Irene Hosse interview with Roxanne Lee DuBose

The John Burrison Georgia Folklore Archive recordings contains unedited versions of all interviews. Some material may contain descriptions of violence, offensive language, or negative stereotypes reflecting the culture or language of a particular period or place. There are instances of racist language and description, particularly in regards to African Americans. These items are presented as part of the historical record. This project is a repository for the stories, accounts, and memories of those who chose to share their experiences for educational purposes. The viewpoints expressed in this project do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the Atlanta History Center or any of its officers, agents, employees, or volunteers. The Atlanta History Center makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any information contained in the interviews and expressly disclaims any liability therefore. If you believe you are the copyright holder of any of the content published in this collection and do not want it publicly available, please contact the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center at 404-814-4040 or reference@atlantahistorycenter.com. This recording starts with Roxanne Lee Dubose telling two ghost stories about Jean Lafitte, the French pirate, a ghost ship, and buried treasure. Next, at 2:36, she tells two stories about racial violence that include racist language. In the first story, an alligator explains that he is large because he eats Black men. In the second story, a Black hitchhiker lays in the road to get peoples attention; however, rather than stopping, drivers repeatedly run him over. At 8:20 Dubose tells stories with sexual humor, including two about newlywed couples on their honeymoon. She also shares a pun about a boy with a wooden eye and a girl with a peg leg. Then at 15:45, she tells a story in which a pet bird will not stop growing, followed by one in which a boy travels across the United States with his family and writes a humorous account of his experiences. At 25:08, DuBose moves on to telling horror tales by reciting two versions of the Hook Man story about a killer who stalks a young couple. To conclude the interview, at 30:40 she shares a Shaggy Dog story involving climbing a mountain on a donkey. Roxanne Lee DuBose (1953- ) was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to Larrie T. DuBose (1918-1997) and Hazel Eugenia Lee (1918-2014). They lived in New Orleans, Louisiana, until they moved to Decatur, Georgia, in 1969. She graduated from Georgia State University in 1975. In 1988, she moved to Kenner, Louisiana, where she worked as a teacher. New Orleans Legends and Jokes A, Irene Hosse Folklore 301 Dr, John Burrison I II III '.Pahle of Contents Introduction Legends and Jokes 1. Jean Lafite and the Ghost 2. Jean Lafite and the Chest 3, The 'l'wo Alligators 4. Bump, Bump. 5, Pin!( and Wrinkled 6. Vlould II Would II 7, rurn Her Over, Joel 8, 'rhe Rary 9, I Spit Five Miles Today 10. The Hook Man, 11. rhe Hook Man (varia,nt) 12. Patience, Aos, Patience. Extra Material - Jokes 1, Slow Boat to China. 2. '.l1he Foo-Bird, Ship, of Bones (variant) Introduction lVJiss Roxanne Lee DuBose is the informant in this folklore collection. I met her about a year ago in an English class at Georgia State University, and we have continued our friendship since then, Roxanne is now twenty years old, was born in Atlanta on October 4, 1953, but moved to New Orleans shortly thereafter, and lived there until approximately five years ago, In New Orleans, Roxanne lived in Jefferson Parish, at 5lf5 Carol Drive, in the subdivision of Azalea Gardens, This New Orleans community wa8 white, middle-class, and quite near a business area and schools. Roxanne now lives at 302lf Valley Circle, Decatur, DeKalb County, Georgia ( 30033) in another white, middle-cla,ss neighborhood, 'l'he homie she is presently living in is a large, four-bedroom, two-bath ranch-style house which is brick outside with grey trim, Her family also has a house in the country, '.!.'he :following is directions to her house in Decatur from the downtown a,rea of Atlanta1 ~.a,ke I-20 toward Augusta, turn off on I-285 toward Greeneville, turn off onto theStone Mountain Freeway towards Decatur, take the North Druid Hills exit and turn left, proceed to Vis-ta Brook Road and turn left on this street, then turn left on Valley Circle, and her house is on the corner of Vista Brook Road a.nd Valley Circle, Roxanne's parents were originally married to other people; her mother then became divorced, and her father a widower with t,~;~6 son~. 'rhen her parents married each other, Roxanne's y,ou~B't\.,(~,\f brother is nine years older than she is, When the family lived in New Orlea.ns, both of her parents worked (her father was the plant manager for Pd.to-Lay), and Roxanne had a fairly strict upbringing, She was brouc;h t up as a Baptist, and attended elementary Page 2 and junior-high school in New Orleans, Roxanne is, at present, ,1(;S,U, a studentand sa,lesclerk at Rich's, 'rhere are actually no ma,jor events in her life other than that she has traveled through most of the United States and is planning a Carribbean cruise in August, In New Orleans, Roxanne belonged to the Girl Scout 'I.'roop //11,69, a,nd to a group of four girls and seven boys who lived in her neighborhood, It was from these two sources that Roxa,nne learned the various legends and jolrns which are presented in this collection, She often went camping with her Scout troop at a spillway where the legends were told around a fire, From the group of young people who collected on a front porch in the evenings, she learned the jokes and shaggy dog stories which are in the col.leetion, Roxanne is about five and one-ha,lf feet ta,1.1., with short, brown ho,ir, and a petite