The Turkey Song

 

As I came over yonders hill, I spied a mighty turkey,

He flapped his wings and he spread his tail and his feet looked awfully dirty.

 

Refrain:   Fo- link - a - tidy,  Fol- de- link- a  ti-dy-o,

                Fol- linka - a - tidy,  and his feet looked awfully dirty.

 

I met him by the old beech tree and told him he looked pretty,

He flapped his wings and he spread his tail and his feet looked awfully dirty.

 

And so I said to that turkey bird, “How would you taste for dinner?”

He flapped his wings and he spread his tail and he made himself look thinner!

 

“You can’t catch me, my little laddie, I’ve got a wife and children.”

He flapped his wings and he spread his tail and he took to the woods a-runnin’.

 

So I went back over yonders hill, without that mighty turkey,

When he flapped his wings and spread his tail, his feet look awfully dirty!

 

This tall-tale from Wisconsin was collected by Ruth Crawford Seeger with added verses from Jill Trinka.