01-13-2012, 12:17 AM
ONCE UPON A TIME…
When all big folks were wee ones
and all the lies were true,
there was a wee, wee Mannie
that had a big, big Coo.
Each morning he went to milk her,
with his hat tied tight to his head,
and on his stool he sat down,
and then to Coo he said,
Hold still, my good gal, my Coo,
Hold still my honey, my sweet,
if you’ll be still then for dinner
you'll have sweet grass to eat!
But the big, big Coo would not hold still.
she shook her head and swished her tail,
she arched her back then bucked and stomped,
then she kicked Wee Mannie's pail.
"Ah!", said the Wee, Wee Mannie —
what's a Wee Wee Mannie to do,
when faced with such an unruly beast,
as this mean and contrary Coo?
So off he went to his mother’s house.
”Mother”, he said, “Coo won’t stand still,
and Wee Wee Mannie can’t milk big Coo.’
nor his milk pail fill!”
Ah! cried his mother, “My son”,
said she, “I'll tell you what to do,
go find you a big sturdy stick,
and show it to that Coo.”
Say, "Coo, I'm gonna use this stick,
unless you do my will,
I'll use it to tan your stubborn hide,
unless Big Coo stands still!”
So Wee Wee Mannie, got him a big sturdy stick,
just as his momma said to do,
saying, Coo you best be still quick
and then he showed his stick to Coo.
But the big, big Coo did not stand still,
she arched her back then bucked and kicked,
then she put her Big, Big Coo hoof down,
and broke Wee Mannie's stick!
"Ah!", said the Wee, Wee Mannie —
what's a Wee Wee Mannie to do,
when faced with such an unruly beast,
as this big stick breaking Coo?
So off he went to his mother’s house.
”Mother!” he said, “Coo still won’t stand still,
and Mannie can’t milk his big, big Coo.’
nor his milk pail fill!
-and mother, the stick you bade me get,
and threaten Coo to poke,
with her hoof she knocked it down
and stomped it till it broke!”
“My son,” said his mother,
”here's how to get your milk
go into town to the tailor's shop,
and buy a big blue bow of silk.
Show that bow to Big, Big, Coo,
tell her, if she'll stand still to be milked,
then as a reward for standing still,
she'll get that bow of silk.”
So the Wee Wee Mannie,
got a big blue bow,
as wide as he was tall,
then with bow in hand,
as though courting a girlfriend
he did upon Coo call.
—and to her he did say,
“Now listen here my Coo, my sweet,
if you’ll stand still to be milked,
then when the milking’s all complete,
I’ll give you this big blue bow of silk!
But Big, Big Coo didn’t want a bow,
neither blue, nor one of silk,
and Big, Big, Coo would not stand still
so Mannie could get no milk.
"Ah!", said the Wee, Wee Mannie —
what's a Wee Wee Mannie to do,
when faced with such an unruly beast,
as this too good for anyone Coo?
So off he went to his mother’s house.
”Mother!” he said, “Coo still won’t stand still,
and Mannie can’t milk his big, big Coo.’
nor his milk pail fill!
and that big blue bow all made of silk
that you told me to get,
I showed that bow to Coo,
but mother,
she didn’t like it, no, not one little bit!”
Calm yourself, Wee Mannie, my son,
getting upset won’t get the job done.
You’ll need to soften that hard heart of Coo,
so to her say these words that I now say to you.
There’s a lady by the roadside,
With Lovely golden hair,
She’s all worn out with walking,
And weeps asitting there.
‘Twould make you weep in buckets,
If you were just to think,
She’s weeping, weeping, weeping,
For a drop of milk to drink!
Well, the Big, Big Coo, looked
at the lady sitting over there,
but from her big brown eyes came,
not even a solitary tear!
And that Big, Big, Coo, would not stand still,
sympathy was not going to change her will,
and she bucked and she kicked, and
she kicked and she bucked,
and the chickens went flying,
and the pigs all ducked!
"Ah!", said the Wee, Wee Mannie —
what's a Wee Wee Mannie to do,
when faced with such a beast,
as this hard hearted, unsympathetic Coo?
So off he went to his mother house.
”Mother!” he said, “Coo still won’t stand still,
and Mannie can’t milk his big, big Coo.’
nor his milk pail fill!
And Coo’s heart is still stone cold,
as cold as any I’ve ever seen,
but whether her heart is cold or not,
that Coo is flat out mean!
His mother pondered for awhile,
then ‘cross her face there spread a smile.
The problem is, she’s contrary, our Coo,
and whatever you want, is the last thing she’ll do.
—so my son, say these words to her,
“Coo, “Don’t you dare to stand there still,
Kick and rear that’s what I will,
Don’t you dare to stand I say,
I bid you kick and rear all day!”
Well, do you know what happened
when Mannie said those words to Coo?
Just as his mother had said, Coo would,
she did the opposite of what she was told to do.
So Coo, she stood perfectly still,
she did not bat an eye, or a muscle twitch,
and Wee Wee Mannie filled full his pail,
and this was accomplished without a hitch.
And Coo? Well, from that point on
Wee Mannie, she always did mind,
and never, never, again did she misbehave,
well… at least not until the next time!
"The Wee, Wee Mannie, and the Big, Big Coo!"
New version in verse by Dale B. Tisdale![[Image: 80x15.png]](http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/3.0/80x15.png)
2008
Original version at
http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/meft/meft38.htm
When all big folks were wee ones
and all the lies were true,
there was a wee, wee Mannie
that had a big, big Coo.
