Arrow Goodman- Michael (NC) 1898 Brown B
[From: Brown Collection of NC Folklore 2; 1952. A curious case is the title "Arrow Goodman" which appears as this version's title in the Brown Collection Vol. 2 and several times in the music section (Brown; Volume 4). Since it was not sung nor is part of the text, it appears to be simply a mispronunciation (or just dialect) of the title given to the informant, who did not know the title to be "Our Goodman" in the first place!
On the MS "Arrow" is written under "Our" in brackets. The text is from Chloe Michael in 1937, who obtained it from her father, David C. Michael, 1889-1964 of Boone, Watauga County, North Carolina. David learned this form a friend in 1898.]
Brown Collection 42. Our Goodman (Child 274)
This is one of the few humorous ballads admitted to Child's collection. For its history and its kin in other languages, see Child's headnote; for its range in English since Child's time, see BSM 89-90, and add Virginia (OSC 300-1), North Carolina (FSRA 41), Florida (FSF 317-19), Missouri (OFS I 181-5), Ohio (BSO 82-3), Indiana (BSI 149-50) and Tennessee (BTFLS VIII 72-3). Our North Carolina texts all belong to what BSM calls the first form, in which the wife has but one paramour. The betraying signs come in a different order in the different texts. In fact, A represents one version, B and C another.
B. 'Arrow Goodman.' Sent in by W. A. Abrams of Boone, Watauga county, in 1937, as "given to me by Chloe Michael, who learned it from her father. He learned it in 1898." Here, as in many other texts recorded, the husband comes home, by his own confession, drunk. The series is reduced to three: boots, horse, head.
1. I came in the other night drunk as I could be.
Somebody's boots in the corner where my boots ought to be.
I says, 'My dear little wifey, come 'splain this thing to me:
Whose boots there in the corner where my boots ought tobe?'
'You drunk fool, you blind fool, you surely cannot see.
It's nothing but a cream jar my granny gave to me.'
'I've traveled this world over ten thousand years or more.
Boot heels on a cream jar I've never seen before.'
2. I came in the other night, drunk as 1 could be.
Somebody's horse in the stable where my horse ought to be.
I says, 'My dear little wifey, come 'splain this thing to me:
Whose horse in the stable where my horse ought to be?'
'You drunk fool, you blind fool, you surely cannot see.
It's nothing but a milk cow my granny gave to me.'
'I've traveled, I've traveled ten thousand miles or more,
A saddle on a milch cow I never have seen before.'
3 I came in the other night, drunk as I could be.
Somebody's head on the pillow where my head ought to be.
I says, 'My dear little wifey, come 'splain this thing to me:
Whose head is on the pillow where my head ought to be?'
'You drunk fool, you blind fool, you surely cannot see.
It's nothing but a cabbagehead my granny gave to me.'
'I've traveled this wide world over ten thousand times or more,
But a cabbage head with a mustache on I never have seen before.'