figu:re, She is very friendly and vivacious, and was most cooperative in this project, In fact, since I had no transportation due to an accident, she agreed to meet at Georgia State and record a great deal of the material. She is very pleasant and ma,kes friends quickly, She wa8, and remain8, fascinated by the tr0,di tions of New Orlean8, lVly permanent address i8 as follow8 1 Anne Irene Ho8se, 500 Gerry I,ane, N, E,, Atlanta, Georgia, JOJ28, Jean Lafite and the Ghost Ship TALE 1.rYPE: NONE NO'J~IFS1 1'81Il (extraordirrnry ship); E5J5,J (ghowt shi.IJ); E587 (ghosts walk at certain times); E511,2,2 (flying dutchrnan has dead men as sailors), 'l'here are several legends concerning Jean Lafite, the pirate of the Dayou country around New Orle8.ns, ll<~ was noted for attacldng Spanish, English, and ]~rench shiJJS, merchant vessels, carrying gold and jewelry and other valuables, Britain placed a bounty on him, and one certain British ship decided to go after him, It traced him and followed his path of sunken shiprJ and robbed vessels for a couple of months, Joan Lafite all the time knew that the ship wa- the British ship was after him, So he hid in a tributary and placed foliage in front of his ship, camouflaging it in the bayou, The Bri ti.sh ship sailed up the ha.you towards New Orleans flying the skull and crossbones, hoping to draw J'ean Lafito out, '.Che British ship was never heard of again, and-ub - although British authorities tried to find it, they could never find the capta.in, the crew, or oven the ship, As th<~ legend goes, on certain nights, in certfl.in kinds of weather, if you look towardG the river, you can Gee a ship sail - with Gails flying, and the Glrnll and crossbones, sailing up and down the river very, very Glowly, still looking for Joan Lafi te, 'rtliG is tho ship of the British, Manning the ship, invisible to the people on shore, are a crew of skeletons, with the captain standing at the Gt - stern on the masthead, still directing his crew in search of Jean La.fi te, (Variation) Jean Lafite and the Chest of Dones TALE TYPE1 None 1VlO'l1Il'S I E607, l (bones of dead collected and buried); H82,5 (talcen as warning); Ml+5 (Curse1death); V6? ( accompaniments of burial) ; J647 ( avoiding enemy' s revenge) , Another variation of this same .Te.an Laf'i te tale goes that wha. few years ago, while dredging in the swamps for oil, a oil crew f'ound and dug up a car:drnt thought to be ,Jean Laf'i te' s treasure, Vlhen they opened it, they found nothing but the bones of a captain with - in his - in his hand was a message f'rom Lafite warning others who :foll.owed. him and tried to collect the bounty, The Two Alligators 'rALE '.rYPE1 NONE MOTil'S I F989, 22 ( animals eat extraordinary food); A21+J5, 2 (nature of animal's food); Xl2O3 (lie1 animal's food affects him in unusual way); XlOJl.6 (Lie1 remarkable food preference). Once upon a time there was two little alligators, born in the same swamp, hatched at the same day, but they were from different batches of eggs, And they gr.ew up, and they played, and they romped in the swampB, and then, when they got old enough, they went their separate ways as, you know, all alligators do, to find their fame and fortune, And twenty years later, they meet, And one of them is twenty feet long! And the oth~r one, four feet. And the little one scratches his chin (gesture of scratching chin) and says, "Oh, Bro' , how you get to be so big'?" Ancl the big one just looks at him out the corner of his eye and says, "Well son, I' LL tell you, clean livin' and good eatin' , " And the little one goes, " !Im, I eat good and I live good, I'm clean, Why ain't I twenty feet? You got sixtEien whole feet on me and we're from the samEi swamp, born the name day. I ;just don't understand this." And the big one, very slow and laz,y, says "Well, I eat no thin' but pure nlggers, 11 And the little one e;oeG, "Lemme think, I ea:t nige;ers, too. What's w:t:'ong with 1.r11e big one say$ - big alliga:tor sayG, "Well, how you go about catchin' them niggers you eat'? lVJaybe there' G somethin! a.misG here. 11 And the little one goes, "Well, 1 lay low in the Gwa.mp, behind a clump of grasG. And when I hear me a nige;er, and sniff me a nigger, comin'I by, then I raise up and I go1 ' Hchchc I ' And I got me a nigger," And the big alligator iG laughin, rollin' over, holdin' hiG stomach, !dcldn' his feet, jLwt lc1.ughin' ~tean; - la.ughin' so hard tears are comin' out of hiG eyes, And the J.:i ttle one' G si ttin' there with his )l8nds on his hips. "What's uo funny?11 And the 1:i - big alligator says, "Bro', for the last twenty years you ain't been eatin' nothin' but shit and white tenniG shoes!" Bump, Bump 'l'ALE 'l.1YPE1 2200 (catch- tales) 1V10'l.'IFS1 X.583 (,jokes about travelers); \\/21,l.f (travelers puruued by misfortune); X6.50 ( ,joke8 concerning other races or nations,) 'rwo black men are hitchhikin' on the side of tho road, And they ve been walkin' and vmlldn' , and they' re both tired, And Joncs says to Leroy, "Leroy, I'm so tired, Can't we find us a oar antl hitchhike'? Get a ride with somebody'?" And Leroy goes, "V/ell, Yeah,. and I - I think I have a plan, JoneR, you go out there and lay down in the road (Narrator inter,jects, 'Novi mind you this is a bu8y, two-lane higlmay') And he says, you lay down in the road, and lay - lay crosrJwa;vs, 80 whenever a car comes, they gonna have to 8top, - Ro they won't hit you. And then I'll run up and ask 'em if we can have a ride, 'i'ell 'cm you Gick, or you t:i.rerJ., or 8omcthin', and we'll get us a ride," And Joncf; goes, "Uh, Uh, yeah, that sounds like a good plan, I' 11 go lay out in the roa.d," So he trots on out in the road, And Leroy is standin' on the side of the road, waitin' for hi.a plan to succeed, and all like this, Anll, here comes thio car, ~nd he.says, "Jones, 1 8ee-s a car comin', lay clown!" And so here comeR this car, big Cadillac, comin' down the highway - vroom ;., bump, bump. Hight over Jones, lie goc~s "I - I just don't understand. th:i.o, \ \ , II i\ \I ell, Bayo, Jones, here comes anothr)r c_ar," Here oorne::J a e;reat big Chevrolet :from Michigan, Here comeG - clown the road - bump, bump, Hight over Jones again, And thio, you know, Leroy sayE!, you !mow, thingB ,, his pl8n ;juut isn.t worldn', He doesn't know wlmt'c: Vlrong, Here s comeu c:1. lV/ercecles, that hc1.s c1. l'lod.da license ple1.te, Here it come a - iVJrnmrn, bump, bu' mp, Right over Jon en. And ,Jones, still lay in' out :in the road., Li.fts up his head o,nd f:1ays, 11 J,eroy, are ;you SUl:C(i; th:ts plan's gonn8. 