Three Nights Experience- McKinney (KY) 1961 Roberts
The slight difference in the story elements is that in A(Coffin's A) the man retunning finds one horse, hat, sword, etc., where his ought to be; in B (Coffin's B) the man finds three men's suspicious items. Coffin has a type C perhaps more recent and nearer most American forms, in which a man usually drunk, returns home on three or four sucessive nights; hence, the local titles "'Three Nights' Experience" and "Drunkard Blues."
The ballad has been dispersed over America, as was said, by late broadsides and then by phonograph records, radio and television. But it is not so ominipresent in collections as expected, no doubt due to its bawdiness, versions of which are still unprinted in archives. The ballad has nert been often found in Canada. It has appeared, however, in Maine (BBM, 2 texts), Vermont (AB, IV), and in most Appalachian states, including West Virginia (FSS, no. 28, 3 versions of Child A, WVCS, no. 68); Virginia (TBV, no. 43 and MTBV, no. 38, 12 texts); North Carolina (SharpK, no. 38, 2 texts; and in NCF, iI, {V, no. 42,4 and a fragment and 10 tunes); Mississippi (FSM); Florida (FSF); South Carolina (SCB); and a few in the Midwest and Far West: Missouri, Ozarks, Oklahoma, Texas, Iowa, Utah, and Oregon. Lawless lists 35 in print.
The Kentucky list is very modest. There are two texts in SharpK (D begins with the usual opening, "Old man came home. . . ."); two texts in KFR (1957:94 and 1960:127); one in Nile's BB, no. 57; one in TSCF, no. 7; and nineteen in my collection. The present one, sung by Oscar McKinney, was collected in 1961 by Betty Salisbury, both of Floyd County.
SCALE: Hexatonic G a b d e f#). (Perfect octave). TONAL CENTER: G. PHRASE STRUCTURE: A B C D (2,2, 2,2). MELODIC RELATIONSHIP: Cf. NCF, IV, No. 42B and B(3) ff; also MTBV, No. 38BB, p. 303, "Our Goodman"; BFSS, No. 50, p. 120,
"Our Goodman" bears moderate resemblance.
I came in the other night
Just as drunk as I could be,
Another horse was in the stable,
Where my horse ought to be.
Come here, my pretty little miss,
Explain this thing to me,
How come there's a horse in my stable
Where my horse ought to be?
You blind fool, you dumb fool,
You fool you cannot see,
That's only a milk cow
That Mommy sent to me.
I've been this wide world over,
Ten thousand miles or more,
But a milk cow in a horse's stable
Well, I never did see before.
I came in the other night
Just as drunk as I could be,
Another coat was hanging on the rack
Where my coat ought to be.
Come here, my pretty little miss,
Explain this thing to me,
How come another coat a-hanglng on a rack
Where my coat ought to be?
You blind fool, you dumb fool,
You fool you cannot see,
That's only an old bed quilt
That Mommy sent to me.
I've been this wide world over
Ten thousand miles or more,
But a bed quilt on a coat rack
Well, I never did see before.
I came in the other night
Just as drunk as I could be,
Another head was lying on the bed
Where my head ought to be.
Come here, my pretty little miss,
Explain this thing to me,
How come another head a-lying on a piller
Where my head ought to be?
You blind fool, you dumb fool,
You fool you cannot see,
That's oniy a cabbage head
That Mommy sent to me.
I've traveled this world over
Ten thousand miles or more,
But a mustache on a cabbage head
Well, I never did see before.