39.2–3 ‘When the Frost Is on the Punkin’ by James Whitcomb Riley] Wellknown dialect poem (1883) by American poet James Whitcomb Riley (1849–1916), author of “Little Orphant Annie” (1885).
40.11 “In the Gloaming”] Popular song (1877) by English composer Annie Fortescue Harrison (c. 1851–1944), with lyrics from an 1874 poem of the same title by English author and poet Meta Orred (c. 1846–1925).
78.20–21 “Pray without ceasing.”] 1 Thessalonians 5:17.
116.16 a coker’s] Term for a coal miner or a person living in a coal-mining region, derived from coke, a fuel made from coal.
123.3 “Couldn’t you stay awake?”] Cf. Matthew 26:40.
126.22 “The Unclouded Day.”] Hymn (1879) by American Midwest circuit preacher the Reverend Josiah Kelly Alwood (1828–1909).
130.18–19 the constitutional amendment . . . liquors”] The Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution prohibiting alcoholic beverages was ratified on January 16, 1919, and took effect on January 16, 1920. It was repealed in its entirety on December 5, 1933, by the ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment.
130.20 the women’s suffrage amendment] The Nineteenth Amendment, prohibiting both states and the federal government from denying citizens the right to vote based on sex, passed Congress on June 4, 1919, and was ratified on August 18, 1920, the culmination of a women’s suffrage movement that had lasted over seventy years.
131.1 Woman’s Christian Temperance Union] A temperance organization dedicated to social reform founded in 1873 that supported the Eighteenth Amendment and worked for reform in women’s suffrage, labor, and sanitation, and also supported world missionary work.
137.3–4 a local brand known as Old Darling] The only whiskey distillery in Carroll County, Kentucky (which contains Carrollton, the basis for Hargrave; see note 26.24); it was originally known as Whitehead and Company before being purchased by Andrew Darling in 1880, who created the Old Darling brand.
138.1–2 These will come to no good . . . hen] Irish proverb often erroneously believed to be from the Bible. A Scottish version dating from 1721 reads, “A crooning cow, a crowing Hen and a whistling Maid boded never luck to a house.”
138.7 “Old Joe Clark”] Southern American folk song (c. 1900) chronicling the life of Joseph Clark, a Kentucky mountaineer and moonshiner who fought with the 7th Kentucky Volunteer Infantry for the Union army in the Civil War and was murdered in 1885.
138.12 “Soldier’s Joy”] Fiddle tune of Scottish or Irish origins dating from the 1760s.
162.6–7 “The lion and the lamb . . . lead them.”] Cf. Isaiah 11:6.
183.38–184.21 There’s a land . . . beautiful shore.] From “In the Sweet By-and-By,” a hymn (1868) by Sanford F. Bennett (1836–1898) with music by Joseph P. Webster (1819–1875).
186.19 “Molly Darling”] Popular song (1871) written by Kentucky lyricist William Shakespeare Hays (1837–1907).
193.30 the Odd Fellows] An international fraternity founded prior to 1730 in London that promotes philanthropic and charitable efforts.
211.6–7 Surely the people is grass.] Isaiah 40:7.
235.18 “Not a single sparrow falls without He knows about it,”] Cf. Matthew 10:29.
236.19–21 enough fishes to feed a multitude . . . no loaves.] Cf. Matthew 14:13–21.
244.21–22 “He ain’t the boss, . . . boss is done.] In his essay collection The Hidden Wound (1970), Berry wrote: “When I would be playing where the men were working in the fields—I suppose in response to some lapse of tact on my part, some unconscious display of self-importance or arrogance—one of them would sing or quote:
He ain’t the boss, he’s the boss’s son,
But he’ll be the boss when the boss is done.”
250.11–12 that’s where He called them from. From fishing.] Cf. Matthew 4:18–22.
258.17 The Lord looketh on the heart.] 1 Samuel 16:7.
263.26–28 “Down along the woodland, . . . and the roar . . .”] “The Wabash Cannonball,” late nineteenth-century American folk song first published in 1882 by composer J. A. Roff.
269.1–2 Down in the Valley Where the Green Grass Grows] The first line of a schoolyard jump rope rhyme, a version of which goes: “Down in the valley where the green grass grows, / There sat Mary, sweet as a rose. / Along came Johnny, kissed her on the cheek. / How many kisses did she get?”
272.27 looking sweet as a rose] See previous note.
