“The Terrier Dog”

Description

The terrier pup has a distinguished career of extreme viciousness -- until it encounters an oversized cat. The pup's owner, seeing his dog killed, demands satisfaction of the cat's owner. She shoots him; though cured, he "never... raise[d] another pup."

Supplemental text

Terrier Dog, The
  Partial text(s)

          *** A ***

From Norman Cazden, Herbert Haufrecht, Norman Studer, Folk Songs
of the Catskills, #123, pp. 464-465. From the singing of George
Edwards.

A man, he owned a terrier dog,
He'd a bob-tailed terrier cuss.
This here dog got this here man
In many an ugly mess.

The man was on his muscle,
And the dog was on his bite;
If you touched the man, the animal
Was sure to raise a fight.

(Eight additional stanzas, one of them fragmentary)

References

1. FSCatskills 123, "The Terrier Dog" (1 text, 1 tune)
2. ST FSC123 (Partial)
3. BI, FSC123