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17 Oct 19 - 05:33 PM (#4014211) Subject: Folklore: Little orphant Annie - roundabout or From: leeneia It's that time of year when the poem 'Little Orphant Annie' by James Whitcomb Riley comes to mind. I decided to verify my memory of it, and I hit a snag on the little boy who wouldn't say his prayers, and when he went to bed at night, way up the stairs.... All they ever found was just his pants and roundabout. Roundabout? I remember roustabout. Does anybody have an old book with this poem in it? I'd like to know whether it's roundabout or roustabout. |
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17 Oct 19 - 05:56 PM (#4014216) Subject: RE: Folklore: Little orphant Annie - roundabout or From: GUEST,Starship https://poets.org/poem/little-orphant-annie Roundabout according to the link. |
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17 Oct 19 - 06:31 PM (#4014224) Subject: RE: Folklore: Little orphant Annie - roundabout or From: GUEST https://www.buckeyemuse.com/james-whitcomb-rileys-little-orphant-annie/ |
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17 Oct 19 - 06:38 PM (#4014228) Subject: RE: Folklore: Little orphant Annie - roundabout or From: Rapparee "roundabout (plural roundabouts) (chiefly Britain, New Zealand, Canada, Australia and sometimes US) A road junction at which traffic streams circularly around a central island. (chiefly Britain) A horizontal wheel which rotates around a central axis when pushed and on which children ride, often found in parks as a children's play apparatus. A fairground carousel. A detour. A short, close-fitting coat or jacket worn by men or boys, especially in the 19th century. (archaic) A round dance." --https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/roundabout |
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17 Oct 19 - 07:18 PM (#4014236) Subject: ADD: Little Orphant Annie (James Whitcomb Riley) From: Joe Offer Several years ago, Anne Hills did a CD of her musical renditions of poems by James Whitcomb Riley. The CD is titled Ef You Don't Watch Out. Here's her rendition of "Little Orphant Annie": Up above, Starship linked to words for the poem at poets.org: I think there are some mistakes in the words at that Website, but here they are: LITTLE ORPHANT ANNIE (James Whitcomb Riley) Little Orphant Annie's come to our house to stay, An' wash the cups an' saucers up, an' brush the crumbs away, An' shoo the chickens off the porch, an' dust the hearth, an' sweep, An' make the fire, an' bake the bread, an' earn her board-an'-keep; An' all us other childern, when the supper things is done, We set around the kitchen fire an' has the mostest fun A-list'nin' to the witch-tales 'at Annie tells about, An' the Gobble-uns 'at gits you Ef you Don't Watch Out! Onc't they was a little boy wouldn't say his prayers,-- So when he went to bed at night, away up stairs, His Mammy heerd him holler, an' his Daddy heerd him bawl, An' when they turn't the kivvers down, he wasn't there at all! An' they seeked him in the rafter-room, an' cubby-hole, an' press, An' seeked him up the chimbly-flue, an' ever'wheres, I guess; But all they ever found was thist his pants an' roundabout-- An' the Gobble-uns'll git you Ef you Don't Watch Out! An' one time a little girl 'ud allus laugh an' grin, An' make fun of ever'one, an' all her blood an' kin; An' onc't, when they was "company," an' ole folks was there, She mocked 'em an' shocked 'em, an' said she didn't care! An' thist as she kicked her heels, an' turn't to run an' hide, They was two great big Black Things a-standin' by her side, An' they snatched her through the ceilin' 'fore she knowed what she's about! An' the Gobble-uns'll git you Ef you Don't Watch Out! An' little Orphant Annie says when the blaze is blue, An' the lamp-wick sputters, an' the wind goes woo-oo! An' you hear the crickets quit, an' the moon is gray, An' the lightnin'-bugs in dew is all squenched away,-- You better mind yer parents, an' yer teachers fond an' dear, An' churish them 'at loves you, an' dry the orphant's tear, An' he'p the pore an' needy ones 'at clusters all about, Er the Gobble-uns'll git you Ef you Don't Watch Out! This poem is in the public domain. Text verified with printed edition at https://archive.org/details/littleorphananni00rile |