Each morning he went to milk her,
with his hat tied tight to his head,
and on his stool he sat down,
and then to Coo he said,
Hold still, my good gal, my Coo,
Hold still my honey, my sweet,
if you’ll be still then for dinner
you'll have sweet grass to eat!
But the big, big Coo would not hold still.
she shook her head and swished her tail,
she arched her back then bucked and stomped,
then she kicked Wee Mannie's pail.
"Ah!", said the Wee, Wee Mannie —
what's a Wee Wee Mannie to do,
when faced with such an unruly beast,
as this mean and contrary Coo?
So off he went to his mother’s house.
”Mother”, he said, “Coo won’t stand still,
and Wee Wee Mannie can’t milk big Coo.’
nor his milk pail fill!”
Ah! cried his mother, “My son”,
said she, “I'll tell you what to do,
go find you a big sturdy stick,
and show it to that Coo.”
Say, "Coo, I'm gonna use this stick,
unless you do my will,
I'll use it to tan your stubborn hide,
unless Big Coo stands still!”
So Wee Wee Mannie, got him a big sturdy stick,
just as his momma said to do,
saying, Coo you best be still quick
and then he showed his stick to Coo.
But the big, big Coo did not stand still,
she arched her back then bucked and kicked,
then she put her Big, Big Coo hoof down,
and broke Wee Mannie's stick!
"Ah!", said the Wee, Wee Mannie —
what's a Wee Wee Mannie to do,
when faced with such an unruly beast,
as this big stick breaking Coo?
So off he went to his mother’s house.
”Mother!” he said, “Coo still won’t stand still,
and Mannie can’t milk his big, big Coo.’
nor his milk pail fill!
-and mother, the stick you bade me get,
and threaten Coo to poke,
with her hoof she knocked it down
and stomped it till it broke!”
“My son,” said his mother,
”here's how to get your milk
go into town to the tailor's shop,
and buy a big blue bow of silk.
Show that bow to Big, Big, Coo,
tell her, if she'll stand still to be milked,
then as a reward for standing still,
she'll get that bow of silk.”
So the Wee Wee Mannie,
got a big blue bow,
as wide as he was tall,
then with bow in hand,
as though courting a girlfriend
he did upon Coo call.
—and to her he did say,
“Now listen here my Coo, my sweet,
if you’ll stand still to be milked,
then when the milking’s all complete,
I’ll give you this big blue bow of silk!
But Big, Big Coo didn’t want a bow,
neither blue, nor one of silk,
and Big, Big, Coo would not stand still
so Mannie could get no milk.
"Ah!", said the Wee, Wee Mannie —
what's a Wee Wee Mannie to do,
when faced with such an unruly beast,
as this too good for anyone Coo?
So off he went to his mother’s house.
”Mother!” he said, “Coo still won’t stand still,
and Mannie can’t milk his big, big Coo.’
nor his milk pail fill!
and that big blue bow all made of silk
that you told me to get,
I showed that bow to Coo,
but mother,
she didn’t like it, no, not one little bit!”
Calm yourself, Wee Mannie, my son,
getting upset won’t get the job done.
You’ll need to soften that hard heart of Coo,
so to her say these words that I now say to you.
There’s a lady by the roadside,
With Lovely golden hair,
She’s all worn out with walking,
And weeps asitting there.
‘Twould make you weep in buckets,
If you were just to think,
She’s weeping, weeping, weeping,
For a drop of milk to drink!
Well, the Big, Big Coo, looked
at the lady sitting over there,
but from her big brown eyes came,
not even a solitary tear!
And that Big, Big, Coo, would not stand still,
sympathy was not going to change her will,
and she bucked and she kicked, and
she kicked and she bucked,
and the chickens went flying,
and the pigs all ducked!
"Ah!", said the Wee, Wee Mannie —
what's a Wee Wee Mannie to do,
when faced with such a beast,
as this hard hearted, unsympathetic Coo?
So off he went to his mother house.
”Mother!” he said, “Coo still won’t stand still,
and Mannie can’t milk his big, big Coo.’
nor his milk pail fill!
And Coo’s heart is still stone cold,
as cold as any I’ve ever seen,
but whether her heart is cold or not,
that Coo is flat out mean!
His mother pondered for awhile,
then ‘cross her face there spread a smile.
The problem is, she’s contrary, our Coo,
and whatever you want, is the last thing she’ll do.
—so my son, say these words to her,
“Coo, “Don’t you dare to stand there still,
Kick and rear that’s what I will,
Don’t you dare to stand I say,
I bid you kick and rear all day!”
Well, do you know what happened
when Mannie said those words to Coo?
Just as his mother had said, Coo would,
she did the opposite of what she was told to do.
So Coo, she stood perfectly still,
she did not bat an eye, or a muscle twitch,
and Wee Wee Mannie filled full his pail,
and this was accomplished without a hitch.
And Coo? Well, from that point on
Wee Mannie, she always did mind,
and never, never, again did she misbehave,
well… at least not until the next time!
"The Wee, Wee Mannie, and the Big, Big Coo!"
New version in verse by Dale B. Tisdale
2008 Original version at
http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/meft/meft38.htm
How long after picking up the brush, the first masterpiece?
The goal is not to obfuscate that which is clear, but make clear that which isn't.
The goal is not to obfuscate that which is clear, but make clear that which isn't.
