After a while we took in the clothes   Nobody said very much   Just some old wild shirts and a couple pairs of pants   Which nobody really wanted to touch      Mama came in and picked up a book   An' papa asked her what it was   Someone else asked, "What do you care?"   Papa said, "Well, just because?"      Then they started to take back their clothes   Hang 'em on the line   It was January the thirtieth   And everybody was feelin' fine      That next day everybody got up   Seein' if the clothes were dry   The dogs were barking, a neighbor passed   Mama, of course, she said, "Hi"      "Have you heard the news?" he said with a grin   "The Vice President's gone mad"   "Where?", "Downtown", "When?", "Last night"   "Hmm, say, that's too bad"      "Well, there's nothing we can do about it", said the neighbor   "It's just something we're gonna have to forget"   "Yes, I guess so", said Ma   Then she asked me if the clothes was still wet      I reached up, touched my shirt   And the neighbor said, "Are those clothes yours?"   I said, "Some of them, not all of them"   He said, "Ya always help out around here with the chores?"      I said, "Sometime, not all the time"   Then my neighbor he blew his nose   Just as papa yelled outside   "Mama wants you to come back in the house   And bring them clothes"      Well, I just do what I'm told, so I did it, of course   I went back in the house and mama met me   And then I shut all the doors