ooooooooh-the possum's tail is bare, oh the possum's tail is bare
the old coon has a ring around his tail, but the possum's tail is bare. :)
Melvin Wine used to fiddle this tune. My basset hounds love it--and hey--who can resist a good wildlife tune?
There is a good mp3 download of Melvin doing this tune on the Digital Library of Appalachia--which I downloaded and its on my ipod for easy listening--but--after searching over an hour--just can't seem to find it there. Maybe someone else here has the link. I really did like Melvin a lot and think this is the best recording to enjoy that WVA flavor. :)
Here's Youtubes from the Traditional Music project --where this tune made TOTW. There is both a fiddle & banjo version to view.
http://info.therealschoolofmusic.com/traditional-music-project/the-possums-tail-is-bare/
This is a super simple traditional tune out of West Virginia, but the little backstep in the A part where it touches C--makes it peppy. The B part sounds terribly like bile them cabbage down. :)
I did tab a simple version out for you--and I am trying to figure out how to post it here. I moved it into PDF format from Tabledit. When I looked at the video above--I see the version I tabbed out is pretty close to the one he plays--but not exactly.
Also--this is a very fun tune on the mountain dulcimer--and I taught it last spring at the Lagnaippe festival and it was a big hit there too. Dulcimer players also like possum tunes :) I do have a simple dulcimer tab to it too and would be happy to send it to you for you if you have a dulcimer friend that would like to play this with you. (Just send me a self addressed stamped envelope and I'll send it along)
There was also a youtube of banjo, fiddle & dulcimer playing this tune last fall--but I took it down because it was before I lost weight this year--and it looks pretty jelly belly--so took it down 
Did tape it on the banjo on my ipad to experiment--and its not great--and I'll put it up after I edit it a little if anyone wants to see it :)
This tune is not on any of my cds or in any of my tab books, but thought that since most old time pickers are away at Clifftop this week--that it would be fun to bring out a fun West Virginia tune for those of us left behind. 
Best wishes,
Mary Z Cox