How the Possum Lost the Hair on Its Tail
NARRATOR LISTENER STORYTELLER 1
STORYTELLER 2 STORYTELLER 3
NARRATOR: Storytellers have just told a story about Noah’s ark. They say that a whole lot went on “in dat ole Ark. Dat’s where de possum lost de hair off his tail.” A listener doubts this.
LISTENER: “Now don’t you tell me no possum ever had no hair on dat slick tail of his’n…’cause Ah know better.”
NARRATOR: So our storytellers continue the story.
STORYTELLER 1: Yes, he did have hair on his tail one time. Yes, indeed.
STORYTELLER 2: De possum had a bushy tail wid long silk hair on it.
STORYTELLER 3: Why, it useter be one of de prettiest sights you ever seen. De possum struttin’ ’round wid his great big ole plumey tail. Dat was ’way back in de olden times before de big flood.
STORYTELLER 1: But de possum was lazy—jus’ like he is today. He sleep too much.
STORYTELLER 3: You see Ole Nora1 had a son named Ham and he loved to be playin’ music all de time. He had a banjo and a fiddle and maybe a guitar too.
STORYTELLER 2: But de rain come up so sudden he didn’t have time to put ’em on de ark. So when rain kept comin’ down he fretted a lot ’cause he didn’t have nothin’ to play. So he found a ole cigar box and made hisself a banjo, but he didn’t have no strings for it.
STORYTELLER 1: So he seen de possum stretched out sleeping wid his tail all spread ’round. So Ham slipped up and shaved de possum’s tail and made de strings for his banjo out de hairs.
STORYTELLER 2: When dat possum woke up from his nap, Ham was playin’ his tail hairs down to de bricks and dat’s why de possum ain’t got no hair on his tail today.
STORYTELLER 3: Losin’ his pretty tail sorta broke de possum’s spirit too. He ain’t never been de same since.
LISTENER: Oh, now Ah understandin’. Dat’s how come he always actin’ shame-faced. He know his tail ain’t whut it useter be
NARRATOR: Yessin, and dats why possum feel mighty bad about it.
NARRATOR LISTENER STORYTELLER 1
STORYTELLER 2 STORYTELLER 3
NARRATOR: Storytellers have just told a story about Noah’s ark. They say that a whole lot went on “in dat ole Ark. Dat’s where de possum lost de hair off his tail.” A listener doubts this.
LISTENER: “Now don’t you tell me no possum ever had no hair on dat slick tail of his’n…’cause Ah know better.”
NARRATOR: So our storytellers continue the story.
STORYTELLER 1: Yes, he did have hair on his tail one time. Yes, indeed.
STORYTELLER 2: De possum had a bushy tail wid long silk hair on it.
STORYTELLER 3: Why, it useter be one of de prettiest sights you ever seen. De possum struttin’ ’round wid his great big ole plumey tail. Dat was ’way back in de olden times before de big flood.
STORYTELLER 1: But de possum was lazy—jus’ like he is today. He sleep too much.
STORYTELLER 3: You see Ole Nora1 had a son named Ham and he loved to be playin’ music all de time. He had a banjo and a fiddle and maybe a guitar too.
STORYTELLER 2: But de rain come up so sudden he didn’t have time to put ’em on de ark. So when rain kept comin’ down he fretted a lot ’cause he didn’t have nothin’ to play. So he found a ole cigar box and made hisself a banjo, but he didn’t have no strings for it.
STORYTELLER 1: So he seen de possum stretched out sleeping wid his tail all spread ’round. So Ham slipped up and shaved de possum’s tail and made de strings for his banjo out de hairs.
STORYTELLER 2: When dat possum woke up from his nap, Ham was playin’ his tail hairs down to de bricks and dat’s why de possum ain’t got no hair on his tail today.
STORYTELLER 3: Losin’ his pretty tail sorta broke de possum’s spirit too. He ain’t never been de same since.
LISTENER: Oh, now Ah understandin’. Dat’s how come he always actin’ shame-faced. He know his tail ain’t whut it useter be
NARRATOR: Yessin, and dats why possum feel mighty bad about it.