Guard dog
There was a little woman, as I have heard tell,
who went to market — her eggs for to sell.
She went to market all on a market day,
and she fell asleep on the king’s highway.
Along came a peddler, his name was Stout,
he cut her petticoats all ’round about;
He cut her petticoats up to her knees –
which made the little woman go shiver and sneeze.
When this little woman began to awake,
she began to shiver and she began to shake;
She began to shake, and she began to cry,
Lawk a mercy on me, this is none of I!
But if this be I, as I do hope it be,
I have a little dog at home and he knows me;
If it be I, He’ll wag his little tail,
And if it be not I, he’ll loudly bark and wail!
Home went the little woman all in the dark,
up starts the little dog, and he began to bark;
he began to bark, and she began to cry,
Lawk a mercy on me, this IS none of I!
(from my children’s Little Jack Horner nursery rhyme book given to them
7/21/63)