The James T. Callow Folklore Archive

Language: Tongue Twister

Shrewd Simon short sewed shoes, saved soles; Simon's shrewdish spouse, Sophie, sewed skirts, stitched sheets, stiffed sofas. Simon's seven stout sons sold several sundries. Sober sewell sold sodas, sorghum, sugar, spiars; Simple Sam sold studs, paddles, stirrups, Sagracious Stephen sold silver spoons, salves; Skeptical Saul sold silks, slacks, satins, shawls, stockings; Selfish Shelby sold shellfish, shells, shields. S:ender Silas sold sodas, salves, shoe-strings, soporifics; Sleepy SPencer sold sophists, stuffed sofas; Sophisticated Seth sold serums, screws, saws spikes, skates; Sister Sally scrawled signs, sang soprano songs.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Too Long.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): ALLITERATION ; Language ; REPETITION ; RHYME ; TONGUE TWISTER

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Language: Tongue Twister

Sarah, Sarah, sitting in a shoe shine shop.

Sarah, Sarah, sitting in a shoe shine shop.

All day long she sits and shines

All day long she shines and sits.

Sarah, Sarah, sitting in a shoe shine shop.

Submitter comment:

I actually heard informant recite this. It circulated among Phi Kappa Theta fraternity brothers at University of Detroit in 1958-63.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Almost same thing already typed as prose.

Original BN [S570] crossed out. Replaced wtih current classification.

Where learned: HOME ; MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): ALLITERATION ; Language ; REPETITION ; RHYME ; TONGUE TWISTER

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Language: Tongue Twister

Tongue Holder:

How many sheets can a sheetcutter cut,

If a sheetcutter could cut sheets?

He'd cut all the sheets that a sheetcutter could, if a sheetcutter could cut sheets.

Submitter comment:

Spoken as rapidly as possible.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Verse?

Crossed out the word Holder in TongueHolder and wrote Twister.

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): ALLITERATION ; GAME ; Language ; Prose ; REPETITION ; RHYME ; TONGUE TWISTER ; VERSE

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Language: Tongue Twister

She sells sea shells by the sea shore.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Already typewritten as prose.

Keyword(s): ALLITERATION ; GAME ; Language ; REPETITION ; RHYME ; TONGUE TWISTER ; VERSE

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Language: Tongue Twister

Sally sells seashells by the seashore.

Submitter comment:

She thinks she learned this one in school.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Keyword(s): ALLITERATION ; Language ; REPETITION ; RHYME ; TONGUE TWISTER ; VERSE

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Language: Tongue Twister

She sells sea shells by the seashore.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Keyword(s): ALLITERATION ; Language ; REPETITION ; RHYME ; TONGUE TWISTER ; VERSE

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Language: Tongue Twister

She seels sea shells down by the seashore. If she sells sea shells down by the seashore where are the sea shells she sells down by the seashore?

Submitter comment:

Learned from Childhood.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Keyword(s): ALLITERATION ; Language ; REPETITION ; RHYME ; TONGUE TWISTER ; VERSE

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Proverb

Everything that glitters is not gold.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [V600] crossed out. Replaced with current classiication.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT ;

Keyword(s): ALLITERATION ; Aphorism ; Apothegm ; Glitter ; Gold ; Judgment ; Maxim ; METAL ; PROVERB ; Superficial ; VERSE

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Proverb

Look before you leap.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [V600] crossed out. Replacedw tih current classification.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): ALLITERATION ; Aphorism ; Apothegm ; Leap ; Look ; Maxim ; PROVERB ; REPETITION ; VERSE

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Proverb

Two heads are better than one.

Submitter comment:

Informant heard this from his grandmother.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [V300] crossed out. Replaced with current classification.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): Aphorism ; Apothegm ; Cooperate ; Heads ; Maxim ; NUMBER ; One ; PROVERB ; Two ; VERSE

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Autograph Rhyme

Album Verse:

Yours till the moon turns to cheese and the rats refuse to eat it.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Keyword(s): AUTOGRAPH ; Cheese ; Devotion ; MOON ; PLAY ON WORDS ; PUN ; Rats ; Signature ; VERSE ; WORDPLAY

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Autograph Verse

Album rhyme:

Standing on the street corner

My frock above my knees

I'm a full born American

And I'll do as I please

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Keyword(s): AMERICAN ; AUTOGRAPH ; Corner ; DRESS ; Frock ; gender ; Knees ; Liberation ; NATIONALITY ; poem ; Propriety ; RHYME ; Signature ; STREET ; VERSE ; VERSE

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Wedding Custom

At all traditional weddings it is common for the guests and family of the groom to sit on one side of the church (room, etc) and for the guests and family of the bride to sit on the other side.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Keyword(s): Bride ; CHURCH ; CUSTOM ; FAMILY ; FRIENDS ; Groom ; Pews ; SEPARATION ; Side ; Sit ; tradition ; WEDDING

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Language: Rhyme

Ridicule Rhyme:

Tattle Tale, Tattle Tale
Hang your britches on a nail,
Hang them high, hang them low,
Hang them in a picture show.
Hang them 'till your fanny shows.

Where learned: TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE

Keyword(s): BRITCHES ; Entertainment ; Fanny ; Hang ; High ; Language ; Low ; Nail ; Picture Show ; rat ; RHYME ; RIDICULE ; Tattle Tale

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Language

To spell separate, remember "caught in a trap by a rat" that way, you'll not replace "a" with "e".

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs and BN addedd by TRD

Keyword(s): Language ; Mnemonics ; rat ; Separate ; SPELLING ; Trap ; Vocabulary

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Prose Narrative Tale

Prose Narrative Tale:

Folktale of New England -- The Gingerbread Man.

Children's story of a runaway cookie including repeated theme: "rubn, run, as fast as you can. Can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread man."

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs Added by TRD

Where learned: TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE ; Bookhouse Volume One

Keyword(s): CATCH ; CHILDREN ; Cookie ; Fast ; Gingerbread ; Gingerbread Man ; Legend ; Narrative ; New England ; Prose ; REGIONAL ; Run ; Tale

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Christmas Custom

Stringing popcorn and cranberries for Christmas tree ornaments.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs Added by TRD

Where learned: MAINE ; Houlton

Keyword(s): CHRISTMAS ; Cranberries ; CUSTOM ; Decoration ; Popcorn

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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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