The James T. Callow Folklore Archive

"WAY DOWN YONDER IN THE PAWPAW PATCH"

Where oh where is dear little _______?
Where oh where is dear little _______?
Where oh where is dear little _______?
Way down yonder in the pawpaw patch! MM
Come on girls (boys), let's go find him.
Come on girls (boys), let's go find him.
Come on girls (boys), let's go find him.
Way down yonder in the pawpaw patch. MM
Pickin' up pawpaws, put 'em in your pocket.
Pickin' up pawpaws, put 'em in your pocket.
Pickin' up pawpaws, put 'em in your pocket.
Way down yonder in the pawpaw patch.

Submitter comment: The blank lines in the first stanza are to be filled in
with the name of the person (usually a child) to whom you
are singing. This is reported to be an old southern song
which Carmen learned when she moved from New York to
Kentucky. Also, the sex of the girls/boys referred to
in the second stanza should be adjusted so that it is the
opposite of the person being sung to (i.e. girls find boys,
boys find girls). "Pawpaws" (sometimes spelled papaws) is
a colloquial term for "papaya."

Where learned: KENTUCKY ; LEXINGTON

Date learned: 00001930S