Wildwood Weed (inspired by "midwest is dull" post)

[HopeHoops]

In 9th grade (mid 70's), we had to do a presentation on a ballad. Even though I had never touched any drugs, I was amused by the song Wildwood Weed and, since it is a ballad, thought it would be fun to do. My teacher enthusiastically agreed. I later figured out that she had assumed I meant the actually respectable ballad called "Wildwood Flower" and was oblivious to the existence of "Wildwood Weed". She was not pleased by my presentation, but I did get an A. The class thought it was a riot. The presentation of course required the decomposition and analysis of the lyrics and similar boring stuff so it was actual work.

Anyway, as best as I can remember the song...

Wildwood weed grew wild on the farm and we never knew what it was called.
Some said its a flower and some said a weed. I never give it much thought.
One day I was out there talkin' to my brother and I reached down for a weed to chew on,
And things got fuzzy and things got hazy, and then EVERYTHING was gone.

When I came to my brother was there and he said, "what happened to your eyes?"
I said, "I don't know, I was chewin' on a weed." He said, "let me give it a try."
Spent the rest of that day and most of that night tryin' to find my brother Bill.
Caught up with him 'bout six o'clock the next mornin', naked, sittin' on the windmill.
(He said he flew up there. I had to fly up and get him down - he was about half crazy.)

The very next day we picked a bunch of them weeds and we put 'em in the sun to dry.
Then we mashed 'em up and cleaned 'em up and put 'em in the corn cob pipe.
Smokin' that weed got to be a habit, and we never seen it no harm.
We thought it was kind of handy - take a trip and never leave the barn.
(Couple puffs and you're just wanderin' around behind the little animals.)

One day this feller from the government came by and he spied 'em and turned white as a sheet.
Then he dug and he burned and he burned and he dug, and he killed all our cute little plants.
Then he drove away. We just smiled and waved.
Sittin' there on that sack of seeds.
Y'all come back now, ya hear?



There may have been more, but that's all I can remember. Enjoy, mon.