White, Newman I. editor, The Frank C. Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore, Durham, North Carolina, Duke University Press, "Popular Beliefs and Superstitions from North Carolina," edited by Hand, Wayland D., 1964, vol 7, "Superstitions: Animals, Animal Husbandry," Chapter XI, Cows: "Churning, Clabbering" pp 443-445

7553 -

Come, butter, come;
Baby wants some;
Standing at the gate,
Waiting for a cake.

Lida Page, Nelson, Durham county; Mabel Ballentine, Raleigh; and
Valeria Johnson Howard, Roseboro, Sampson county. This batch of
charms to cause the butter to come is the finest in print, and it is un-
fortunate that the annotation cannot be stronger than it is at the present
time.

Wheaton P. Webb has written an original song embodying the "Come,
butter, come," motif (NYFQ xi [1955], 85-87 "Churning Song")

7560 -

Come, butter, come:
Mattie's at the gate;
Come, butter, come; come, butter, come;
Missus wants to make a cake;
Come, butter, come; come, butter, come;
The baby wants some.

Dorothy McDowell Vann, Raleigh, Wake county.

7566 -

Come, butter, come;
Come, butter, come;
Granny stands at the gate,
With a hot johnny cake;
Come, butter, come.,

C. M. Hutchings, Durham county. Cf. Indiana: Brewster, Specimens,
366 (The king and queen are at the gate, / Waiting for butter to put on
their cake).

7567 -

Come, butter, come;
Come, butter, come;
Cows in the pasture;
Churn a little faster;
Come, butter, come.

Susie Spurgeon Jordan, Brevard, Transylvania county.

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

The Fox Fire book led me to this adventure.

A thank you to Misso - for his pointing to the reference The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes - for the history of this chant in the British Isles.