Once in the country there was a little boy; every 
morning that he would go to the table with his little 
two sisters and brothers, you know, he would go there, 
he couldn't talk but his mother didn't know what was 
wrong with him so... she would go to the table in the 
morning, she would fix for breakfast, she'd fix toast 
and coffee, enough, coffee for the tin, toast for the 
eggs for the church, then she would ask and say, "what 
you want this morning?" Oh mama, toast and milk, you 
know things like that you know. But the little old boy 
he couldn't talk good, so she asked him say "what you 
want son"? Said "sa-sa-a I want-t t-t-t-" She said 
"Hush". Say "I tell you what to do. You just hush, I 
just go bring you what I bring the rest of 'em, cause 
one of these days I'm gonna learn you how to talk."

She goin' back and she fixes, the next morning same 
thing. "So what would you children want this morning?" 
"Butter 'n toast mama." Get around to the little old 
boy, say "What you want"? He say, "bu-bu-bu- bu-bu-
bu..." she say "Lord, have mercy," that's what mama 
said and she walked away, say "wonder what's wrong with 
my child?"

He heard her. But you know the little boy couldn't do 
no better. So after he'd find out that mama couldn't 
understand him, and he couldn't understand the way his 
mama was doin' him, he packed up his little flower 
sack, and he decide that he would leave.

So when he left, on his way, he run up on a old rollin' 
mill, what they call Mister Charlie's. So he walked up 
to mister Charlie, mister Charlie was workin' round in 
his rose bushes 'n things... so he taps him: "mi-mi-
mi..." say "Mister!" But he didn't know his name that 
time. The man straightened up and said "my name is 
mister Charlie". He say "mi-mi-ch-ch-ch-ch-" He said 
"but boy I ain't got to fool with you, you can't work." 
He said, "me-me can work!"

So the man went on workin' and he'd tap him again. He 
said "me-me-me wanna home". He said "look, boy, I've 
got a old bunk house out in the back," said "and if you 
promise me that you will stay in this bunk house, and 
watch my mill, and keep the fire from burning my mill 
down," say "I live two blocks up the road," say "and if 
you see the mill's on fire, say you run up and tell me 
the mill's on fire, you got a home and meal as long as 
I've got it." "Ta-ta-ta-ta-thank you mister Charlie." 
So the little old boy went to bunkin' that night.

Sho' enough, late one Sunday morning, mister Charlie's 
mill caught on fire. Which he'd forgot about what he 
had told the little boy. The little boy run up to him, 
he was cleaning out his front yard, makin' it beautiful 
with them rose bushes, you know with them red rose 
bushes you know how to keep 'em red those rose bushes, 
and the little boy run up there, tapped him on his 
back, and he raised up and said "Hey son, why here's 
you again."

"Ye-ye-ye-ye-ye-ye-ye" and he was pointing back toward 
the mill, tryin' to tell him his rollin' mill was on 
fire. So mister Charlie said, "I ain't got time to fool 
with you." So the little boy stuttered too bad for him 
to understand. So mister Charlie stooped over him 
again, he pat him on the back, said "ye-ye-ye-ye-your 
ro-ro-" he said "Wait a minute." He said, "if you can't 
talk you must sing", and he hollered:

(sung)

Whooooooa mister Charlie, do you know your rolling mill 
is burnin' down?
Mister Charlie, do you know your rolling mill is 
burnin' down?
Mister Charlie said if you ain't got no water boy, just 
let that old mill burn on down

Little boy was lonesome, he walked off and cried, he 
said,,,
He walked back and he said it one more time

Whooooooooa mister Charlie, I won't have no place to 
stay
Mister Charlie, I won't have no place to stay
Mister Charlie said Boy, you'll have a home with me, 
just as long as there is a day

Little boy sighed and he tell it one more time
He hollered at him:

Whooooooa mister Charlie, do you know your rolling mill 
is burnin' down?
Mister Charlie, do you know your rolling mill is 
burnin' down?
Mister Charlie said, "If you ain't got no water boy, 
just let that old mill burn on down"