Three Nights Drunk- Rice (TN) 1943 Moser REC
[My title instead of the generic, Our Goodman. Rice's recording was included on AFS L12 Anglo-American Ballads. Notes by Duncan Emrich. Rice's version is very close to several old-time recordings like Earl Johnson's Three Night's Experience from 1927.
R. Matteson 2013]
B8-OUR GOODMAN (Child No. 274).
Sung with guitar by Orrin Rice at Harrogate, Tenn., 1943. Recorded by Artus M. Moser. The folkingers and tellers of tales of all countries have always loved the stories of the simple husband being outwilled by his cleverer wife, The stories find their source in the following tales of the Middle Ages and their flowering in Rabelais, Boccaccio, and Chaucer. Our song can be traced to England of the seventeenth century, but has its roots much earlier. As sung by Orrin Rice it becomes truly American, Pfc. Orrin Rice, the young man who sing the song, was a member of the 315th Glider Infantry Regiment of the 2nd Airbourne Division during the war. He died of wounds received in action during the Normandy invasion. on June 11, 1945.
For further information: see, H. M. Belden. Ballads and Songs Collected by the Missouri Foke-Lore Society, University of Missouri studies, xv, no. 1, 1940, pp. 89.91; John Harrington Cox, Folk-Songs of Ihe South (Harvard University Press, 1925), PP, 154-58; Arthur Kyle Oavis. Traditional Ballads of Virginia (Harvard University Press, 19291. pp, 483-94).
1. The first night when I came home
As drunk as I could be
I found a horse in the stable
Where my horse ought to be.
2. "Oh come here, my little wifie.
And explain this thing to me,
How come horse in the stable
Whcre my horse ought to be?"
3. "You blind fool, you crazy fool.
Can't you never see,
It's nothing but a milk cow,
You're crazy to me."
4, "I've travelled this world over,
Ten thousand miles or more,
But a saddle upon a milk cow,
I never did see it before."
5. The second night when I came home,
As drunk as I could be,
I found a coat a-hanging on the rack
Where my coat ought to be.
6. "Oh come here, my little wifie,
And explain this thing to me,
How come a coat a-hanging on the rack
Where my coat ought to be?"
7. "You blind fool, you crazy fool,
Can't you never see?
It's nothing but a bed quilt,
You're crazy to me."
8. "I've travelled this world over,
Ten thousand mile, or more,
But a pocket upon a bed quilt,
I never did see it before."
9. The third night when I came in
As drunk as I could be.
I found a head a-laying on the pillow
Where my head ought to be.
10. "Oh come here, my little wifie,
And explain this thing to me,
How come a head a-laying on the pillow
Where my head ought to be?"
11. "You blind, crazy fool,
Can't you never see,
It's nothing but a cabbage head,
You're crazy to me."
12. "I've travelled this world over,
Ten thousand miles or more,
But a moustache on a cabbage head.
Well, I never did see it before."