As heard on the 1XX Breakfast Show with Colin Magee.
A clothes line was a news broadcast to neighbours passing by.
There were no secrets you could keep when clothes were hung to dry.
It also was a friendly link for neighbours always knew
If company had stopped on by to spend a night or two.
For then you'd see the fancy sheets and towels on the line;
You'd see the company tablecloths with intricate design.
The line announced a baby's birth to folks who lived inside
As brand new infant clothes were hung so carefully with pride.
The age of children could so readily be known
By watching how the sizes changed, you'd know how much they'd grown.
It also told when illness struck, as extra sheets were hung;
Then nightclothes, and a bathrobe, too, haphazardly were strung.
It said, "Gone on vacation now" when lines hung limp and bare.
It told, "We're back!" when full lines sagged with not an inch to spare.
New folks in town were scorned upon if washing was dingy grey,
As neighbours raised their brows, and looked disgustedly away.
But clotheslines now are of the past for dryers make work less.
Now what goes on inside a home is anybody's guess.
I really miss that way of life. It was a friendly sign
When neighbours knew each other best by what hung on the line!