271
Aunt Jemima's Plaster
'Bees Wax,' printed by J. Andrews of New York as sung by Dan
Emmet, is doubtless the original form of this, though the text is
rather widely different from either of ours. The song is included
in the Franklin Sqiuire Song Collection and in Trifet's Budget of
Music. It has been found in oral circulation in West Virginia
(FSmWV 63-4) and Mississippi (FTM 39) ; the Archive of
American Folk Song has records of it from Florida and California.
A
'Aunt Jemima's Plaster.' Reported by K. P. Lewis as taken down from
the singing of Dr. Kemp P. Battle of Chapel Hill in 1910.
1 Aunt Jemima she was old, but very kind and clever.
She had a notion of her own that she would marry never.
She vowed she'd live and die in peace, avoiding all disaster,
And made her living day by day by selling of her plaster.
Chorus:
Sheepskin and beeswax made that mighty plaster ;
The more you tried to pull it off the more it stuck the
faster.
2 She had a sister very tall but still she kept on growing.
She might have been a giant now, in fact there is no
knowing.
All of a sudden she became of her own height the master,
And all because upon her head she clapped Jemima's
plaster.
3 There was a thief who night by night kept stealing from
the neighbors ;
They ne'er could find the rascal out with all their tricks
and labors.
They set a trap upon the steps and caught him with a
plaster ;
The more he tried to get away the more he stuck the faster.
4 Her neighbor had a Thomas-cat that was a very glutton,
He never caught a mouse or rat, but stole both milk and
mutton.
To keep him home they tried their best, but ne'er could be
his master,
Until they stuck him to the floor with Aunt Jemima's
plaster.
5 Aunt Jemima went to church because she was a sinner ;
She put a plaster on her head and drew herself out the
window.
NATIVE AMERICAN BALLADS 629
Aunt Jemima went to town upon a load of peaches ;
She put a plaster on her head, and drew herself out of her
pantaloons.
6 Aunt Jemima had a dog, his tail was very stumpy ;
She put a plaster on his head and drew him into a monkey.
'Aunt Jemima's Plaster.' From the manuscript book of songs of Mrs.
R. D. Blacknall of Durham, with the notation: "Old songs of my
mother's ; I know nothing of their origin. She sang them, to my knowl-
edge, since 1862." Four stanzas and chorus. Three of the stanzas cor-
respond to stanzas i, 4, 2 of A, in that order; the fourth stanza runs:
Now if you have a dog or cat, husband, wife, or lover
That you would like to keep at home, this secret just
discover ;
And if you would like to live in peace, avoiding all disaster,
Take my advice, and try the strength of Aunt Jemima's
plaster.