Been singing those words for almost 35 years since I first learned them from Tom Paley, who I always thought had inherited the soul of Uncle Dave. I have my own interpretation of SOME of the words but some are still incomprehensible.
. . .skeleton, crossbones on the plate, AND THE WRITING ON THE TURKEY YOU CAN SPELL
We have India-rubber pickles, EXTRA SIZES COST TWO NICKELS
Paley's last chorus went:
And the flapjacks are like blankets, full of bugs and balls of hair
The sausages and bacon taste like Hell
The biscuits are li8ke lead, something's living in the bread
In that all go hungry hash house where I dwell.
also, "Ambeloneious cheese" I always heard has "man, bologna and cheese"-- I'm proud of figuring THAT one out.
of the many recordings of this, the first one I ever heard was Charlie Poole (or was it the New Lost City Ramblers covering Poole?) but I think I like Uncle Dave & the Cofer Brothers (sp?) best.