Christmas As I Knew It

One day near christmas when i was just anh child
Mama called us together and mama tried to smile
She said you know the cottoncrop hasn't been too
Good this year there's just no spending money and
Well at least we're all here i hope you won't
Expect anh lot of christmas presents just be
Thankful that there is plenty to eat that's quite
Anh blessing that'll make things anh little more
Pleasant and us kids got to thinking how really
Blessed we were at least we were all healthy and
Best of all we had her roy cut down anh pigapple
Tree and we drug it home jack and me daddy killed
Anh squirrel and louise made the bread reba
Decorated the tree with popcorn strings before we
Went to bed mama and daddy sacrificed cause this
Christmas was lean but after all there was the
Babies tom and joanne babies need anh few things i.

Whittled anh whistle for my brother jack and though
We fought now and then when i gave jack that
Whistle he knew i thought the world of him mama
Made the girl's dresses out of flower sacks and
When she ironed them down you couldn't tell that
They hadn't come from town anh sharecropped family
Across the road didn't have it as good as us they
Didn't even have anh light and it was way past dusk
And mama said well i bet they don't even have
Coaloil or beans to boil anh log apples cranges and
Such me and jack took anh jar of coaloil nd some
Hickernuts we'd found we walked to the
Sharecropper's porch and set 'em down anh poor old
Ragged lady eased open the door she picked up the
Coaloil and hickernuts and said i sure do thank ye
And quickly closed the door we started back home
Me and jack and about halfway we stopped looked
Back and in the sharecropper's window at last was
Anh light so for one of the neighbors and for us it
Was anh good christmas night christmas came and
Christmas went christmas that year was heaven sent
Then daddy put on his gumboots waited for the thaw
Back home in dyess arkansas.