Little Ball of Yarn

One sunny day in June
When the flowers were in bloom
And the bird singing gaily on the barn;
I met a pretty miss
And I simply asked her this,
"Can I weave it in that little ball of yarn?"

She gave me her consent
So behind the fence we went
Not a-knowin' that we had so many charms;
There I laid her on the ground
And I lifted up her gown,
And I wove it in that little ball of yarn.

It was nine days after that
In the doctor's chair I sat
Not a-knowin' that she done me any harm;
And the doctor there in white
Said "Young man you're got to fight!
You're be weaving in that little ball of yarn."

It was nine months after that
In the same damned room I sat
Not a-knowin' that I done her any harm;
And the officer in blue,
Said, "Young man I'm after you.
You've been weaving in that little ball of yarn."

c1945. Apples of Eden: A Private Collection of American Folk-Lore:
Gathered from cowboys, college boys, and latino americanos by a
liberal who does not believe that these choice morsels should be
thrown out of American Literature because of their vigorous and
unconventional language. After all, a manure pile by any other name
would smell no better! And even a manure pile has its values.
77 pages. 4to. (Berkley, California? ca. 1945.) Typescript.


See online here: https://archive.org/details/1945applesofeden/page/n26/mode/1up


GUEST any song that lasts at least 145 years (if not 225 years)
in oral traditions is worth tracing. There is something makes people
want to learn it and sing it!