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18 Oct 19 - 10:35 AM (#4014296) Subject: RE: Poetry: Little orphant Annie - roundabout or From: leeneia It looks like you've nailed it, Rap. It's roundabout. Thanks. |
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19 Oct 19 - 04:05 PM (#4014446) Subject: RE: Poetry: Little orphant Annie - roundabout or From: leeneia I thought I was the only person who remembers this poem, but judging from the Internet, quite a few people remember it too. Annie fails to mention some other horrible things: fried liver runny egg yolks okra a snake that suddenly crosses one's path. ================ One day in the 1950's my mother came home from library with a copy of 'Riley Child Rhymes with Hoosier Pictures.' It was falling apart, and the library had sold it for a few cents. Nonetheless, I kept it together and read it for years. The Internet says that 'the Raggedy Man' is the best-known poem after 'Little Orphant Annie', but my 2nd favorite is 'When We Et out on the Porch.' |
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19 Oct 19 - 06:33 PM (#4014469) Subject: RE: Poetry: Little orphant Annie - roundabout or From: GUEST,.gargoyle Eye ! ! ! Aehhh.... I memorized it and recited it throughout the upper 4,5 6th grades within our school. Lots of other speeches and verses too. One of our family favorites (I have never seen any reference on the net) is written on small, letter paper with quill pen and ink. It has the notation... "unpublushed E. G. Poe.". ( yeah, my family has deep roots |
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19 Oct 19 - 06:59 PM (#4014473) Subject: RE: Poetry: Little orphant Annie - roundabout or From: GUEST,.gargoyle Peculiar break in message above. I will post the text message this month to our happy mudcat hallow as Added. QUESTION Joe etc. Is it possible to post a scan/jpg of the orignial manuscript connected to new Added Post? Sincerely, Gargoyle I need to learn how/where 150 y.o. documents can be stored AND accessed on line....photo and written diary.... Do places like Ancestery intentionally post bizarre sh*i as click bait? I refuse to pay for public information and will freely give.
-Joe- |
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22 Oct 19 - 10:54 AM (#4014868) Subject: RE: Poetry: Little orphant Annie - roundabout or From: Mrrzy Wow, I remembered a lot of this poem I loved and memorized in the early 70s, and had forgotten all about. Thanks! |
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22 Oct 19 - 11:04 AM (#4014869) Subject: RE: Poetry: Little orphant Annie - roundabout or From: leeneia You're welcome. Mrrzy. I'm glad I restored one of life's simple pleasures. |
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24 Oct 19 - 06:13 PM (#4015239) Subject: RE: Poetry: Little orphant Annie - roundabout or From: Mrrzy I love language. You can give people your memories and years later, they can give them back! |
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24 Oct 19 - 06:51 PM (#4015246) Subject: ADD Little Orphant Annie (Riley - poetry) From: Joe Offer I wasn't completely sure of the accuracy of the text I posted above from poets.org. I found a copy of a printed edition of the poem at archive.org. It's identical to the piece posted above, except that it has an introduction. It's in a collection of Riley poems in a book titled Ef You Don't Watch Out, by James Whitcomb Riley, published by Bobbs-Merrill, copyright by Riley 1892. Apparently printed in 1908. LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE (James Whitcomb Riley) Introduction: LITTLE ORPHANT ANNIE she knows riddles, rhymes and things! Knows 'bout the witches 'at rides brooms, an' Imps 'at flies with wings. The same as bats er lightnin'-bugs! - An' knows about Ring-mo-rees 'At thist can take an' turn theirselves in anything they please! "An' childrens all, both great an' small," she says, an' rolls her eyes When we're a-listenin', all so still, "you needen' be surprise' Ef right this livin minut' - 'fore ye knows they's one about - 'At the GOBBELE-UNS'll get ye - Ef you Don't Watch out!" This poem is in the public domain. Other Riley poems in the book:
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25 Oct 19 - 01:26 AM (#4015261) Subject: RE: Poetry: Little orphant Annie - roundabout or From: PHJim Subject: RE: Folklore: Little orphant Annie - roundabout or From: Rapparee - PM Date: 17 Oct 19 - 06:38 PM "roundabout (plural roundabouts) (chiefly Britain, New Zealand, Canada, Australia and sometimes US) A road junction at which traffic streams circularly around a central island." ______________________________________________________________ In Canada, when I was growing up in the fifties and sixties, we called these type of junctions "traffic circles". They were not common, but there was one in the city where I was born (Kingson, Ontario) and another in the city where we moved to (Hamilton, Ontario) I never heard these called "roundabouts" till I spent a year in Great Britain and Ireland, where they had never heard of traffic circles, but called them roudabouts. These seem to be coming back into fashion in Ontario and the British term, roundabout, has caught on and many younger folks are unfamiliar with the term traffic circle. |
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26 Oct 19 - 04:59 PM (#4015585) Subject: RE: Poetry: Little orphant Annie - roundabout or From: leeneia I agree, Jim. I heard of traffic circles long before I heard of roundabouts. Now we something newer - double diamonds. They scare me. |
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26 Oct 19 - 06:24 PM (#4015591) Subject: RE: Poetry: Little orphant Annie - roundabout or From: leeneia Not double diamond - diverging diamond. I've watched three YouTubes on how they work, but what happens when the lane lines are covered with snow? ============ Joe, thanks for the info and the link to archive.com The art is indeed lovely. I had cousins from rural Indiana, and their speech was noticeably different from that of my family. It would be fun to hear somebody with that accent recite 'Little Orphant Annie.' Even though the poem is about 120 years old, I suspect Riley laid the accent on with a trowel. |
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29 Oct 19 - 12:36 PM (#4016027) Subject: RE: Poetry: Little orphant Annie - roundabout or From: Mrrzy Beastly Boys and Ghastly Girls, I think was the book. Also had Thomas Was a Little Glutton. I should get me another copy. |
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29 Oct 19 - 08:12 PM (#4016097) Subject: RE: Poetry: Little orphant Annie - roundabout or From: GUEST,.gargoyle I, currently, live within a cauldren of cacacphoney.... Sincerely, Gargoyle There is a river twisting to an avalanche |
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30 Oct 19 - 05:18 AM (#4016131) Subject: RE: Poetry: Little orphant Annie - roundabout or From: GUEST,Mike Yates One of my all-time favourite cartoons was in a copy of Playboy magazine. It showed two archaeologists examining the hieroglyphs inside an ancient Egyptian tomb. The first one turns to the second and says, 'If my interpretation is correct, Little orphan Annie is a damn sight older than we first thought'! |
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01 Nov 21 - 01:02 AM (#4124825) Subject: RE: Poetry: Little orphant Annie - roundabout or From: Joe Offer Anne Hills did a great musical rendition. https://youtu.be/ueQ8NSnqco0 |
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03 Nov 21 - 09:43 PM (#4125123) Subject: “Where Is Mary Alice Smith?” From: FreddyHeadey The buckeyemuse link above talks about Mary Alice Smith, the real 'orphant Annie'. Here's the short story of Riley’s called “Where Is Mary Alice Smith?” about her arrival at the Riley household. He's a cracking writer. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=BUg1AAAAMAAJ&printsec=copyright&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false then >>> skip to p 181 and the 1918 film https://youtu.be/sduwxYTUPB4 |
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06 Nov 21 - 06:22 PM (#4125386) Subject: RE: Poetry: Little orphant Annie - roundabout or From: leeneia Joe's post of Oct 24, 2019 clinches the original question. All they ever found was jist his pants and roundabout, not roustabout. A roustabout, it turns out, is a laborer or unskilled worker. A roundabout is a short jacket worn by men or boys. Even as a young child, I thought that Annie had to do a lot of work for her room and board, especially when they piled on "make the fire and bake the bread." Even I knew making bread was hard work, and building fires was adult's work. There's a certain bitter irony in Annie's "help the poor and needy ones that clusters all about." |