'ivor1(? 1 . 1 Anrl Leroy says, "Yeah, yeah, ,iust lay - lay your head bc1.ck down," Ancl so, they're :3til1 waiting, Here corne8 c1. great big, grec1.t big El Dorc1.cl.o from California - lV/mm - bump, bump, He goes, 11 11/lhm," Here comes a L,'J:,D. from 'l'exas - lV!lVilV/ - bump, bump, Both of them run right over Jone8. So now, Leroy hears in the dic1tance this old rattle-trap car, ma!dng a. lot of noise, And he nay8, "J'oneG, we' gonna get trd.8 one, I know they' re gonna stop for ~vi me, J1rnt lay down, 11 Jones isn't ss.yi.n' a word by thirs time :a.nd ci.11 of a n - :and here corners this old rattle-tX'ap Ford comin' up the highway, rnald.n' all ldnds o:f noirrn, goin' about twenty-five mi.lea an hout', And Lero1r' El saying, 11 \'/e' r0 gonna get it this time! \'le gonna got UR c1. ride!" And, the car comes ' up - bump, bump, erk! Dump, Bump, erk! , llurnp, 'bump, or!d :Oump, bump, erk I '.P.hat car vrn.D from Alabanm. Pink and Wrinkled '.!:ALE TYPE 1 131,,.5 ( stu;oid stories depending on punc) M0'I'IF8 1 X'700 (humo1 concerning sex) 1 I't\10 ( lmt'Jband and wife) ; X.52 ( ridiculour n8Jtedness or exposure) ; Kl210 (humiliated or baffled lovers), Okay, there's this girl getting married at four o'clock thic afternoon, And 8he's in such a, you know, tizzy tryin to get her hair fixed, try in' to get the maids, you !mow, bridesnmids all togellher and, ;1rou know, get the wedding on the way - that she still hasn t gotten her hair done, And so nhe tello her mother, who hasn't got her hair done either yet, that, you know, Dhe has to go, it'H already twelve o'clock - she has to go - her appointment was at ten, nhe's two hourn late, runninc; behind, So her mother goes, "All right, all right, jlrnt go on," And the daughter leavers the door, and then comes hack in, and 8ays, "Mother, I. don, t h . , ave n neglie;ee.u all right!" And her mother sayo, Well, all right, And the e;:1.rl ua.ys, "Get it, fold it up nice and neat on the top of my suit -in the \top of nw suitcase, and any eolor but pink, So the mother says, "All right, all right, f1,ll right," Now about - i tli~J now approiwhing, you !mow, three o' clocl, and the wedding s in an hour. So the mother, who's ;juBt got her hair done, and she's leaving, and she wall,s by this department wtoro and 8he goes ( rJna,p fingers) 1 11 The neg1:tg0e. 11 So sho run fl :i.n there D.ncl she says, "A negligee, I want a niee, pretty neglig~e, Anything." And the lady shows her all they have. But - in the daughter's nize, they only hav,1 one, and its pink, 'i'he mother sayro, "Well, it doesn't matter, you know, She's only gonn21, have it on for a little while," So she, you know, takes it h.ome and now she's about - she has fifteen minutes to get to the church so - and bring her daughter's bagG, and her luggage, and he-r going-away dreG:s ancl. all lilrn this, So Ghe just stuffs the p:i.nk nee;ligBe into tho sui tca,se, J.ockfJ it up, clnd goos. A long time later, the honeymoon cou11le are at a motel for the night, ancl. they' re bot11 kind of shy ancl. modest, and he says, "\'I ell, I guess it's time we should go to bed," And she says, 11Y eah? 11 He says, "V/ell, I' 11 turn around and faoe this wall, you turn around and face tho other wall and wc' 11 get dressed. And don't turn around," And she goes, 11 0kay." She's kind. of modest, too, So they're both gettine; undressed. and her Gui tease l c 'J in front of her, and she opens it up, and what doeG she r.:;ee'? She goes ... fJhe sees the neglig8o I) She says, "Oh, it' G pink and wrinkled! " Ancl. the hunband turns around, stiffens up, ancl. flushes reel and FJays, "I told you not to look!" Would I! Would I! 'rALE '.l'YPE1 131,5 (Stupid stories depending on puns) lV!O'rII<'i:l I E?82. /1,, J. ( substituted leg); JT,12 ( peroon unuflual as to h:ts eyes) ; F517 ( person unusual as to hhi legs); Xl20 (humor of bad eyesie;ht); X1hJ (humor o:f lameness), '.['here' G this real, rea1 shy boy that wants to go to the dance tonni(!';ht, but he feelB Go self-conscious because he has a wooden eye, And he, you lmow, he vm,ntG to e;o, but he' o afraid people' 11 make f'un of' him or, you know, teaoe him, So, he finally gets up enough nerve to go and he's, ;just sitting and watching the people dance s,nd he meanders over to the punch table. 13tanding at the punch table is thin girl, real pretty little girl, And he notice,; that fJhe lrns a wooden leg, And he thinks, "V/ell, may be if' I ask her to dance, she won't malrn f'un of me, because she 111 uncl.erntand, you ]mow?" And so he says - he ;just, you know, tFtlks to her, you lmov1, fJ,slrn her name, and they ntand'n' talk a minute. And then he - he aslrn, "Would you like to dance with me?" And she e;oes, "\'/ ould I, would I! " He goes - gets mad an()_ b.urt and nays, 11 Peg leg, 11eg leg! 11 'rum Her Over, Joel 'l'ALE 1rYl'E 1 1345 ( stupid stories depending on puns) lV!O'l'IPS I P210 ( husb,:md and wife) ; ,Jl702 ( stupid husband) , X?OO (humor concerning nex); '.L'l72(dangerr, to huslx1,nd in bridal chamber); Kl210 (humiliated or baffled lovers), Once Jxpon a time, there vmr, thiG man getting married and he was innocent a,s a new-born. lamb - knew alrnolutely nothing about women, honeymoon, or anythine;, So the man next door, the apartment next door, was, what you might call, a man of' the world, very experienced, And so, tho man of the world felt sorry for the wife-to-be and decided to give the hus - the husband-to-be Borne quickie lessons in what to do, how to do it, and when to do it, And so, he gave him, you !mow, told him all about it, and the husband goeB, "Really? Hea,lly? I didn't know that!" You know, and the man of experience thinks "\'/ell, yeah, maybe some of' thJ.fJ has Boaked in," And he says, "\'/ell, lifsten. If you have any trouble, Jmoclc on thc-i wall, you know, lmock on the wall between us, 11 And, you know, walls in apartmcntu m~e pa.peJ~-thin, So he Bays, "'J:ell me wtw:G'El wrong, or tell me whc1,t 1 s going on, nnd. I can eive you some c1,dvice. 