Jim dog? I remember people playing this song when I was growing up. IANAFMH (I am not a folk music historian) but as far as I know, it’s just a traditional folk song with no known author.
IIRC I do believe Dylan did a version of it at some point.
The band Guadalacanal Diary (site not updated in a year and a half or so) did a song on their final album, Flip-Flop, called “…Vista” which had the lyrics:
Every time I go to town,
Boys start kicking my dog around.
And every time I go to sleep,
Wakes me up with this crazy speech:
This was followed by a long, nonsensical chorus that was repeated a couple of times. I’m pretty sure I remember this nonsensical chorus from sitting around the campfire as a kid too, but I don’t know that it had any connection with the dog-kicking lyrics.
Unfortunately, the lyrics pages seem to have disappeared from the site.
I’m glad this came up; I went to college with Rhett Crowe, the bassist for Guadalcanal Diary, and I hadn’t thought of them in years.
funny, my daughter just came back from drama camp singing this song. I immediately remembered the Guadalcanal Diary version from high school. Great song.
Harry Dean Stanton sings/plays harmonica on this tune somewhere in the middle of “Kelly’s Heroes.” I guess they’re insinuating the song is WWII or earlier.