144
Hateful Mary Ann
Perhaps a vaudeville song, but it has a folksy temper. It has not
been found elsewhere.
'Hateful Mary Ann.' Reported by Otis Kuykendall of Asheville in 1939.
The last two stanzas are in the mouth of the jealous girl ; the first stanza
appears to be sung by some friend of hers. But I have not used quotation
marks.
I Oh, do not fear one moment,
' Mollie darling ; don't you know
There never was a hurricane
Of lightning, hail, and snow?
And the hardest thing I've heard of
3/8 NORTH CAROLINA FOLKLORE
And the truest friend you know
He never kept a girl a-waiting
With a heart Hke yours so true.
2 Perhaps my WilHe started
Before the rain began.
If he did, he'll spend the evening
With that hateful Mary Ann.
She lives just three blocks nearer,
And she'll keep him if she can,
And it's all for the chilly, driving rain.
3 Oh, hark ! I hear his footsteps
A-swinging at the gate.
It is my Willie darling.
Why have you come so late?
You've kept me here waiting
From sundown until late,
And it's all for the chilly, driving rain.