Possum's Tail is Bare

Beautiful solo performance by an unknown cellist.

Key of D. Two parts. Square tune. Modal tune with a C chord.

WV fiddler Melvin Wine on the Berea digital archive [broken link] or PDF.
David Bragger fiddle lesson on YouTube: slow or medium.
Banjo lesson by Tim Rowell.
Intricate solo banjo by String Chickens.
Pig's Foot String Band live on radio [band, track]
Another page just like this one, on another site just like this one.
Gunsmoke TV show exploited the romantic appeal of these lyrics.
On this video, the possums are not in focus either.

Not to be confused with...

Possum on a Rail
Alternate spelling: Opossum.
Old time musicians are wont to ponder varmint evolution. The Possum's Tail song is about the peculiarities of marsupial caudal anatomy and so it presents much to cogitate.

Lyrics

Squirrel's got a bushy tail but Possum's tail is bare.Rabbit's got no tail at all, just a little bitty clump of hair.Possum's tail is bare, Possum's tail is bare.Old coon's tail is ringed all around but Possum's tail is bare.