276.11–12 the thorns and thistles that the ground has brought forth.] Cf. Genesis 3:18.
276.24 ‘Yellow Rose o’ Texas’] American folk song dating from the early nineteenth century, adopted as a marching song by the Texas brigade during the American Civil War.
278.37 Laocoön] A Trojan priest who attempted to warn the city against the Trojan horse; in the Aeneid, Virgil gives him the line “I fear the Greeks even bearing gifts,” the origin of the phrase “beware of Greeks bearing gifts.” As punishment for his warning, Poseidon sent two sea serpents to kill Laocoön and his sons. Laocoön is often depicted as struggling against the intertwined snakes.
281.24–28 “one of the least of these my brethren” . . . the penalty.] Cf. Matthew 25:31–46. The penalty for neglecting to care for “the least of these my brethren” is eternal punishment.
286.32–33 Bird can’t fly with one wing] Proverbial phrase of Irish origin for accepting a second drink.
299.5 “Mother Machree”] Song (1910) written for the Broadway musical Barry of Ballymore (1911) with lyrics by Rida Johnson Young (1875–1926) and music by Chauncey Olcott (1858–1932) and Ernest R. Ball (1878–1927).
299.5 “There’s a Cradle in Carolina”] Song (1927) by American singer-songwriter Gene Austin (1900–1972).
299.6–7 “Nothing but Something Cool.”] According to Berry, “My son and I encountered our beloved neighbor Melvin Ford on an extremely hot day. He asked, ‘Did you ever hear a song called “Nothing but Something Cool”?’ ‘No.’ ‘Well, it was a good song.’”
313.37 A small Packard] Luxury automobile produced from 1899 to 1956 in Detroit.
315.25 the time of D. Boone.] Daniel Boone (1734–1820) is a folk hero, an early explorer of Kentucky, and a founder of Boonesborough, Kentucky, in 1775.
320.32 “he that hasteth with his feet sinneth”] Proverbs 19:2.
328.12–13 Now they were stricken in age, . . . manner of women.] Cf. Genesis 18:11.
349.14–15 as numerous as the sand that is upon the seashore.] Cf. Genesis 22:17.
351.31 “Blessed Be the Tie That Binds,”] Hymn (1782) by English pastor and theologian John Fawcett (1740–1817).
365.31 love that “hopeth all things,”] 1 Corinthians 13:7.
368.31–32 “Like Jehorum, . . . without being desired.”] Cf. 2 Chronicles 21:20.
369.20–25 While I draw . . . myself in Thee] From “Rock of Ages,” a hymn (1763) written by Anglican priest Augustus Toplady (1740–1778), and usually sung to a hymn tune by American composer Thomas Hastings (1784–1872).
379.5–6 ‘Whosoever looketh on a woman . . . heart.’] Matthew 5:28.
389.7 the seventh of December 1941] On the morning of December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The United States entered World War II as a result, declaring war on Japan on December 8.
415.24–25 Sidney Lanier’s The Boy’s King Arthur] American musician and poet Sidney Lanier (1842–1881) published The Boy’s King Arthur in 1880, a retelling of Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur (1485) in modernized language.
416.20 actuated, like Daniel Boone, by a desire for elbow room] Cf. “Daniel Boone,” humorous poem (1924) by Arthur Guiterman (1871–1943), in which “Elbow room!” forms a refrain.
421.11 Betty Crocker] Character created in 1921 by the Washburn-Crosby Company for use in advertising campaigns for their milling business; in 1928 Washburn-Crosby merged with five other mill
ing companies to form General Mills. General Mills began issuing Betty Crocker cookbooks in 1930.
422.30 wartime speed limit] A nationwide speed limit of 35 miles per hour was introduced in December 1942 in order to save both gas and rubber, by limiting the wear on tires.
427.5 which mule was in the lead] The “lead” mule was on the left.
427.7 how many inches made a hand?] Four inches, based on the width of a human hand.
427.8 gee from haw?] Commands instructing a draft animal to turn right and left, respectively.
431.35 “Sambo” and “Massa.”] “Sambo” was used as a stereotypical name for African Americans from as early as the Civil War. It stems from the Latin American Spanish word “zambo,” meaning a person of mixed African and Native American ancestry.
431.39 “little black Sambo,”] The Story of Little Black Sambo, best-selling 1899 children’s book by Scottish writer Helen Bannerman (1862–1946), one of the first positively portrayed black heroes in children’s literature; since the mid-twentieth century it has been accused of racism.
