Old Woman and Her Pig
Margaret Read MacDonald Title: Old Woman and Her Pig Storyteller: Margaret Read MacDonald Language: English Date of Telling: 2016-04-17 Location of Telling: Des Moines, Washington Duration of Story: 04:52 Source of Story: The Old Woman and Her Pig: An Appalachian Folktale by Margaret Read MacDonald (HarperCollins, 2007) Location of Story: Kentucky Subject Headings: Animals Notes: |
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This is a story from Kentucky. I am from southern Indiana, so I can use my accent to tell this story, it’s called, Old Woman and Her Pig. You may have heard a story like it from England, but this is a much better story.
One time there was an old woman, lived way up in the country. She had a little boy lived with her and he was a good little boy. One day he went out and found a copper coin in the road. He said, “Ma’am, I found a copper coin.”
She said, “A copper coin! I will take it to town and I will buy us a pet. Would you like that? I am going to buy us a little pet pig."
He said, “Oh, a pet pig, I would like that.”
She said, “You stay home and watch the farm. I will be home before it’s dark so you won’t be scared.” She put the copper penny in her pocket and she started off to town. She was just a-singing, “Going to town, going to buy a little pig. Jig jog, jig jog, jiggity jig. Going to town, going to buy a little pig. Jig jog, jig jog, jiggity jig.” She started crossing the bridge. It made a hollow sound, “Going to town, going to buy a little pig. Jig jog, jig jog, jiggity jig.” Going down the road again, “Going to town, going to buy a little pig. Jig jog, jig jog, jiggity jig.”
She got down to town and the pig man. “Hey Mr. Pig Man, I want to buy a pig.”
He said, “Whatcha got to buy him with?”
She said, “I got a copper coin.”
He said, “You can have any pig you want. Give me your copper coin.”
She said, “I want that fat one right there.” She started back. “Pig you got to follow me, come on pig, follow along behind me.” She started back up the road. “Went to town, bought a little pig. Jig jog, jig jog, jiggity jig.” Pig was comin’ right behind her.
He was just squealing, happy to be home with that old lady, “oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink oink,oink oink, oink.”
She started crossing over the bridge, “ Went to town, bought a little pig. Jig jog, jig jog, jiggity jig. Went to town, bought a little pig. Jig jog, jig jog, jiggity jig.”
Pig started right after her, “oink, oink, oink, oink, eeeee!” The pig was scared. He would not go across that bridge. The water was rushing by. The bridge was high. “Aa, aa, aa, aa.” He would not move.
The old lady came back. “Come on, you gotta go across the bridge. My little boy is home and he is waiting for us. It is going to get dark now. He is going to be scared.”
“Aa, aa, aa.” Pig would not move.
The old lady sat down and she started to cry. “I can’t get to my little boy tonight. It’s almost dark.” She looked up and saw the big full moon coming, and she said, “But the moon does shine.” The moon make enough light that maybe he wouldn’t be scared. She looked around and she saw a dog coming down the road. “Dog, Come here, come here. I want you to scare that pig. If you will bark at that pig he can jump over the bridge and I will get home to the little boy tonight.”
The dog said, “Bleh. I won’t do it.”
“Well that is not nice.” She started to cry. “I can’t get home to my little boy tonight. It’s almost dark, but the moon does shine.” She looked around and there was a rat coming. “Oh rat, come here, come here. I want you to bite the dog. If you nip the dog, the dog will bark at the pig, and the pig will jump over the bridge and I will get home to my little boy tonight.
But the rat said, “Neh, I won’t do it."
“Oh, that’s not very nice.” She started to cry again. “I can’t get home to my little boy tonight. It’s almost dark but the moon does shine.” She looked around and she saw a cat coming. “Cat, come here. I want you to help me out. I want you to scare the rat. If you will scare the rat, the rat will bite the dog, the dog will bark at the pig, the pig will jump over the bridge and I will get home to my little boy tonight.
The cat said, “Little boy. Is that the same little boy that used to stroke my fur?”
“That’s the same little boy.”
“Is that the same little boy that used to give me a saucer of cream to drink at night?”
“That’s the same little boy.”
“Is that the same little boy that used to scratch behind my ears? It felt so good."
“That is the same little boy.”
“Then of course, I am going to help,” said the cat. The cat began to scare the rat, “Meow, meow, meow.”
The rat began to bite the dog,”Che, che, che.”
The dog began to bark at the pig, “Woof, woof, woof.”
