Nine Yards (UNCLASSIFIED)
Mullins, Bill AMRDEC
Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL
Tue Mar 25 19:18:20 UTC 2008
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE
In the writings of Robert A. Heinlein, you can find reference to a bawdy
poem/ballad called "Rangy Lil". Heinlein scholar Robert James has been
researching this poem and other similarly-mentioned ballads in
Heinlein's works, to see if they are "real" or sprang from Heinlein's
own imagination (apparently there were some of each).
Given the indications that "full/whole nine yards" may have origins in a
bawdy Andrew Mactavish joke, James' post to the alt.fan.heinlein
newsgroup (under the subject "Rangy Lil") may be of interest:
********Quote starts*******************************
I think I've found a piece of the genuine "Rangy Lil" poem. If
somebody has more of it, I'd like to know:
This is from a book called "The Cure of Folly" -- by Gordon Warme...
"The poem was about a copulating contest between two legendary
specialists in the art from the far northern reaches of Canada, Rangy
Lil and Pete. Here are a few fragments from mid-contest:
Lil tried shunts, and double shunts, / And tricks unknown to common
cunts, / But Pete kept reeling out more hose, / 'Til through the
portals of Lil's ass, / Nine feet of slimy penis passed. / They hung
Lil's pants on the shithouse door, / In honour of that gallant whore."
********Quote ends*******************************
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.fan.heinlein/browse_frm/thread/3b8bc4
1ef24ee97f/97268993e0049450?hl=en#97268993e0049450
One observation from reading the thread. Poems like this have many
versions. No doubt this one was told or sung with "nine yards" instead
of "nine feet".
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE
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