The James T. Callow Folklore Archive

Autograph Rhyme

Album Rhyme:

When at this book you chance to look,

And have to turn it round,

Remember the girl who spoiled your book,

...by writing upside down...

[The last line is written upside down]

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Keyword(s): Album ; AUTOGRAPH ; poem ; RHYME ; Signature ; Upside-down ; VERSE

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Autograph Rhyme

Album Verse:

Yours till the windows have pains.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Keyword(s): Album ; AUTOGRAPH ; Devotion ; Pains ; PLAY ON WORDS ; PUN ; Signature ; VERSE ; Windows ; WORDPLAY

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Autograph Rhyme

Album Rhyme:

I'm yours till hotdogs have pups and corn have ears.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Keyword(s): Album ; AUTOGRAPH ; CORN ; Dogs ; EARS ; Hot Dogs ; PLAY ON WORDS ; PUN ; Puppies ; Pups ; RHYME ; Signature ; VERSE ; WORDPLAY

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Autograph Verse

Album Verse;

Read       And       That      Do

This         You       I           You

Straight   Will       Love     Love

Down       See      You      Me

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Motifs added by TRD

Keyword(s): Album ; AUTOGRAPH ; Down ; Form ; LOVE ; poem ; PUN ; RHYME ; Signature ; Straight ; VERSE

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Prank

Dorm Doorknobs:

I have often heard of this trick praticed in college dormatories and once actually saw it being done. One night, quiet [sic] late when most everyone had gone to sleep a girl on muy floor took a ball of string and tied either end to doorknobs which faced one another. The idea of this is that the next morning when girls began leaving for class they would be unable to open their doors. You can well imagine the shouting which occured the "morning after" this trick.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Keyword(s): COLLEGE ; Doorknob ; Dorm ; Dormitory ; JOKE ; PRACTICAL JOKE ; Prank ; String

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Proverbial Apothegm Maxim

Sleep and Health Rhyme:

Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Keyword(s): Aphorism ; Apothegm ; Bed ; Early ; HEALTH ; Healthy ; Man ; Maxim ; Rise ; SLEEP ; VERSE ; WEALTH ; Wealthy ; WISDOM ; Wise

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Language

I have heard North Hall referred to as "Menopause Manor" the reason being that there are quite a few older residents in the dorm.

Submitter comment:

North Hall of Vanderbilt University

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Keyword(s): AGE ; Dormitory ; Female ; Language ; Manor ; Menopause ; Nickname ; REGIONAL ; SLANG ; University ; Vanderbilt ; Vernacular ; Vocabulary ; WOMEN

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Language

Etymology of "shotgun"

I remember how in grade school days my brother and I would yell out "shotgun" as we ran to the car for a ride. This word claimed a seat by the window for whoever could shout first.

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Motifs added by TRD

Keyword(s): Car ; ETYMOLOGY ; Language ; Origin ; Shotgun ; SLANG ; Window ; WORDS

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Language

The eight secluded areas complete with love seats in a girl's dorm lounge are known as the "passion pits."

Submitter comment:

The college is Emory and Henry in Emory, Virginia and the dorm is Martha Washington

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Keyword(s): COLLEGE ; Dorm ; Dormitories ; Language ; Lounge ; Loveseat ; Nickname ; Passion ; Pit ; SLANG ; Vocabulary

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Language: Rhyme

Mary had a little lamb

The doctor had a fix

'Til Old Macdonald had a farm

Then the doctor quit.

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Motifs added by TRD

Keyword(s): DOCTOR ; Farm ; JOKE ; Lamb ; Language ; Mary ; Old MacDonald ; PLAY ON WORDS ; poem ; PUN ; RHYME ; VERSE ; WORDPLAY

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Entertainment: Song

Jump-Rope Game:

'Double Dutch'

As two people throw two ropes simultaneously in opposite directions, a third person tries to jump both ropes. There is no rhyme to accompany the skipping. It's hard enough to concentrate on the jumping.

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Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE

Keyword(s): Double ; DUTCH ; Entertainment ; GAME ; Jump ; Jump Rope ; Rope ; SONG

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Wheat Harvesting

In Kansas, we grow wheat in our section, and when it was tim eto cut and thrash the wheat, the neighbors would all help each _take turbns, first Mr. J's wheat. Then when finished, go the next day to Mr. H_then Mr. W_ etc._ All men in neighborhood would go and work with the other neighbors_and the wives of all of the men would meet at the home where the men were working, and help that housewife cook dinner for all, then next day to another house_this way everyone helped each other and had no wages to pay and the ladies loved being together.

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Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: FLORIDA ; Plant City

Keyword(s): Agricultural ; Barter ; Community ; CUSTOM ; Domestic ; FARMING ; Harvesting ; LIFE ; Wheat

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Special Memory Quilts

A lot of mothers made "memory quilts" that was pieces of material from dresses or skirts of all in the family like-a scrap of Baby's first colored dress or their first year in school dress, little boys first year, and first year school shirt. Any occassion that meant a lot to them, they would enter the material of what that person wore-no pattern, just sew any shape togehter. It was called "Memories' Crazy Quilt"

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Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: FLORIDA ; Plant City

Keyword(s): Babies ; CHILDREN ; Craft ; Domestic ; Heirloom ; Keepsake ; MEMORIES ; Quilting ; Textiles

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Saying

Let sleeping dogs lie

(Don't bring up the past)

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: FLORIDA ; Plant City

Keyword(s): Dogs ; Dredge ; HISTORY ; Miscellaneous Motifs ; PAST ; Sleeping

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Method of Cleaning Silverware

Clean aluminum pan. Dissolve in it:

1 teaspoon baking sode

1 teaspoon table salt

Immerse silverware until tarnish is removed. Then rinse in clean, warm water and rub dry with clean soft cloth.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE

Keyword(s): Baking Soda ; Cleaning ; Domestic ; Household ; Ingredients ; METAL ; RECIPE ; Salt ; Silver ; Silverware ; Table Salt

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Religion

An extremely grim account of religious confraternities in New Mexico and Colorado which practice self-flagellation and other penitent practices, especially on Good Friday.

The article explores the history behind and classifies different types of Muerte (death images) which are pulled on carts by penitents.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs Added by TRD

Where learned: Journal of American Folklore ; The Origin of the Penitence Death Cart

Keyword(s): Colorado ; CUSTOM ; DEATH ; Flagellation ; Images ; Inflicted ; Muerte ; New Mexico ; REGIONAL ; RELIGION ; Self

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Elves

Idea tht elves come in when no one is about to do household chores, etc. -Ireland

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs Added by TRD

Where learned: TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE

Keyword(s): Chores ; Clean ; Cultural ; Domestic ; Elves ; ETHNIC ; FANTASY ; IRELAND ; MYTH ; REGIONAL

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Custom

Grammaw's Average Day:

"...go milk the cow and put the milk in the springhouse...churn sum buttermilk 'n make the butter...'n make a batch of hominy...rest a little whilst shelling peas...hoe and weed the garden 'n carry sum vegetables back to the cabin...take sic Mandy Lou sum soup on the next farm 'n gather sum herbs to doctor wid later on...shell sum butterbeans...gather sum pears 'n make sum preserves...git the aigs outta the nests 'n get the goat outta the garden...cook three meals a day."

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs Added by TRD

Where learned: TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE ; Boiling and Baking ; Booger Hollow

Keyword(s): ; Average ; Beans ; Chores ; CUSTOM ; Day ; Domestic ; Excerpt ; FARMING ; GARDEN ; Goat ; Grandma ; Narrative ; Peas ; Prose ; Shell ; Story ; VEGETABLE ; WORK

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