ABSTRACT
The form ula on which this song relies is a simple but effective one. The first three lines o f each o f the five stanzas deal with prosaic, domestic matters such as buying a pair o f shoes, a gown, a plaid, or in introducing members o f the narrator’s family. The last line o f each stanza promises to explain the motivation behind the purchases and the earning power of the singer and her female relatives. The prom ise is fulfilled by the chorus, which graphically describes all the ins and outs of the matter without actually naming the action or its source.
