The Meaning Of Y’all by Mark Spencer

Y’all, a contraction of you all,
Is a second-person dual,
Also called a plural pronoun,
For those of you who finished school.

Described in the dictionary,
As southern English dialect.
It doesn’t appear to matter
That the grammar is incorrect.

A yawl is a sailing vessel,
Equipped with two masts, fore and aft.
But with this word so mispronounced,
It might as well have been a raft.

Though each of these are separate words
They are the same in sound and note.
And I still get the impression
That someone just called me a boat.

When I’m asked: “How y’all doing?”
I get blank stares or looks of shock,
I smile and say: “She’s doing fine,
I’ve got her moored down at the dock.”

One woman even went so far
As to accuse me of a crime.
Claimed her husband was the sheriff,
And she would see that I did time.

For weeks she had her husband out
Dredging the lake around the dock.
Certain they’d find some poor woman,
At the bottom, tied to a rock.

Living in the South takes patience,
Sometimes it can drive you to drink.
Or you can have a little fun,
Watching a redneck try to think.

The next time someone says: “Hey y’all.”
Look all around you and ask: “Where??”
Leave them even more confounded,
Say: “I don’t see a boat out there!”

But don’t expect to change a thing,
In the southern vernacular.
Although miracles can happen,
I doubt they’re that spectacular.

But if somehow you got your wish,
You might still be vexed and rowdy.
They may not greet you with “Hey y’all,”
Instead they would just say...howdy!

Bipedalguy (4.156.144.232) -- Friday, November 24 2006, 12:24 am

Excellent, on a lighter note.
Very enjoyable read, and very good write.
Although your definition of "yawl" is absolutely correct, as a sailor I can't help adding to it, because a "ketch" and a "schooner" also comply to it. The unique yawl feature is that the "yawl" has it's aft mast behind the helm. (wheel or rudder) The aft mast of a ketch or a yawl is usually shorter than the foremast. A 2 masted schooner and a ketch will have both masts forward of the helm, and the schooner's foremast is shorter than the aft mast.
I am now a frustrated old sailor who can barely walk anymore. That's why I had to take advantage of this questionable opportunity to try to sound like a real sailor. Sorry, Bipedalguy.

barb (67.58.206.246) -- Friday, November 24 2006, 01:25 am

impressing
You two impressed us with your knowledge. I would make a terrible sailor,to me a boat is a boat. lol good writing and good comment.

Catyrose (128.123.85.206) -- Friday, November 24 2006, 01:46 pm

_____
Recently returned from a visit to Alabama. Wish I had read this prior to my trip,your suggestion would have come in handy and been fun to try. :) Enjoyed this write

shiloh (69.205.237.142) -- Friday, August 24 2007, 12:25 pm

redneck?
After spending most of my life south of the Mason-Dixon line, I find that I must take umbrage with the all-encompassing reference to the Southerner as a redneck in your poem. I am a follower of your works, and enjoy them greatly, but like some other words that put the burr under the saddle for others, and as a result are not politically correct, I must protest the use of the term redneck to denote someone from the South. (Why, I even try not to say things like "DamnYankee" (it is one word) when I speak of someone who is not as fortunate as I am.) Other than that, Mark, your stuff is fantastic, and when you publish your works, I will buy a copy and send it to you for an autograph. Peace... shiloh

shiloh (69.205.237.142) -- Friday, August 24 2007, 05:41 pm

please
please understand that i am not upset or angry - this was written with tongue-in-cheek, if you will, and not meant as much more than a slanted sort of dry humour. (but i am from Louisiana)- it's just that sometimes, as Dreamer did with one of my recent poems, you just can't resist the impulse to say something. so don't take it that i'm hollering at you - just teasing a bit. peace... shiloh

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