE When Johnny come to our house I thought he came to see me, Soon as I found the rascal out, He’d only come to squeeze me. CHORUS Tee eye de ink-tum, tee eye day, Tee eye de ink-tum dandy. Took me ‘round the slender waist An’ on the bed he throwed me, Purtiest thing that I ever saw, He pulled it out an’ showed me. Said it was his little gun, Asked how it would suit me, Shoved it down between my thighs An’ swore by Gosh he’d shoot me! I says, John, your gun’s no good, Or you’re no good at gunnin’ If you cain’t hit a lyin’ mark, What’d you do a-runnin’? Gee, says John, my gun’s all right, I got it from old Spencer, You be still an’ hold the mark An’ I’ll sure knock it center. She lay still an’ held the mark, For him it was no trifle To soon show her what he could do With his old Spencer rifle. Katy was a fair an’ charmin’ maid, She wasn’t more than twenty, Time he’d fired seven rounds He had pork a-plenty. At last the mother found it out, Good order she commanded, John he got in a double charge An’ shot at her off-handed. I’ll bring this little song to a close, I’ll tell you how they parted, John went off with his gun-barrel bent, An’ Kate kicked up an’ farted. Sung by Mr. B. C., Cane Hill, Arkansas, February 5, 1942. He learned this song, in “arms and ordnance” erotic metaphors, from a cattleman near Cane Hill, about 1890. The similarity of the tune to “Yankee Doodle” is unmistakable. In 1:2, “see me” is intended as “please me.” Vance Randolph recorded Mr. C. ‘s song for the Folksong Archive, Library of Congress. Source: Roll Me In Your Arms: 'Unprintable' Ozark Folksongs and Folklore, by Vance Randolph & G. Legman (pp 128-129)[University of Arkansas Press, 1992]
Randolph recorded the song for the Library of Congress but I don't see how to access the recording.
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