May I sleep in your barn tonight, Mister?

voiceCollected by Mary Celestia Parler; Transcribed by Neil Byer Carla Vance Mountain Home, Ark. May, 1954 Reel 199, Item 4 May I Sleep In Your Barn Tonight, Mister? May I sleep in your barn tonight, Mister? It is cold lying out on the ground, And the cold north wind it is whistling, And I have no place to lie down. Oh, I have no tobacco or matches, And I'm sure I will do you no harm, I will tell you my story, kind Mister, For it runs through my heart like a stone. It was three years ago last summer, Oh, I'll never forget that sad day, When a stranger came down from the city, And said that he wanted to stay. Oh, the stranger was tall, dark, and handsome, And he looked like a man who will, Said he wanted to stop in our country, And stay there for his health. Oh, my wife said she'd like to be earning Something to add to our home, So the talk it was finally decided That this stranger would stay in our home. One eve as I came from my workshop, I was whistling and singing with joy, I expected a kind-hearted welcome From my sweet loving wife and my boy. But nothing did find but a letter That was placed in my room on a stand, And the moment my eyes fell upon it, I picked it right up in my hand. Reel 199, Item 4, con't It was words from my wife and the stranger, They had run away and taken my son, Oh, I wonder if God up in heaven, Even knows what that stranger has done.Funding for digitization provided by the Arkansas Humanities Council and the Happy Hollow Foundation