Horse v. mule

[Benjamin Zimmer]

Quoting Wilson Gray <hwgray at gmail.com>:

> Yes, that's what I had in mind, especially if it contains the phrase, "Fie
> on thy cuckold face," by which the wife introduces her explanations of what
> her husband thinks he sees. Actually, there are two other blues songs that
> are closer than the two that I previously cited. In one, the man starts out
> by asking, "Whose muddy shoes under my bed where my shoes used to be?"
> There's another one that 's almost a rewrite  of the Brit original, but I
> can't track it down at the moment.

This one?

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Jones, Coley
Drunkard's Special
Dallas, 6 Dec. 1929
(149558‑2) Co‑14489‑D Fwy FA‑2951

First night that I went home : drunk as I could be
There's another mule in the stable : where my mule ought to be
Come here honey : explain yourself to me
How come another mule in the stable : where my mule ought to be
Oh crazy oh silly : can't you plainly see
That's nothing but a milkcow : where your mule ought to be
I've traveled this world over : million times or more
Saddle on a milkcow's back : I've never seen before
Second night when I got home : as drunk as I could be
There's another coat on the coat rack : where my coat ought to be
Come here honey : explain this thing to me
How come another coat on the coat rack : where my coat ought to be
Oh crazy oh silly : can't you plainly see
Nothing but a bed quilt : where your coat ought to be
I've traveled this world over : million times or more
Pockets in a bed quilt : I've never seen before
The third night when I went home : drunk as I could be
There's another head on the pillow : where my head ought to be
Come here honey come here : explain this thing to me
How come another head on the pillow : where my head ought to be
Oh crazy oh silly : can't you plainly see
That's nothing but a cabbage head : that your grandma sent to me
I've traveled this world over : million times or more
Hair on a cabbage head : I've never seen before
http://dylan61.se/MTBluesJ_L/Michael%20Taft,%20Blues%20Anthology%20with%20Index%20by%20Artist%20J-L.htm#_Toc71651425
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--Ben Zimmer