The pig jumped up, “Eeeee!” and ran right across that bridge.
The old lady went right up the road, just a singing, “Went to town, bought a little pig. Jig jog, jig jog, jiggity jig.”
“Oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink.” They got home, the little boy hadn’t been scared at all, because it sure was dark but the moon did shine.
One time there was an old woman, lived way up in the country. She had a little boy lived with her and he was a good little boy. One day he went out and found a copper coin in the road. He said, “Ma’am, I found a copper coin.”
She said, “A copper coin! I will take it to town and I will buy us a pet. Would you like that? I am going to buy us a little pet pig."
He said, “Oh, a pet pig, I would like that.”
She said, “You stay home and watch the farm. I will be home before it’s dark so you won’t be scared.” She put the copper penny in her pocket and she started off to town. She was just a-singing, “Going to town, going to buy a little pig. Jig jog, jig jog, jiggity jig. Going to town, going to buy a little pig. Jig jog, jig jog, jiggity jig.” She started crossing the bridge. It made a hollow sound, “Going to town, going to buy a little pig. Jig jog, jig jog, jiggity jig.” Going down the road again, “Going to town, going to buy a little pig. Jig jog, jig jog, jiggity jig.”
She got down to town and the pig man. “Hey Mr. Pig Man, I want to buy a pig.”
He said, “Whatcha got to buy him with?”
She said, “I got a copper coin.”
He said, “You can have any pig you want. Give me your copper coin.”
She said, “I want that fat one right there.” She started back. “Pig you got to follow me, come on pig, follow along behind me.” She started back up the road. “Went to town, bought a little pig. Jig jog, jig jog, jiggity jig.” Pig was comin’ right behind her.
He was just squealing, happy to be home with that old lady, “oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink oink,oink oink, oink.”
She started crossing over the bridge, “ Went to town, bought a little pig. Jig jog, jig jog, jiggity jig. Went to town, bought a little pig. Jig jog, jig jog, jiggity jig.”
Pig started right after her, “oink, oink, oink, oink, eeeee!” The pig was scared. He would not go across that bridge. The water was rushing by. The bridge was high. “Aa, aa, aa, aa.” He would not move.
The old lady came back. “Come on, you gotta go across the bridge. My little boy is home and he is waiting for us. It is going to get dark now. He is going to be scared.”
“Aa, aa, aa.” Pig would not move.
The old lady sat down and she started to cry. “I can’t get to my little boy tonight. It’s almost dark.” She looked up and saw the big full moon coming, and she said, “But the moon does shine.” The moon make enough light that maybe he wouldn’t be scared. She looked around and she saw a dog coming down the road. “Dog, Come here, come here. I want you to scare that pig. If you will bark at that pig he can jump over the bridge and I will get home to the little boy tonight.”
The dog said, “Bleh. I won’t do it.”
“Well that is not nice.” She started to cry. “I can’t get home to my little boy tonight. It’s almost dark, but the moon does shine.” She looked around and there was a rat coming. “Oh rat, come here, come here. I want you to bite the dog. If you nip the dog, the dog will bark at the pig, and the pig will jump over the bridge and I will get home to my little boy tonight.
But the rat said, “Neh, I won’t do it."
“Oh, that’s not very nice.” She started to cry again. “I can’t get home to my little boy tonight. It’s almost dark but the moon does shine.” She looked around and she saw a cat coming. “Cat, come here. I want you to help me out. I want you to scare the rat. If you will scare the rat, the rat will bite the dog, the dog will bark at the pig, the pig will jump over the bridge and I will get home to my little boy tonight.
The cat said, “Little boy. Is that the same little boy that used to stroke my fur?”
“That’s the same little boy.”
“Is that the same little boy that used to give me a saucer of cream to drink at night?”
“That’s the same little boy.”
“Is that the same little boy that used to scratch behind my ears? It felt so good."
“That is the same little boy.”
“Then of course, I am going to help,” said the cat. The cat began to scare the rat, “Meow, meow, meow.”
The rat began to bite the dog,”Che, che, che.”
The dog began to bark at the pig, “Woof, woof, woof.”
The pig jumped up, “Eeeee!” and ran right across that bridge.
The old lady went right up the road, just a singing, “Went to town, bought a little pig. Jig jog, jig jog, jiggity jig.”
“Oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink.” They got home, the little boy hadn’t been scared at all, because it sure was dark but the moon did shine.