11 And the lmsband-to-be sayE:, 11 Yeahl 'l'hanlrn! Really I 11 Anc1. so, the night o:f the honeymoon comes, and -uh - the husband-to-be has got it down - pat. And he iE~ so p:coud of himself, you know, struttin' aruuncJ. like a peacock with hirs tail feathers spread, And he gocri - hG' s got it ci,ll, clone it bcnutifully, And Bo o, little vrhilc-i la:l;er he clec:i.cl.cR to get up ancl go to the bs,throom, J\ncJ, while he's in the bathroom, he's just in there so excited, you ltnow, he's just - he's just bubbling with energy, And so he, you know, he loolrs at himr;el:f; he says, "You !mow, I surG look a mens, Maybe I oue;ht to shave before I get hack in bed," 80 he starts shavin', and his wi:fe, by trd.r, time, has got to go to the iw:throom, and :o-, mean bad, And she's just going, "Jeuuo, whens he comin' out of the bo:t;hroom'?" You Jmow, so i'lhe spier, in the corDe:t~ her ,Jhoebox, you know, that her bedroom slipp(,rs came ln. So lJhe goes, H\'J'ell, j_f wort:se comerJ to wor8e1 " worErn cs.m< to worse, so she went over there and used the shoebox, And then she-) thought, "V/ell, I'll just move it by the bathroom dool'.' so in the morning:1 I Can., you lmow,get up real quick and dispos"G of it, you know, so he won't know about it, II And so, rJhe gets back in the bod and he com or! out of tho bathroom, and ho hi really Gtruttin' 1 running quickly from tho bed - f1:om the ba:i;hroom to the bedroom, And lo and b0hold, he pUtG his foot in the middle of the shoebox and slides all the wa,y across the room - Bo.ml into the other wall, to the wall between him ,md his experienced neighbor, and sc1-eams, "Good God, therl:tB:.uhit in this box!" And them - neighbor, hear - you know, th5.nkine; he B knocked and, you lmow, yc1llc back, "'.~urn her over Joe, you got the wrong el1cll '.l.'AT.E 1rYPE1 1311-5 ( stupid stories depending on puns, lVJO'.l'IFfC.: 1 ZJ.1-1- (runs); ZJ.J (catch tales); Hf37J (giant birds\.; :F'9ElJ,0,1 (extraordinar,y quick growth of s.nims.ls) '11r1el'G was o. womnn whose~ husband 1Nc:1.:J a traveling salesmn,n and she was ;just so tired of being left alone all the ti.me when her hus11D,nd was away on trips, that the next time he came home, she snys, "l want a pet and I want some - a pet tho:l; 1 ll keep me company when you're gone." And he goes, "Well. He wrwn' t too enthused about the idea, And ho says, "VI ell, all right, we'll go to tho pot shop and pick out a dog or a oat or some thin' , goldfish, you know;" She goes, 11 No! I want somethin' really neat," And he goes, "VI ell, all right, you know." Go they go to the pet shop and they look at the clogs, they look at the oat8, they loolc at the guinea pigs, they look at thG goldfish - nothing please:J the wife, And so they come - the pet store man says, "Well, look, let me show you, I ,just e;ot thin i.n and :Lt' G tho only one in the entire world, And it's ins. beautiful little cage; its thi' '' 'i' nv 11' itle 0 1'"ry - f:i G.. t1 , . . , , .[ 11..,. , pink bird, and it's called a rary," And the wife, you know, taJrno it out of the ca.e;e, and ouddleB it a.nd :fondles it, and she goes, "'l'his is it! 1.~his is wh.at I want! 11 And he goec, "V/ ell, okay. 11 So he ]!8.Yf~ for it; it was very> very expensive, Anrl the huuband sa.ys, Vlell, you !mow, thiri is it, I hope you're happy with it 'oauue you're not e;ettin' anything else,' So he ,~;oes away on another business trip and she, you know, keeps " the rary , and. feeds it, and, you know, love8 it and phws with it, And when ho comes back, the ra.ry' s a little 1-ii t bigger, and itu too big for its cage now, so it's running loof1e in the house. And the husbc1.nd says, "'.l'hing rmre has grown. It better not grow a,ny more, or we might have to get rid of it," And the wife Gays, "No, no, no, no, It won't grow, It won t u;row, I promise," And so ho goos on another tr:i.p, and when he cornou back, the ra.ry :i.s Lilting :i.n the living room. It ia too big for any pl.a.c e else. So the husband. is going, 11 Uh, uh, thir4 thing has p~ot to {J;Q II .And. fJhe n:oeG, 11It won't get any biggc~r. It' E\ us full-grown 3.G it's gonna get. I promise. 11 llo goes, "\'/ell, the next time I come buck, and if thc1.t thingn grown o.ny more, vie' re gomw. get rid of it," So he goes on another trip, and whcm he corne8 back, the thine;, tho rary, is too big to J.1' vo J' .n c'h e h ouse, ancl. J'. 'c ' u l'l vi'n e; 1' 11 c'1 1.e gc1,rage. 'l'hey had to move everything out of the garage and into the house Go this b:i.rd could l:i.vu in there, So the huslJand, you lmow, drives up, cl.oos the c1.utonmt:i.c gB.rago door oponor, and there is thiEJ big, furry pink rary occupyine; hir; entire garae;e, '.l'lwygu.y sa;ys, "Uh." And he cnlls his wife and says, "'J.'hiu thing is going, goingl" And. she goos, "No, no, :pleasc. 