Uncle Zeke, The Blamed Old Fool

Charles McNemar sends this Uncle Zeke poem. He found it in the archives of the Charleston Daily Mail, which regularly excerpted Uncle Zeke's columns in the Braxton Democrat and re-printed them for state wide consumption so all of West Virginia could enjoy his wit and humor about the goings on in Buzzardtown. Need we point out that you pronounce "creek" appropriately for the poem to rhyme?


. . . . . Who Did It? . . . . .

Who put the elk in Elk River?
Who put the steer in Steer Creek?
Who put the bull in Bulltown?
Who put the salt in Salt Lick?

Who put the gas in Gassaway?
Who put the devil in old Nick?
Who put the rose in Rosedale?
Who put the granny in Grannys Creek?

Who put the frame in Frametown?
Who put the land in Orlando?
Who put the buzz in Buzzardtown?
And the buff in Buffalo?

Who put the brine in O'Briens Fork?
Who put the oil in Oil Creek?
Who put the wheel in Wheeling?
And the turkey in Turkey Lick?

Who put the hell in Hellmick?
And the ten in Tennessee?
Who put the hen in Henline?
And the bum in Bumblebee?

Who put the water in Waterloo?
And the moonshine in the jug?
Who put the heat in Heater?
And the light in lightning bug?

Who put the stink in the polecat?
And the kick in the reckless mule?
Who put the butt in the billy goat?
Uncle Zeke, the blamed old fool.

Peter Newton Blake of Posey Run wrote as "Uncle Zeke." See more of Uncle Zeke at
Dec. 20, '06 Trouble At Uncle Zeek's House
Nov. 29, '06 Uncle Zeke's ABCs
Oct. 27, '06 Uncle Zeke From Buzzard Town
November 11, 2006 Nicknames