310
Prohibition Whiskey
'Prohibition Whiskey.' From Julian P. Boyd, Alliance, Pamlico county,
as collected from Carlos Holton, a pupil in the Alliance school ; undated,
but c. 1927-28. See note to 'The Prohibition Boys.'
1 It's been ten years ago or more.
If I've been rightly told,
There was stealing done in Arapohoe^
Of whiskey new and old.
2 It seems that one young prohi
Was the lucky one that night.
He stole six quarts of anti's gin
And hid it out of sight.
Come all my dear young comrades
And help me to cohmart [sic — con*
I'll sell you some good whiskey
For eighty cents a quart.
'Tis the best that I can get.
The best I ever saw ;
I sell at the stockhouse
Regardless of the law.
consort?]
^ "Arapohoe." Mr. Charles O'H. Grimes, of Shreveport, Louisiana,
formerly of Greenville, N. C, in a letter of Jan. 8, 1947, identified
Arapohoe as a place near Greenville, probably in Beaufort county. [Or
it may be simply Arapohoe in Pamlico County. P. F. B.]
NORTH CAROLINA BALLADS 7^5
5 One prohi purchased him a quart
And paid the money down ;
He stuck it in his pocket
And toddled out of town.
6 He went off and drank it,
And it made him so funny
He wanted another quart,
But didn't have the money.
7 So he comes to see his partner
And calls him good ol' John,
'Say, let me have another quart
And I'll pay you later on.'
8 But when this good young prohi
Came to think of what he'd done
He felt a little scared like
And thought he'd better run.
9 So he left those good young prohis
The whiskey to enjoy,
For he saw he was no nearer heaven
Than when he was a boy.^
10 Come all you good old antis
And take a word of warning :
H you have a little gin around
To take a nip at morning.
1 1 Don't keep it around the stockhouse
Under no conditions,
Or it will all be gobbled up
By those nice young prohibitions.