11 And he goeG, 11 1 1 11 give it one more ohanoe." So he gooG on another bu8inems trip, r1nd ho comeu baok and the thing iB - the rary is too 1)ig for tho gnrage, anc.l. i::i utan cling, occupying, takine; up the entire back ;ya.rd, And tho huul>c1.ncl Rays, 111?hiu is it! '.Phis in it1 Call up the truck :people, \'le' J:-e go:i.ng to rent a truclr. c1.ncJ. get r:i.cl o:f:' thi8 lJircl.. !lo lw CD.lls up tho truck, you know, load:, it, puRhos and Dhoven it into tlrn tr - i.n the bci.ok of tlrn truck. .1\ncl he says, "Now, where cc:1,n I ta.ke it to get rid o:f this thing'? 11 So he sayo ho gormH throw it o:ff a cliff, So, tho highest cliff is over - the highest cliff tho:t the man can think of is the Grand Canyon. he drives out there and his wife :i.s - the whole trip,_ snif, snif, Gobbing, sniveling the whole trip, And the husbo1.rn.J. 1 s going "It ha::; got to go. It is juut too big," And she e;oes, "All right," So they get ovex to the cliff'. Ho baolrn tho truck up, rmd then he stD.rtu to do tho lever to clump it, and all of a sudden, thi.f: little, li ttlo voice comes and says, 11 Pleane cl.on t t do that," 'J~he man says, 11 Vlhatr? Vlho io that?11 lLi.fi wife wc;1,sn' t in the t1:uck; she didn't want to sec the bi.rd go over the cliff, And he starts doin' the lever agnin, s,nd hoar:3 a little knock on tho lJack of the cab, and says, "PlernJe don't do that to me," (Little voice). going on? 11 And the man goeD, "Hrn, what is And the little voice f3c1,yr3, "Please, plea":e don't dump me over tho cliff," 'l'hc man says, "\'/hy not'?" And the little bird \ , sa;-{s, 11 C!auso J_ t' s such a lon1'.?;, long way to tip a rary, 11 I Spit Fi V() Miles 'roday 'l'ALE 'l'YPE: 2200 (catch-taleo) l\l!OTIJi'S1 J1076 (futility of distant travel); X_58J (jokes about travelers). A husband and wife decided to take their young, ei.ght-yearold son on a tour of the United States during his summer va,cation, 'l'hey thought this would be the most :fantaoti.c trip he'd ever had be so educational, and it would be the most memorable experience of his childhood. So they prepared for the trip, and they bought the little boy a picture-book describing the different pla,ces that they were going, all a,bout the United States, historical and interesting spots and their hi.story, and everything - just - all in enco - encompasses - l.ih - picture-book, 'l'hey also bought him a little jouma,l where he could record where he went, write down where he went, what he saw, what he did, and, and this - you know, when he grew up, or later on, he could look back and ,, read this and see the pictures, and,-,the trip would all come back to him, So they started out, fir - and they drove up to Washington, D, C,, and saw Lincoln's statue, the Wa,shington Monument, and they went through the White House,,,and the little boy even met the President, And then they drove on up to lYlaine, and came down to Boston, and then they started travelling south. And they went through the Smoky lVIountains, came to Atlanta, we-mt to Florida to the ocean, went to Key - Key \'lest, then drove on into New Orleans to watch the boats go up the river and (pause) then they drove through 'J!exas - :from New Orleans>they drove through 'J'exas to California, through the deirnrt and Ari:-wna, and New lYJexico, And then from California they cl.L"ove up to WaBhington sl;ate, and Seattle and then they went through the plain states, and the wheat helt, and then they finally wound up c1,t the Grand Canyon, Now all this time, the little boy hatmt opened the picture-book, hasn't even opened the 'journal, hasn't written anything down, and his parent:, are heginnin' to wonder, you know, why, you know, "]-[e really ought to write something down, If not, he's just gonna forget this trip," So, 'They came back in their trailer while they were at the Grand Canyon, and they saw the little boy writ:in', Never could figui0 e out - he ,just wrote one little short 8entence in his journal, and then clorrnd it. Now - they never could get a look 01:I; the rsentence, So, then, they went on the rest of the tour of the United States and came back home. 'J.'he whole trip took about the whole summer - three months. And after th - after they e;ot haclc home, the mother and father were si ttine: down wondering, "\'lh - I wonder what he did write?" It was about to kill 'em, to find out, So after he went to bed, they snuck into hi8 room, got the journal, ant\ all the dates were blank, except the date for the Grand Canyon visit, And they opened it up, thinldne; he w1;1,s going to have some beautiful u.ermription or some lovely impressions, something very educational, inspir:,:tional, or - m- uh - some thine; like that, And they opened it up, and tho sentence road, "'.l'oday I spit five miles. 'l1he Hook Man TALlt 'rYPfi I NONE MO'rIPS 1 1~782. 1, l (substituted hand) ; 1"515 ( peroon unusual as to his hffi1ds) ~-'here are many versionn o:f a hook-mrm story. One of the ones that I heard in New Orleans goes that -um - a - thiB - a ', homicidal maniuc had escaped from Mandeville which-{eomparable to Atla.nta' s Milledgc-willo, a ritate mental hospital. Uh - this tale iG usually told by a guy while he's out parking with a e;irl in some wooded area or some end of a dirt road or something like that, ~:he version I heard i8 that - um - while parking, the e;uy tellF, the girl tlrn.t, you know, "Did you hear about this homicidal maniac that's escaped. from JVJandeville?" And o:f - and courne, the e;irl harm' t heard about :tt. And. he hei:;ins to repeat th:i.G wtory, you know, that he's e:c,ca.ped, and he's believed in the area, and tlrn:C - you !mow, they really should lock the doorn. So they lock the dool'.'s, and they've heen pa,rked for a while, and they turn on the radio :for Bome imrn:i.c, and the radio announcer on the newseast announces that the police are in the F1.rea looldng for the - uh - escaped maniac and that - uh - 71eople in the area should - uh - should be warned, So they - the girl - the girl at this point is just ct;ying to go home, yelling a.ml sere amine;, lcnowing that the rnanlao's