Way Down Yonder- Wallace Fogle (TX) 1916 Thompson
[My title. From "Round the Levee" edited by Stith Thompson, 1916. His notes follow. Notice that "Fly Around" is "run along" and that there are no stanzas specifically from "Wheevily Wheat"-- the only association with "Wheevily Wheat" is the "Charley" in the last line, which is reference to Bonny Prince Charlie.
R. Matteson 2018]
Another version of "Weevily Wheat," collected by Miss Mary S. Brown of Gatesville, Texas, from Wallace Fogle, a famous play-party singer of Coryell County, runs as follows. The boys and girls line up opposite each other; the boys begin swinging at one end, and girls at the other, each swinging his or her partner.
"Way Down Yonder (Wheevily Wheat B)" collected by Miss Mary S. Brown of Gatesville, Texas, from Wallace Fogle, a famous play-party singer of Coryell County.
Way down yonder in the maple swamp,
The water's deep and muddy.
There I spied my pretty little miss,
O there I spied my honey.
How old are you, my little miss,
How old are you, my honey?
She answered with a ha-ha laugh,
"I'll be sixteen next Sunday."
The higher up the cherry tree,
Riper grows the cherry,
Sooner a boy courts a girl,
Sooner they will marry,
So run along home, my pretty little miss,
Run along home, my honey,
Run along home, my pretty miss,
I'll be right there next Sunday.
Papa's gone to New York town,
Mama's gone to Dover,
Sister's worn her new slippers out
A-kicking Charley over.