re left, left, left my wife etc.

[Dennis R. Preston]

Judith,

Us hillbillies was sposed to be so dumb than when we went to the army
they had to tie hay on one foot (the left) and straw on the other
(the right) so that they could give us marching commands (since we
didn't know our left from our right). This was very common folklore
around Louisville in the 40s and 50s. Not surprising that Akron (with
its large Appalachian immigrant work force) would have such
scurrilous stuff about my people. (Well, half my people.)

dInIs



>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>-----------------------
>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       Judith Marie <Judith_H_Marie at COMPUSERVE.COM>
>Subject:      re left, left, left my wife etc.
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Hi, I'm a new member and thrilled to find you.. I found out about your
>organization when I was searching for the exact words to the old marching
>ditty: "Left, left, left my wife, etc."
>
>And Google came up with an exchange of mail in your organization (dated
>from sometime last year) reciting a transcription somewhat different from
>the one I remember which is:
>
>Left, left, left my wife and 49 kids an old gray mare and a peanut stand.
>Did I do right, right, right from the country where I come from, hayfoot,
>strawfoot, shift by jingle (you make a little jump from right foot to left
>foot at this point and start the ditty over) left, left "
>
>This is from Akron, Ohio, in the 1940s. Are any of you familiar with this
>version? And what do hayfoot and strawfoot mean anyway?
>Judith Hamilton
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org


--
Dennis R. Preston
University Distinguished Professor
Department of English
15C Morrill Hall
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824
517-353-4736
preston at msu.edu

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org