Six Nights Drunk- Presnell (NC) pre1966 Burton
[From Manning and Burton, Folksongs II (From Beech Mountain , NC), 1969. Their notes follow.
R. Matteson 2013]
HATTIE PRESNELL
Hattie Kneevista Hicks Presnell was born June 19, 1907, to Buna and Roby Monroe Hicks. She moved with her family to the Watauga River and returned with them to spice creek. There she went to Rominger school and got to the third primer before she stopped attending in order to bear more responsibilities at home because of illness in the family. Hattie remained at home until she was nineteen years old at which time she married Dewey Presnell. She has traveled to Arkansas, Canada, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Many of the songs she knows come from Van Buren County, Arkansas, where her husband for eleven years of his childhood would often hear "song after song all night long" sung by Mrs. Ida McIntyre. Hattie's songs were also learned from her father-in-law and great-uncle, Lee Monroe Presnell, and through him from Lie-hew (John Calvin Yonce came to Beech Mountain every seven years and was named Lie-hew by the folks on the mountain because he "lied so much and hewed on a stick all the time", it was rather difficult to learn his songs, Hattie says, because if he thought that the motive behind a request was to learn a song he would refuse to sing). Hattie is also indebted for songs to her mother, with whom she has remained closely associated over the years.
SIX NIGHTS DRUNK (Child 274)- Sung by Hattie Presnell, December 9, 1966; learned from her father-in-law, Lee Monroe Presnell. (Cf. Mr. Tab Ward's)
1. First night and I come home drunk as I could be,
I found a head a-layin, on the piller where my head ort to be.
2. "Come here, my little wife, babe; explain this thing to me,
How come a head a-layin' on a piller where my head ort to be?"
3. "You old fool, you blind fool, can't you never see?
It's nothin' but a cabbage head my mama sent to me."
4. "I've traveled this wide world over ten thousand times or more,
But a moustache on a cabbage head I never did see before."
5. Next night 'nd I come home drunk as I could be,
I found a pair of pants a-hangin' on the chair where my pants ort to be.
6. "Come here, my little wife, babe; explain this thing to me,
How come a pair of pants a-hangin' on the chair where my pants ort to be?"
7. "You old fool, you blind fool, can't you never see?
It's nothin' but a bed quilt my mama sent to me."
8. "I've traveled this wide world over ten thousand times or more,
But a zipper on a bed quilt I never did see before."
9. Next night 'nd I come home drunk as I could be,
I found a hat a-layin' on the table where my hat ort to be.
10. "Come here, my little wife, babe; explain this thing to me,
How come a hat a-layin' on the table where my hat ort to be? "
11. "You old fool, you blind fool, can't you never see?
It's nothin' but a butter dish my mama sent to me."
12. "I've traveled this wide world over ten thousand times or more,
But band around a butter dish I never did see before."
13. Next night 'nd I come home drunk as I could be.
How come a pair of boots a-sittin' in the corner where my boots ort to be.
14. "Come here, my little wife, babe; explain this thing to me.
How come a pair of boots a-sittin' in the corner where my boots ort to be?"
15. "You old fool, you blind fool, can't you never see?
It's nothin' but a milk churn my mama sent to me."
16. "I've traveled this wide world over ten thousand times or more,
But heel irons upon a milk churn I never did see before."
17. Next night 'nd I come home drunk as I could be,
I found a coat a-hangin' on the rack where my coat ort to be.
18. "Come here, my little wife, babe; explain this thing to me,
How come a coat's hangin' on the rack where my coat ort to be?"
19. "You old fool, you blind fool, can't you never see?
Nothin' but a bed quit my mama sent to me."
20. "I've traveled this wide world over ten thousand times or more,
Pockets upon a bed quilt I never did see before."
21. Next night and I come home drunk as I could be,
I found a horse in the stable where my horse ort to be.
22. "Come here, my little wife, babe; explain this thing to me,
How come a horse in the stable where my horse ort to me?"
23. "You old fool, you blind fool, can't you never see?
Nothin' but a milk cow my mama sent to me."
24. "I've traveled this wide world over ten thousand times or more,
A saddle upon a milk cow's back I never did see before."