Rural Sayings

If you see the cows trying to get in the station wagon....storm's comin'

It's not really a saying, but my mom always said that if birds were flying in the rain, the rain would last all day.

Her explanation was, birds have high metabolism and need to eat every day. If they can, they hide and stay dry during rain, but if it's going to last, they must go out in it and find food...

ah Piff...shepherds delight..thats it! Thanks...I can finally sleep

some great ones here...lovely

Is that how you know it? I'd never heard of that version until the UK, but we have a lot more sailors then sheep here!

For some odd reason I know it both ways...and couldnt remember the shepherds!
I guess we have our fair share of sailors as well so, it is strange. Probably just a leftover of the grandparents or some such thing.

OIC.

Sometimes those long-remembered family poems are just out of reach!

A year or two ago, we "suffered" on a car trip trying to remember all the words to the little poem that starts "One misty moisty morning when < something > was the weather." Mr.Piff remembered it as "rainy" and I thought it was "clement." Turns out it is "cloudy," at least according to the internet sources. Here's the whole rhyme off the internet, just so it doesn't make you wonder. I have no idea what any of it means, and sorry, Walter, it doesn't predict the weather.

One misty, moisty morning,
When cloudy* was the weather,
I chanced to meet an old man**
Clothed*** all in leather.
He began to compliment,
And I began to grin,
****How do you do?
And how do you do?
And how do you do, again?


*or "clement" :wink:
**I'm sure this is "Gentleman"
***And this should be "Dressed"
**** This line starts with "Saying"


So the Piffka (Clark Family) version goes...

One misty, moisty morning,
When clement was the weather,
I chanced to meet a gentleman
Dressed all in leather.
He began to compliment,
And I began to grin,
Saying how d'you do?
And how d'you do?
And how d'you do, again?

< 'tis silly >

I have the same thing Piff....but, unfortunately I have been unable to find someone who really knows the song..I only remember singing it at like 5 yrs old.

Theres a robin
a lonely robin
in the tree
by my door
and he waits
for his mate
who returns nevermore
Im lonely
oh so loney
the poor robin cried
He curled up his toes
rolled over
and died

At least from what I can recall.

Has nothing whatsoever to do with the weather though.

LOL What a song for a five-year old. I'm still chuckling.

Doesn't really fit, but I'm enjoying these, so I'll toss out one a countrified old guy I worked with one summer was fond of saying: "Never trust a left-handed woman or a man with an ass wider than his shoulders."

Never could figure out what the two had to do with each other.

you should hear the version of Little Miss Muffet I knew at the same time.
Luckily I dont really believe Ive been scarred or anything but, how would I know?


pdog...the woman thing I wont touch
however
the man with the large bottom....goes back to working hard and all that...small shoulders and a big butt shows no hard work/no values, etc.

These really are entertaining, Ill have to think on some old granny-isms and such.

Hey! I'm left-handed!!!!!

Digressing from the weather, one of the most descriptive phrases I've ever heard--country or city--is:

Ugly as homemade sin.

I always enjoyed:

You straighten up boy, afore i whup ya like a red-eared stepchild . . .

dumb as a sack o hammers


humm...
how about

right as rain

a variation i've always liked: "treated me/him/her/you like a bald-headed stepchild."

In deep winter:
on a clear night:


Ring around the moon-
snow come soon..........


100 per cent accuracy.



Peace, still possible,
Joe

Set, that's a "red-haired" stepchild down here.

Ive heard it as red-haired myself

I've always heard "red-headed." I guess the implication is, no red-heads on either side of the family... so the kid couldn't be related to anybody he's supposed to be related to.

even worse -- a red-headed stepchild... with freckles!

I heard that if you have some arthritis in your hand or your knee, and you start to feel a pain, it means it's going to rain or snow.