This song was based on the local story of the Little Red Man, a ghost here in Old Salem. I rooted the narrative from the point of view of Little Betsy, a real-life deaf girl who claimed to see the Little Red Man beckoning to her to play.
lyrics
Oh, mother I could use a friend these days
No one has the time for one so different
In her ways
You think me but a fool to be so bold
He always seems to be there when I
Need a hand to hold
I know they find the notion so absurd
They know that I can’t hear them
But I see their every word
They say he had the mischief, by the by
But when he comes to visit, there’s such
Sadness in his eyes
some folks let their mysteries define ‘em
But I’ll take my friends where I can find ‘em
we paint a pretty picture, through and through
He, in his red cap, and me, my
bonnet all in blue
The shadows flit behind the carriageway
Spirits stir inside me when he
Calls me out to play
And if I’m cast from Salem’s sacred halls
At least I’ve found a friend
To hold me when the madness calls
So, Mother, let me stay a little while
Against all better senses I have
Found myself beguiled
some folks let their mysteries define ‘em
But I’ll take my friends where I can find ‘em
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