gonna. get her. So the boy starts the ca.r, and wouldn't you know it, the oar won't Btart; they look at the gafi tank gauge, and the oar is out of gas. He lw,R to get her homE-J, ,vA so he' ssto go walk for gas, So he gets out of the car and then he tells her to l - roll up all the windows, and look all the doors, and not to open sny of the car doors or roll clown the windows for anybody, no matter what, but make sure only to let him in, So he starts walking off, going towards the main hiB;hvmy. And she's waia \, J _ng, an d__ wai t J .ng, an d wa1 ti ng. So she getrJ real tired and she falls asleep, '.rhen she - few - about thirty minutes later she wakes up and listens, and there's s. - a scratching like that ( scratches nails on ts.ble) on the car over by the door, She doesn't Jmow what it is, She thinlrn, "\'/ell, maybe it's just little animals, or the wind, or some branches, leaves swirling, So by this time, she>;res.l sleepy, and she falls back to sleep, She wakes up again, and :it's still scratching all over the car ( scratching noises) , underneath, over on the s:id0s, Sh0 just doesn't know what :it J.S, So she goes to sleep, and them she wakes up and tlwrc' s a knock at the door and it's her boy friend, So she opens the door and lets him in, And as they begin drive off - he puts the e;as in - they begin to drive off, they hear this - this ripping sound. And he decides, well maybe they'd just run over a branch, and it had cracked, or something, So they drove all the way back to her house, and he got out of his sid.e of the car, and went around to open her side, and stuck in the metal of the car was a hook, all bloocly, s.nd the very encl of an arm, It was the mani~1,c' R, Hook - IV/an (variant) 1.rALQ: 1I'YPE1 NONE MO'J'IJ7:.; 1 E?82, 1. l ( m,bRti.tuted hand); 17515 ( perroon unusual as to hi.s hands) , ,.J1. Another version o:f the same hoolc man Rtory'1:follovm along the Rame lines except i.t breo.lrn off at the point instead of the boy :friend corning back, the girl iB awakened, She still hears this - on tor_ ( scraping sound) but just on top of the car, thiB little r~craping sound, and she come - it - she goes to slee:p thinking it's something - branches or something else, And then, a little while later, she's awakened. by the same noise again (scraping noi,rn) - thi.8 scraping, So she decides to go back to Gleep, Finally, r:,he' s avmlrnned by the police shining flashlightR, arnhulanoes, cars, and all are out there, And at - a.t the deGorted woodR, And the police tell her to oomo out of the oar, but don't look bar!lc, :she' f3 8.11 right, s.nd nothin' s gonna hurt her, and tho police are there> and to come out of the car, but to don't look baclc, \'/ell, o:f courc:e, lier curiosity has her thinking they've oaputred the hook man, cJlrn wants to m,e what he loolrn like, She looko back, a.nd hor boyfriend's mutilated body waG hanging on the limh above the his ,'-rjl car roof, hands<"-_-... his body had been blowinc; in the wind - his hands wore what were scraping on th<'-i top of tho oar, 'l'he hook man had been there, tilled him, s.nd left. Patience, Ass, Patience 'I'AT-,f.-.,' 1.11.Y.1_)~F , 22., 00 ( C, a tc, h 111C0< 1. Gnc>' ) 1Vi0 1rI1"8 1 21J ( cutch tales) ; D22, 2 ( donkey with hums.n intelligence) ; JlJ52 ( person calls another an ass) , A middle-aged man in a small town in southern part of the United States receives a letter one day a.nd it's a old crurn\Hecl. letter, yellowed J ancl. cl.usty_i and moldy, On this letter, in very, very fancy scrolling hand-writing, tells him that i:f he will go to the top o:f:' the hie;hcst mountain in the world, he will find, on the top of that mountain, all the secrets o:f the universe, all the lrnowledge of the world, heavens, s.nd all the power on earth that s.ny man, rmy mortal, has eve,r had, It will all be his i:f he will travel to the top of this mountain, But, the stipulation is that he must go by donkey, So) he rsets out and dee ides that the highest mounts.in must be the H:imalays.s, So he goes, he travels very, very - by boat across -- across the ocean, by t):"'a:i.n, and horseback c1.cross the country, 'till he comes to the lo.nd of the Hi.rnaJ.uyan Mountains. But when he gets down there, at the base o:f the very highest mountain, the lawL little v:i.llo.gc that he can stop at, he rea.U.i,es Hirnalaya:n peo:ple don't hs.ve donkeys, they hD.ve lla111as o ~:o he has to-.go all the way back-Bend for a dorllrey. So he fJonds for ct donkey, and it comeG across the ocean, acrous tho country, and it finally comes, a.:fter three months, to this little villac;c at the ba::ie of the hie;hest mountain in the on ti.re.. world, So he c;ets - he loads the li. ttle clonlrny UJ), and. he getc1 on the d.onlrny, a.ncl. he starts on up the trail, the winding, eurvine; li ttlo trail UJJ the mountain, real, real slow, And he travels for ,just about an hour, and he's 80 tired, Anet he tcllo it,m1.yrJ, "Well, we'll utop here, little ;,rJ i.l donlrny, says, JI m t.i red, I d l'i.k.e some vrn.ter," So he gets off the donkeyJ o.nd he e;eta a dr'rnk of vmter, s.nd he gi vcs the donkey a dri.nk o:f water, ancl he riitB down on a rocll:. About twenty minuteu later, he wt:l.11 hasn't unloaded the - uh - load off t!H) rlonkey. He says, 0 Wc0ll I I guess we 1,hould Btart hack." So he get,; back onto th0 donkey, and tl10y go ,just a.bout a.n hour further up the mountrdn and he - they' re ;j1wt rilodd.ing alone:, plodding along, and tl},) man fla:/cJ, "Oh, I'm just so tired, I'm gonna have to get off ancl fftreteh my 1egFl," So, he gets off the little donkey, leaving the pack on the donkey, and vm11rn about, stretching hie leg::,, ancl exerciRing, and - m1d then he Bays, twenty minutes 1ater, "V/ell, I guesa we should get on up the mountain. If I'm over to find the Deeretn of the universe, and the secrets of the vmrlcl,." So he getfl