Impossibilities- Medlin (AR) 1960 Wolf
[From Wolf Collection on-line. See interview at end.
R. Matteson Jr. 2011]
IMPOSSIBILITIES
Sung by Mrs. Emma Medlin; Recorded by John Quincy Wolf, Jr. Pangburn, AR 9/10/60
Click here to listen to the original recording:
http://web.lyon.edu/wolfcollection/songs/medlincambric1250.mp3
"Go pay my respects to yonders young lady,
And tell her she is a true lover of mine.
Tell her to make me a fine cambric shirt,
Every season both narrow and twine,
Without either seam or needlestitch work,
And then she can be a true lover of mine.
"Tell her to wash it at yonders well,
Every season both narrow and twine,
Where water ne'er sprung nor rain never fell,
And then she can be a true lover of mine.
"Tell her to dry it on yonders thorn bush,
Every season both narrow and twine,
Where blossoms ne'er bloomed since Adam was born,
And then she can be a true lover of mine."
"Go pay my respects to yonders young man,
And tell him he is a true lover of mine.
Tell him to buy him an acre of land,
Every season both narrow and twine,
Between the salt waters and the sea sand,
And then he can be a true lover of mine.
"Tell him to plow it with a mewly cow's horn,
Every season both narrow and twine,
And seed it all over with one grain of corn,
And then he can be a true lover of mine.
"Tell him to reap it with a sickle of leather,
Every season both narrow and twine,
And bind it all up with a pea rooster's feather,
And then he can be a true lover of mine.
"Tell him to thrash it on yonders wall,
Every season both narrow and twine,
And not for his life let one grain fall,
And then he can be a true lover of mine.
"And when he is done and finished his work,
Every season both narrow and twine,
Why, tell the young fool to come after his shirt,
And then he can be a true lover of mine."
(Dr. Wolf: "What's the name of that now?"
Mrs. Medlin: "'Impossibilities.' Everything in there was impossible."
Dr. Wolf: "Oh, I see. I see where it comes in now."
Mrs. Medlin: "You see, plow with a mewly cow's horn, a mewly cow doesn't got any horn, you know. And seed it all over with one grain . . . In the first place, you see, buying the acre of land between the salt water and the sea sand, you see."
Dr. Wolf: "I see. Impossibilities."
Mrs. Medlin: "It's every bit the impossibilities."
Dr. Wolf: "Gee whiz. Well, did you learn that song when you were a girl, or . . ."
Mrs. Medlin: "Oh, yes, my mother sang that . . . That's a hundred years old."
Dr. Wolf: "A hundred years old. What's your full name?"
Mrs. Medlin: "Emma Puterbaugh Medlin."
Dr. Wolf: "Medlin. And the name of this town is . . ."
Mrs. Medlin: "Pangburn . . ."
Dr. Wolf: "Pangburn, that's right. Well, this is, see . . . This is September 10th, isn't it. Yeah, that's right, this is the tenth, isn't it, 1960?")