Miss Katy went down
I heard Katy went down
I saw Katy go down to Cherryville
The only song singing in her head was a whippoorwill

She hiked her dress up high
Up above her thigh
She fetched a pail of fresh cool water from the wishing well
And headed home from her shift at the cotton mill

She had two strong arms
And certain charms
And a suitor from across the field by the name of Drew
He was so tired of chasing her he was black and blue

You know what Katy did?
What our Katy did?
Did our Katy did or did our Katy not?
Fall asleep in the afternoon when it's too damn hot

She dreamed the river fizzed
And the lizards lizzed
She heard the robin sing until his voice ran cold
And watched as a bee made love to a marigold

She saw a moccasin
And knew of mocca'sin
She feared the moccasin and his evil grinning twin
She knew all his cousins and all their next of kin

She dreamed the dragon flew
For sure the dragon flew
She dreamed the dragon flew until it almost died
When she awoke she saw that dragonfly

Up to a big stone wall
Atop a big stone wall
There was a big stone wall that was higher than her head
To build another one like that they'd have to wake the dead

© RDBrooks 2014

Cover photo by Lewis Hine - 'Spinner in Vivian Cotton Mills, Cherryville, NC' - 1908

Media photo - Wikipedia - Alabama cotton mill workers - 1910