baek on the donkey, and they're plodding along, plodding along; a.nd - uh - he flees a beautiful little f'lower on the rJ:i.de of the path, and he goes, "Ooh, I'll get off and pick the :flowoi:," So the donkey turns around to h:l.m and says, "Mawter, when are we ever gonnn reach the top of thir mountain'?" And the mn.n looks at him nncl r ays, "l'n:tienoe, ~J.sr1, pB:ti0ncel" So he p.ielrn the flower and gets baelc on the donlcey, ond they plod alone; up the motmtrd.n, about a hour lator, tho mR.n e;etfl off - stops tho little donkey, getfl off and r.myfl, "I'm fJo hungry! I think wo flhould stop and get - eat nometh:ing." So he unpaclH, the food that' o - the clonk - the little donkey s oar'J:'ying, nnd hac: Bornc-J dinner. And tlrn donlce:y loolrn bc1.ck and says, "lVla,rri;cr, when are we gonrw, get to the top of this mo1.,1ntain 1?11 And the mnn looks a.t him and sayr;, 0 '.Patl(~nce; aBB, patience. 0 So after lunch, or a.:fter dinner, they get - he getrJ back on the <lonll:ey, and plods on up the mountain, Hy this time, it's beginning to get a little bit chilly, And the man vt!:r. says, "V/cll, I 91ictter stop, and get my coat out, and get a bhmlrnt for the donkey," So he Btop::i the donkey, unpa,clrn the load, flndrJ his coat, findB the donkey s blanket, pac1<:s everything back up in the li ttlc baukct the donkey s carrying. 'rl1e donkey turns around and fJayS, "lVla8tor, v1hen are we over gonna go~ to the top of this mountain'?" '.l'he donkey Gays, "Patience" - uh - master oays, "Patience, Hflfl, pa;tlence, u So he coverG the 11 ttle donkf!y 8nd 110V1 1 he'G gui<ling the 1~ donkey up, walldng alongr ide, And tlH,y' re going ,slowly, slovrly up the mountain. And they really haven't fc;one more than a couple of couple of m:i.les, antl they ve still e:ot a long, long v1ay to {I,O, So, he Buys, 0 Well, n after about two hourfJ of walldng, he rm,ys, "\foll I really am so tired, I think I will stop, and take a 118p" And the donlrny turrno around and sayB, "Master, whcen ai:e W( ever gonna get to the top of th:i H roountain? 11 1J.1he master says, nPatl<~nce, afJS, patj_ence. We'll get theJ,e," So he take8 about an hour cat-nap, and tl!en he getro back on the donkey, and they plod on up the mountain, ,jurrt a Ii ttle So tho man Bto1m and eayri, "\'l ell, we' ro gonna have to liuilcl a fire, and r~et up our tent for the night," And tho donkey r:ayG, "But master, we 11 never get to the mountnin +hi.ri way! Never! to the top or the mountain." Mas~0r looks at the Jj ttle clonkey ancl says, "Patience, o,Rs, patlenc(J," :,o the next morning, the~r get up, they have breakfii.st, and he loads the li ttlo donkey np a~nin. And they' re plodding Ul) thG mountain, And the umn stopu - nfter a while, the man 8to1m the t\onJrny and ss.yG, "V/ell, I think we should stop and rc,ut a little hit and drink Gome water," And the donkey I n, by thic time, is juGt so tired, he' rJ nor:ey the man ever sent for him. And ho :crn.;irs, "Mariter, when arc wo c~ver, ever, gonna get to the top o:f.' thh1 mountain?" And tho mafJ - man looks at him o.nd f3Hys 1 11 Pa,tience, ass, pa:ti0nce." Nov .. r Hornetime a.long thla - dur.in{; the time you 1.re tr,lling the ;joke, uh - one of the group memher~J that you' re telling it to i,J going to either get very th~ecl of he8,'ld.ng it, or shuffle Rround, or oay, "Viall, when dor0G ho over reach the top of tho mountain? 1 Or whenever -& you lrno:t) - tho story teller keeps e;oinr:; on, drac;e;ing it out, but Hlwo.ys with the Harne wo:cds, the donkBJ' naying, 11Whcn arc we ever gonna get to the top of the rnotmtain?~,oncl the rllHt:ter 1mying, "Patience, a;;r,, p~i.tience," And when 11orneono in your e;roup :t'inct.lly 8.Alrn, "\'/hen 8,:ce they evc,r gonna get to the top o:J:' the mountain?" lilT 0 IGn' t thi~ et;ory ever gonnB. ond"1 11 'lihen the fJtor~r teller turns to the:i:n, D.ncl says, 0 I 1atiencc, ass, {)ationce! 1 } Once there wau a nw,n Vlho had n uooret which ooulc1 make anyone the most 11ovrnrful mnn in the world, 'J:hin man's bous wanted tho secret and told tlw man that he would be fired if ho didn t give up the secret, Dut the man refv.oed and wan fired. 80 the man tried to find a jub hut his boss Jrn,d E1,lerted everyone not to !d.ro the man so he oouldn t got a ;job. So the ma.n was forced to sell his car, his house, all hifl furniture and eve:cyth:i..ng, 'l11u-1n hin wife rli vorood him because he couldn't Gupport her; nnd tho k:i.drs hated him, Now the man had no family, no home, and no job, so he hacl. to become a beggar. Well, this man was begging on the streets of New York a,fter being run out of every stE1,te hut this, and vmn arreotod, When he was put in the coll with hardened criminaln, they threntcnod to beat him if he d:idn' t tell tlrnm the r,ecret, Ile ;:efusecl. to tell them, so they beD.t him up and nearly killed him, 'fi1e next day he wsB brought u.p l)cfore tho judge, and the ;judge uaicl he'd let tho man off :i.f he could have the rrncret, '.l'hc maxi re:f1wed to give up the secret, a.ncl the jncl.go sentenced him to life Ett ha.rd labor, 1J.1he man went to pri8on and was batlly mistreated beoa1wc he wouldn't tell tho Beoret, One day, the pr:i.rJonerG_oscapecl and the man wont with them. '.l'he man managed to stowaway on a BloVI boat to China, Vlell, the man was dirJoovered s,nd taken up before 'i;!w captain, 'l'he captain had read about th ifs man a,nd. wa.nted him to gell the seo:r.et, But the man refused. and the captain tried to shoot him, 'J'he bullet went through his shoulder ancl hit the engine, 'J~he engine blew up s.nd tho ship went with it, and the man w,w the only one who survived, 'l'he man vmfJ floating in the water when he sm1 a slw.rk, 'J:'hc shark c arne up and bit the man's lee; of:f up to the hip. \\low this poor man who had been fired, divorced, c:-1.rrested, been to priDon, shot, ~tnd .loct hif.