2 Darby’s [Derby's] Ram
THE GREAT SHEEP
Collected by Thomas Smith, Zionville, North Carolina
1. The greatest sheep that ever was found
Weighed eleven hundred pounds.
Cho.
Um ta diddle ta diddle um ta diddle de day
2. Every foot it had covered an acre of ground
Cho.
3. The wool on the sheep’s back, it growed to the sky
The eagles built their nests for I heard the young ones cry
Cho.
4. The sheep’s horns, they growned to the moon
They started in February and never go there till June
Cho.
5. The wool on the sheep’s belly dragged the ground.
Wasn’t that the biggest sheep ever was found.
Cho.
The above version recited to me March 16, 1915, by Mrs. Polly
Rayfield who says she heard the song sung by a woman, Miss
Polly Cox also by a Mr. Marion Millsaps over forty years ago.
Others sang the song besides the ones mentioned. Mrs. Chaney
Smith who is past 84 years of age also remembered hearing the
song many years ago.