“A Little Piece of String”

“A little piece of string” is all

     I ask to have betimes;

‘Twould bring me greater pleasure than

     A book of merry rhymes.

“A simple little piece of string”

     Tied to a limber pole,

Is joy enough to cheer the heart

     Of any downcast soul.

“A little piece of string,” they sing

     Upon the mimic stage;

“A little piece of string” for nonce

     Is something of a rage,

And then it dies. Not so the string

     Tied to a limber pole;

It lives forever and a day

     To cheer a downcast soul.

              Refrain

     Just a little piece of string,

     Such a tiny little thing,

But it fills the angler’s heart with glee;

     Just a quiet little lake

     And then a “tug” and then a break,

And you’ve got him on a sting, you see.

May 5, ‘09

A Little Piece Of String Around His Neck.

Copyright, 1893, by Spaulding & Gray.

Words and Music by Philander Johnson.

I met a pretty girl one day, she had a poodle pup,

And when the dog would stop to play, she'd quickly yank him up;

He dared not talk to other dogs, nor answer to their beck,

because the maiden had a piece of string around his neck.

Chorus.

A little piece of string, a very tiny thing,

But strong enough to keep the dog in check :

The poodle pup was game, but she had him just the same,

With a little piece of string around his neck.

Bill Mushy is a friend of mine, who wooed and won a girl;

The story of his married life would cause your brain to whirl;

He mends her bloomers while she votes, of trouble he's a peck;

He's got a wife who keeps a piece of string around his neck.

Chorus.

A little piece of string, a very tiny thing,

And of his married life she's made a wreck;

And as thro' life they jog, why she has him like a dog,

With a little piece of string around his neck.

My Uncle Josh came into town, he saw the cable slot;

his whiskers got entangled and away he quickly shot;

At the Battery we found my Uncle Josh a total wreck,

With 'bout two bundled yards of cable rope around his neck.

Chorus.

A little piece of string, it seems a tiny thing

To leave my I'm- e Josh a total wreck;

He did a two-step there, with both feet up in the air,

And a little piece of cable 'round his neck.

A friend of mine once stole a horse, 'twas in a place out West;

The horse just shook its owner, for he liked my friend the best,

But. my friend had lots of trouble when the owner came on deck,

And found he'd tied a piece of string mound the horse's neck.

Chorus.

A little piece of string, it seems a tiny thing

To get a man in such an awful wreck;

When my friend I last did see, he was hanging to a tree,

With a little piece of string around his neck.