-{ leg to D. Glw.rk, was bleeding to death when he fJD.W a. dolphin come up and kill the shs.rk, 1rhen the dolphin pushed him to a deserted island, \'/ith hiu last hit of strong-th ii-;he mnn wrote the secret on a hnnana leaf with his blood, rolled the J.ea:f u:i,, stu:ffc,d it in a lJottle, corked the bottle, and thJ:'CW it in the ocean, and died, Q - What was the secret? A - I don't know, no one ever found the bottle, 'J1he :F'oo-Ilird '.rhero was thi.s man who had the heads of every ld.ncl. of animal in his trophy room, One clay he was brac;c;ing to hi,; fr:i.encls at the oountry club r,.bout having every an irnal' s head in the world in his c 0 ollection, Suddenly one little man spoke up anrl sn.i.cl, "Do you lw.ve a foo bird'?" 'rhe hunter SE1.i.d he'd never heard of fl boo bird and aslrnd where and who.t they v,ere, Well, the J.i. ttle man said a f'oo bi.rel was a very rare ancl shy little bird whi.ch lived in the deepeGt, darkest part of clef)per;;t, d(:1,rkefJt .Africn. 'i'he :foo bird. was seldom seen, bnt tlrn nativeo could hear i.trJ distinctive call - "F'oo, )7oo!" from uecludecl glades of the jungle, ~-'he lrn.n.ter decided that he Jw.cl to have thci hoacl of th:i.r; bird to complete hi.8 collection. of animal heacl.8, so he chocked out hi.fJ e;i.rd gun and. lJi.rd doe; and oharto:ced a plane to e;o to /lfri.ca, Well, i:li'ter orossin/s u lot of country n.ncl goine; through many horrible storms, he fim1.lly lanclecl. in cJ. eepetn~' , darkest Africtl, '.l'he hunter hired some men o.s gui.de8 B.nd bearers ancl becan hif~ arduous trek throue;h deoJJest, darkeut Africa, Ile haokecl. hi8 way through poisonous plants, fought off charging rhinoceri., Jd.lled :f:'c rociouu 1ion8, and finally reached the deepeDt, dr1.rkcst :[Ja~ct of AJ:1rioa. r_1. 1hen he turnod. to hifJ guides nnd bearers ancJ. ankocl. them to Bhovv him where tho foo bird live cl, Immediately, the nat:L ves loolcecl fJca1~c3cJ. and told h:i.m ho was crc1.zy to want Huch 8, danc;erouu lJircl- But the hunto.r juut lnughed rmcl wantocl. to )mow why he r:houlcl be af:nd.d of a lJ.i.rcJ., 'J.'he natives rm.:i.d that once another hunter had tri0cl. to cn.pture tllG foo b:i.rd and the foo l)Lr.cl. (which hncl a naRty habit of dqioc:i.tinc; its excrement on anyone i.t m,.w) promptly zoomed in on the hunter and covered him w:i. th .i.tu refuse, '.L'he nlfl.n lw.d promptly taken a bath and dropped over dead with a heart attrwlc, 'L'hi:: had happened many times nnd that wns why the foo bird VHlfJ clangorous. V/ ell, the hunter just scoffed atthc whole story ancl. strode off into thEJ jungle looking for the foo bird. 1.l.'hen he henrcl., 11 Poo, f'oo!" of:f in the dirJtancc; Goon the sound grmv cloner o.nd clor;er until he cou.lcl see the foo bird, and sure enough, the riird cove:r.ecl him with EJXcrement and flew off, \'/ell, the man vms going to WEWh the r::tuff off but he rc:nnembEJred wlrn.t had happened to the otlrnr hunter, So he went for days ancl dayfl until he began to rnnell no bad that no one could Rtand him, ancl. he :finally went down to the river, ;jumpNJ. in and scrubbed himself clean, climbed out on the hcmk and droJT[)EJd dead. And the moral of the story iu1 I:f the foo uhitu, wear ito 11 -RELEASEDy lettine us collect your traditions--stories, sonr;s, music, rememberences, or beliefs of earlier days--you have made a valuable contribution to preserving and understandine; Southern history, and especially the way of life of your cbniniunityo Because you have r,iven unselfishly of your time to do this, the Georeia Folklore Archives, whose representatives are dedicated to preserving these traditions, wants to protect your rights to this material by r,uaranteeinr; that it will not be used for unscrupulous conimercial profits" Dy signinr, this sheet, you are giving us permission to use this material for educatlonal pur.poses so that people Hho are interested can understand how life 1ras in the old days" If you don't want your name to be used, say so--we respect your right to privacy. Than!: you for the time you have p,iven to help us record a heritage that is an important part of American lifeo "In consideration of my intent in helpinr, to preserve rny folk heritar;e, I hereby grant permission to the Georgia Folk Archives and its Director, John Burrison, to publish, ot otherwise make use of, the material recorded from me by the ar,ent of the Georgia Folklore Archives whose name appears on this sheet.' ( Georr;ia Folklore Archive c/o Professor John Burrison Georgia State University 33 Gilmer Street Southeast Atlanta, Georr,ia 30303 ( Date A PDF transcript exists for this recording. Please contact an archivist for access. Professor John Burrison founded the Atlanta Folklore Archive Project in 1967 at Georgia State University. He trained undergraduates and graduate students enrolled in his folklore curriculum to conduct oral history interviews. Students interviewed men, women, and children of various demographics in Georgia and across the southeast on crafts, storytelling, music, religion, rural life, and traditions. As archivists, we acknowledge our role as stewards of information, which places us inaposition to choose how individuals and organizations are represented and described in our archives. We are not neutral, andbias isreflected in our descriptions, whichmay not convey the racist or offensive aspects of collection materialsaccurately.Archivists make mistakes and might use poor judgment.We often re-use language used by the former owners and creators, which provides context but also includes bias and prejudices of the time it was created.Additionally,our work to use reparative languagewhereLibrary of Congress subject termsareinaccurate and obsolete isongoing. Kenan Research Center welcomes feedback and questions regarding our archival descriptions. 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