Home Came The Old Man- Jaques (WV) 1916 Cox B
[From: Cox's Folk-Songs of the South- 1925. His notes follow.
R. Matteson 2013]
28. OUR GOODMAN (Child, No. 274)
Three variants of the same version of this ballad have been recovered in West Virginia under the title of "Home Came the Old Man." This version is the same as Child A. By variation or extension several vulgar stanzas are current in West Virginia and elsewhere. For American texts see Journal, XVII, 294 (Barry; Massachusetts); XXX, 199 (Parsons, North Carolina); Smith, p. 16 (Virginia); Campbell and Sharp, No. 32 (North Carolina); Belden's Missouri collection. For references see Journal, XXIX, 166; XXX, 328; XXXV, 348.
B. "Home Came The Old Man." Communicated by Mr. Walter M. Duke, Shepherdstown, Jefferson County, May 6, 1916; dictated by Mrs. R. A. Jaques, Hedgesville, who learned it in childhood from her mother. Printed by Cox, xlv, 92.
1 Home came the old man,
Home came he;
He went into the house,
Strange boots did see.
2 "My wife, my beloved wife,
what does all this mean?
Strange boots here,
Where mine ought to been? "
3 "You old fool, you blind fool,
Can you not but see,
'T is nothing but a bootjack,
That my mother sent to me? "
4 "Miles have I travelled,
Five hundred miles or more,
But spurs on a bootjack,
I never saw before."
5 Home came the old man,
Home came he;
He went into the kitchen,
A strange hat did see.
6 "My wife, my beloved wife,
O what does all this mean?
A strange hat here,
Where my own ought to been?"
7 "You old fool, you blind fool,
O can you not but see,
'T is nothing but a dinner pot,
That mother sent to me?"
8 "Miles have I travelled,
Five hundred miles or more,
But crape on a dinner pot,
I never saw before."
9 Home came the old man,
Home came he;
He went into the house,
A strange shirt did see.
10 "My wife, my beloved wife,
O what does all this mean?
A strange shirt here,
Where my own ought to been?"
11 "You old fool, you blind fool,
Can you not but see,
'T is nothing but a table cloth,
My mother sent to me?"
12 "Miles have I travelled,
Five hundred miles or more,
But sleeves on a table cloth,
I never saw before."
13 Home came the old man,
Home came he;
He went into the bed room,
A strange face did see.
14 "My wife, my beloved wife,
O what does all this mean?
A strange face here,
Where mine ought to been?
15 "You old fool, you blind fool,
O can you not but see,
'T is nothing but a baby,
My mother sent to me?"
16 "Miles have I travelled,
Five hundred miles or more,
But whiskers on a baby's face,
I never saw before."