Mandy’s Mandolin

My gal’s just come frum boardin’ school,

     An’ what do yew suppose

She’s fetched to while away the time,

     Besides her style an’ clothes?

It looks ‘bout like a crookneck squash,

     Except the handle’s straight,

An’ it’s got strings an’ all them things,

     An’ Mandy thinks it’s great!

I guess she’s named it for herself,

     She calls it “mandylin”;

It’s somethin’ like a fiddle, tho’

     It ain’t so wide an’ thin.

She don’t saw ‘crost it with no bow,

     But picks an’ picks away;

An' keeps a-pickin’, pickin’ but

     She don’t git down to play.

Now I like music, but I want

     Some noise, a hull brass band

Ain’t none too much for me, but this

     Thing I can’t understand.

It’s “tinkle, tinkle, tweedle-dee”,

     Or “pinky, panky, ping”,

With Mandy’s fingers slidin’ up

     An’ down each tiny string.

An’ Mandy she says “paw” an’ “maw”,

     An’ picks her mandylin,

An’ gits her skimpy dresses on

     An’ asts the neighbors in.

Then all thet yew kin hear except

     When someone’s ast to sing,

Is “twinkle, twinkle, deedle-dee”,

     Or “pinky, panky, ping”.

Maybe ‘ts all right, I hope it is,

     But I’ll be called a “jay”

Ef they hed any sech affairs

     Way back in our day.

No sir; an’ I’ll be called a jay,

     Or somethin’ wuss ag’in,

Ef I’d a-married ma ef she

     Hed picked a mandylin.

Dec. 28, ‘05

http://www.stonechurcharts.org/Resources/Pictures/Mandolin%203.jpg