Project 2: The Rag Man

Here comes the wretched Rag Man,
Hey, holly-hoo, hey!
He wears no shoe upon his foot.
He dyes his clothes with chimney soot.
Say hey, holly-hoo hey!

He stops at every doorstep,
Hey, holly-hoo, hey!
And then, if nobody lets him in,
He dines in the alley on scraps of tin.
Say hey, holly-hoo hey!

Then off runs Billy Boucher,
Hey, holly-hoo, hey!
The priest outside the church he'll meet
And together they'll chase the man down the street.
Say hey, holly-hoo hey!

This one was harder than it looks.

The idea behind "The Rag Man" was to create a nursery rhyme. Now, the best nursery rhymes are easy enough for children to memorize, yet still suggestive of some hidden meaning. You know, like how everyone thinks "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary" is about Mary, Queen of Scots (it isn't). Given another week, I'd spend more time on this one - but that's not how the project works. Maybe in 2014.

There's not really a story behind "The Rag Man," but, if there was one, it'd be a scary one. Hence the blurry, shadowy picture for the illustration.