438.7 Paradise Lost ] Epic poem (1667) by John Milton (1608–1674).
444.25 a song about Old Aunt Dinah] Aunt Dinah is a character appearing in numerous traditional American folk songs, which may have been derived from pre–Civil War slave ballads.
445.1 V-2 rockets] The first long-range guided ballistic missiles, developed by Germany during World War II by Werner von Braun (1912–1977) and Walter Dornberger (1895–1980), which had a much higher target accuracy than previous missiles.
449.19 ‘Katy bar the door,’] American idiom suggesting that trouble lies ahead, originating perhaps from “The King’s Tragedy,” a poem (1881) by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828–1882) that chronicles the tale of Catherine Douglas, a lady-in-waiting who tried to prevent the assassination of King James I of Scotland in 1437.
452.13 the Swiss Family Robinson] Novel (1812, translated into English 1814) by Johann David Wyss (1743–1818) about a shipwrecked Swiss family.
456.18–19 Renfro Valley ] Renfro Valley Barn Dance, a country music stage and radio show that debuted in 1937 in Cincinnati and from November 4, 1939, aired from Renfro Valley, south of Berea, Kentucky. It later moved to Dayton, Ohio.
456.19 Wings over Jordan] Radio show, founded as The Negro Hour in 1937, based in Cleveland and featuring African American songs and stories, as well as lectures and sermons. Its name was changed to Wings Over Jordan in 1938 when it was picked up by CBS for national distribution. It was cancelled in 1947.
458.3–4 Phoenix Hotel] Prominent landmark in Lexington, established in the 1820s, although a tavern had been located on the site since 1800. During the Civil War, it was used as a headquarters at various times by both Union and Confederate generals. One of the earliest American horse races, the Phoenix Hotel Stakes, was first run in Lexington in 1831, and many other races were named for the hotel up to the 1930s. The hotel was demolished in 1981.
460.10–12 “Sleep is nature’s . . . Night Thoughts.] Edward Young, Night Thoughts (1742–45), Night I, l. i.
465.6 the Kaiser’s head on a pole.] Kaiser Wilhelm II, the last German emperor, abdicated in November 1918 at the end of World War I after losing the support of the German army and spent the rest of his life in exile in the Netherlands. He did not die until 1941. In The Hidden Wound (1970), Berry wrote of Aunt Georgie, an African American woman who lived on his grandfather’s farm: “She used to tell a story about the end of the First World War, of people dancing wildly through the streets, carrying the Kaiser’s head impaled on the end of a fence rail. . . . Was it some celebration she had seen in Louisville, at which the Kaiser had been mutilated in effigy? Was it something she had read or imagined? I don’t know. I assumed then that it was really the Kaiser’s head, that she had seen that barbaric celebration herself, and that it was one of the central events of the history of the world.”
465.34–35 like seeds upon fertile ground.] Cf. Matthew 13:8.
479.17–18 “Layos to catch meddlers.”] Proverbial phrase in the eastern and southern U.S. meaning “None of your business.” A “layo,” or “layover,” is a pit covered with boughs constructed as a trap for bears or other animals.
487.17 “Blue Eyes,”] American folk ballad “I’m Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes,” also known as “Broken Ties,” popularized by the Carter Family folk music group, which first recorded it in 1929.
490.23–25 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn . . . E. W. Kemble] Mark Twain hired E. W. Kemble (1861–1933) to illustrate the first edition of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885). Twain found the illustrations for the first twelve chapters “forbidding & repulsive,” but of the illustrations for the last eight chapters, he wrote, “This batch of pictures is most rattling good. They please me exceedingly.”
490.37 The Swiss Family Robinson, Treasure Island, Little Men] For The Swiss Family Robinson, see note 452.13. Treasure Island, 1883 novel by Robert Louis Stevenson; Little Men, 1871 novel by Louisa May Alcott, the sequel to Little Women (1868–69).
490.38–39 Little John and Friar Tuck and Much the Miller’s Son] Three of Robin Hood’s Merry Men.
490.39 A Christmas Carol ] A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost-Story of Christmas (1843) by Charles Dickens.
514.3–4 a time when we’ll not know the summer . . . trees.] According to Berry, a “saying” modeled on biblical prophecy.
