when i first moved to Tennessee in 1974
there was a distinctive dialect spoken in Jackson County
especially on the north side of the river
the people had their own way of talking
one of the expressions they used to bid one another farewell
was the person leaving would say,
          “ come go with me”

to which the other replied
          “ don’t rush off”

which meant simply “good-bye”
soon after i moved up from Florida
one of the neighbors came by for a visit
he came in and talked for a while
and welcomed us to the neighborhood
and when he was ready to go
he said,
          “ come go with me.”

i wanted to be friendly
so i said “sure”
and went out and got in the truck with him
we went to his place
and he showed me his house and barn
then brought me back home
it didn’t take too long to figure out
that when one of the neighbors was getting ready to leave
and they said,

         “come go with me”
i wasn’t supposed to get up and go with them
instead i learned to say,

“ don’t rush off”

—J.M. White