The James T. Callow Folklore Archive

The Burglar Brave and Bold

The burglar brave and bold
He went to rob a house
He climbed right in the window
As quiet as a mouse.
(At this point, the informant's memory broke down,
and she had to tell the rest of the story in prose,
until the final verse.)
The burglar hid under the bed when the old maid
who owned the house came in. She took out her teeth,
and removed her glass eye, and took the hair from off
her head. She locked the window and the door, but
forgot to look under the bed.
The burglar came out, and the old woman grabbed her
shotgun and pointed it at him and said:
Marry me sir or I'll blow off the top of your head.
The burglar looked around the room,
He looked for a place to scoot;
He looked at her teeth and her old glass eye,
And said, "For Heaven's sake shoot."

Submitter comment: This was learned from my great uncle
Joseph O'Connor, who was born in St. Thomas, Canada.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Date learned: 00001950CA