514.27–29 “great voice, as of a trumpet, . . . last.”] Revelation 1:10–11.
524.27–35 Turkey in the straw . . . take it out! ”] Local variant of “Turkey in the Straw,” an American folk song of disputed origin that was popularized by blackface performers in the early nineteenth century.
538.1–2 The dead rise and walk . . . thought ] From Berry’s poem “The Bed,” section 3, ll. 3–4, published in Clearing (1977).
540.36 “Rock of Ages.”] See note 369.20–25.
562.27 Redwood] Chiefly Scottish English, “red-wood” can mean stark, raving mad.
564.1–4 Missed the Saturday . . . anymore.] “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,” jazz standard (1940) by Duke Ellington (1899–1974) originally titled “Never No Lament,” for which songwriter Bob Russell (1914–1970) added lyrics and a new title in 1942.
581.25–26 “Bell-Bottom Trousers,”] Song (1944) by Lithuanian American bandleader Moe Jaffe (1901–1972) based on a nineteenth-century English folk song, “Rosemary Lane.”
581.27–28 “One Dozen Roses.”] Hit 1942 song with music by American bandleader Dick Jurgens (1910–1995) and songwriter Walter Donovan (1888–1964), and lyrics by Roger Lewis (1885–1948) and Country (Joseph H.) Washburn (1904–1974).
600.16 ‘Yellow Rose o’ Texas’] See note 276.24.
600.28–29 “nature’s sweet restorer.”] See note 460.10–12.
601.5–7 “The time will come . . . budding of the trees.”] See note 514.3–4.
609.6 blind tiger] Speakeasy.
626.21–22 Custom cannot stale her infinite variety.] Cf. Antony and Cleopatra, II.ii.234–35.
626.28–29 “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,”] See note 564.1–4.
708.1–2 the great flood of 1937] The Ohio River flooded in January and February 1937 and killed 385 people, displacing one million from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky.
756.1–2 as faithfully as the prophet’s raven.] Cf. 1 Kings 17:6.
821.2–3 It was poplar lumber they had to build with then.] Due to aggressive logging, the American yellow poplar or tulip poplar, the state tree of Kentucky, almost disappeared as “old growth” at the turn of the twentieth century. It was prized for strength and light weight as well as its resistance to termites.
894.17 Aunt Fanny] In The Hidden Wound (1970), Berry wrote: “The character of Aunt Fanny in my book A Place on Earth is to some extent modeled on Aunt Georgie” (for whom see note 465.6). He continued, “But the purpose of Aunt Fanny in that book is not to represent
Aunt Georgie, and she comes off as a much simpler character. Aunt Fanny had spent all her life in the country, but Aunt Georgie had lived for some time in the city, and her mind, in its way of rambling and sampling, had become curiously cosmopolitan. Like Aunt Fanny, she had an obsession with Africa, but I think it must have started with her under the influence of the Back to Africa movement.”
895.40 Witch of Endor] Cf. 1 Samuel 28.
903.33–35 How many biscuits . . . This morning.] From “How Many Biscuits Can You Eat?,” a traditional fiddle tune first recorded by country musician Humphrey Bate (1875–1936) in 1928.
926.23–24 “Old Dan Tucker . . . frying pan ] From “Old Dan Tucker,” an American folk song of unknown origin dating from the early nineteenth century, with lyrics potentially written by blackface performer Dan Emmett (1815–1904).
931.36–37 When your baby . . . your mind.] From “You Nearly Lose Your Mind,” song (1942) by American country singer-songwriter Ernest Tubb (1914–1984).
932.7–10 Going up Cripple Creek, . . . a calf. ] From “Cripple Creek,” an early twentieth-century Appalachian fiddle tune.
935.22 Flights of buzzards wing him to his rest!] Cf. Hamlet, V.ii.360: “And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!”
944.22–23 “ ’tis not so deep . . . ’twill serve.”] Romeo and Juliet, III.i.96–97.
970.8 among those trapped at Bastogne.] Part of the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944, American troops were surrounded by German forces from December 21 to 26, but managed to hold Bastogne, a key road junction in the southern Ardennes, and disrupt German attempts to reach the Meuse River near Dinant.
984.11–14 Well done, thou good . . . thy Lord.] Cf. Matthew 25:23.
984.31–36 Blessèd are the poor . . . be comforted.] Matthew 5:3–4.
The Selected Poems of Wendell Berry Page 113