Transcript of “Pearl at the Picnic”
Hello, you have A Way with Words.
Hi, how are y’all today?
We’re doing fine. How are you? And who are you?
I am Leslie and I’m calling from Millbrook, Alabama, right outside of Montgomery.
Gotcha. Welcome to the show, Leslie.
Hey, Leslie, what’s on your mind today?
Well, y’all, I have a precious 99-year-old mother. She’ll be 100 next month.
And she has an expression that she frequently says.
I can tell by her usage that it means she’s happy or content or doesn’t want anyone to fuss over her.
But I wonder if you could find the origin of the expression.
Her expression is, I’m Pearl at the picnic.
So she’s out and about and something goes her way and she says, I’m Pearl at the picnic?
Yes, yes.
Or if, you know, we’re like, oh, let me, you know, let me help you with this or let me do this or you need this.
And she’s like, no, no, no, I’m Pearl at the picnic.
You know, to her it means I’m just fine.
Don’t worry about a thing.
I’m as happy as a lark.
-huh.
Oh, wonderful.
Yes, it’s a very happy expression, you know, and we get the signal like everything’s A-OK.
Right.
And did she ever talk to you about why she might say that expression or who Pearl is?
No, no.
I wonder.
She’s from New Orleans.
I wondered if maybe you found a pearl and your oyster on a picnic or something.
She has no idea its origin.
Well, this is so interesting, Leslie, because I haven’t seen that many references to this phrase,
But I have seen it a few times.
And the pearl is always capitalized.
So I think it’s fair to assume that pearl is a person who’s at a picnic and she’s very happy.
And I’ve seen it a few times in newspapers, almost always in North Carolina, back in the 1940s and 50s.
I can tell you that I got curious about this a while ago because there’s a little band in Allegheny County, North Carolina, called Pearl at the Picnic.
Interesting.
And they have a banjo player, a guitar player, mandolin, upright bass, and harp.
So they play kind of Americana folk music.
And I reached out to the band leader, whose name is Vicki Burton.
And I think you’ll appreciate this, Leslie.
She said that her mom lived to 96.
And she described her mom this way.
She said she was a big bundle of convictions, strong opinions and spirit, never at a loss for words or ideas.
But on the rarest of occasions when she had no real zeal in the matter, she would say, I’m just Pearl at the picnic.
Or sometimes she would say it when she was simply content.
So you’ve got a sister over in North Carolina.
Yeah, yeah, definitely.
I’ll be anxious to tell her there’s a band named that.
Yeah, yeah, you might look them up online.
All of which is to say that the expression is out there, but it’s not very common.
We’re hoping that now you feel like Pearl at the picnic.
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
Well, I thoroughly enjoy your show, and thank you so much for the opportunity to share my saying with you.
Oh, it’s our pleasure.
We appreciate it.
And we’ll put this out on the air so others who use the expression can give us more information.
Excellent.
That sounds great.
Outstanding.
Give your mom our best, okay?
Yeah, give her a chance from us.
I’ll do it.
Thank you so much.
And tell her happy birthday when the day comes from us.
I’ll do it.
Thanks.
Y’all have a great day.
Bye.
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