461
ShoKT'NIN" liKl'.AI)
A favorite song, especially of the blacks, throughout the South.
A few simple motives, associated more or less closely with hog-
killing times, are combined and recombined, so that a variety of
texts ^is produced— some of them with no verbal connection with
short'nin' bread. In one and another of its forms the song is known
in Virginia (TNFS 149-50, 151). North Carolina (TNFS 152-3,
ANFS 194. FSSH 428). Tennessee (JAFL xxviii 142), Georgia
(ANFS 193), Alabama (ANFS 193-4). Mississippi (TNFS
150-1), Louisiana (TNFS 152), Texas (TNFS 151-2). Missouri
(FSSH 428), and (presumably) Kentucky (AMS 81). The texts
in our collection differ in such a variety of ways diat it seems best
to give them all.
A
'Shortened Bread.' Reported by Mrs. Nilla Lancaster from Wayne
county some time in the period 1921-23. The variant spelling ot
'•short'nin" is in the manuscript.
1 Run hyeur. Mammy, run hyeur ((uick !
Short'n hread made me sick.
Refrain:
My! don't he love shord'n. shord'n. shord'n.
Don't he love shord'n. shord'n hread !
2 Oh, give me something. I don't care [what|.
To cyore the awful pain I got.
3 Two little niggers layin' in hed.
Heels cracked open like shord'n hread.
4 Two little niggers layin' in hed
Sent for the doctor ; en the doctor said :
Feed them niggers on shord'n etc.
5 Two little niggers hlack as tar
Tried to go to heaven on a 'lectric car.
6 Two little niggers dressed in hlack
Tried to go to heaven on a railroad track.
536 NORTH CAROLINA FOLKLORE
7 Two little niggers dressed in white
Tried to go to heaven on the tail of a kite.
8 Two little niggers black as hell
Tried to go to heaven in a peanut shell.
9 Two little niggers in a peanut shell
Tried to go to heaven, but went to hell.
B
No title. From Lucille Cheek, Chatham county. Two lines only.
Run here, mania, run here quick ;
Shortening bread has made me sick.
c
"Shortening Bread.' From Gertrude .'\llen (afterwards Mrs. Vaught),
Taylorsville, Alexander county, in 1923.
Three little niggers laying in the bed,
Heels cracked open like shortenin' bread.
One turned over, and the other one said,
'Don't that look a like,
Don't that look a like shortenin' bread ?'
D
'Shortenin' Bread.' Reported as "sung on Turkey Creek, in Buncombe
county" ; anonymous, but a note says "probably by B. L. Lunsford."
The date is probably 1921.
1 Two big niggers lying in the bed ;
One turned over, and the other'n said :
'Don't my baby love shortenin' bread !
Don't my baby love shortenin', shortenin',
Don't my baby love shortenin' bread !
2 'Ever since my pig's been dead, sugar babe,
Ever since my pig's been dead, sugar babe.
Ever since my pig's been dead,
I've been livin' on shortenin' bread,
I've been livin' on shortenin', shortenin',
I've been livin' on shortenin' bread.'
3 Two little niggers lying in the bed.
Heels cracked open like shortenin' bread.
Heels cracked open like shortenin', shortenin',
Heels cracked open like shortenin' bread.
4 Sambo sick and Sambo dead.
The very last words that Sambo said,
'My whole fam'y love shortenin' bread,
My whole fam'y love shortenin', shortenin',
My whole fam'y love shortenin' bread.'
B I. A C K r A C E M I N S T R K 1. , N E CI R () SONGS 53"
E
'Shortnin' Bread." Reported by the Misses Holeman of Durham in 1922.
Great big nigger layin' in the bed,
Heels cracked open like shortenin' bread.
Put on the skillet, throw away the lid ;
Mammy's goin' to cook some shortenin' bread.
Run here. Mammy, run here (|uick.
Shortenin' bread done made me sick.
The contributors add that another variant of this song begins:
Two little niggers settin' in the jam ;
If that ain't a hot place. I'll be dam.
Ricliard T. Wyche in a letter from Denver, Colorado, in July 1914, sets
down exactly the same text and variant.
F
'Shortnen Bread.' A version slightly different from E, reported by the
Misses Holeman.
1 Put on de skillet and put on de led ;
Mammy gwine to cook some shortnen bread.
Chorus:
My baby love shortnen. shortnen,
My baby love shortnen bread.
My baby love shortnen, shortnen.
My baby love shortnen bread.
2 Dat ain't all mammy gwine ter do ;
Mammy gwine ter cook some coffee, too.
G
'Shortnin' Bread.' Obtained from Miss Jewell Robbins, Pekin, Mont-
gomery county, in 1922. Same as the first stanza of G, but with a
different chorus :
Mammie's gwi' cook a little shortning, shortning,
Mammie's gwi' cook a little shortning bread.
H
'Shortening Bread." Reported by H. F. Shaw from the eastern part of
North Carolina. Just the chorus, with a quirk in it.
My baby loves shortening, shortening.
My baby loves shortening so.
My baby loves shortening, shortening,
Till my baby loves shortening dough.
I
'Ain't I Glad the Old Sow"s Dead.' Contriliuted in 1913 by William
B. Covington as one of his "reminiscences of my early youth spent in
the country on the border of the sand hills of Scotland county."' Here
there is a definite allusion to hog-killing time.
538 NORTH CAROLINA FOLKLORE
Ain't I glad the old sow's dead !
Mammy's gona cook a little shortnen bread.
That ain't all she's gona do ;
She's gona make a little coffee too.
--------------------
461
Short'nin' Bread
'Shortening Bread.' Sung by Miss Gertrude Allen, Taylorsville, Alexander
county, 1923. Cf. Talley, 83.
F-424
Three lit - tie nig - gers lay - ing in the bed,
Heels cracked o - pen like short - enin' bread. One turned
ver, and the oth - er one said, 'Don't that
look a like, Don't that look a like short - enin' bread?' —
Scale: Hexatonic (4), plagal. Tonal Center: c. Structure: aa^a^b (2,2,2,4).
'Shortenin' Bread.' Sung by Bascom Lamar Lunsford, Turkey Creek, Bun-
combe county, given to Dr. Gordon in 1925. Other title : 'Wild Horse.' This
tune is very similar to the version by the same singer as given in 31 FSSM
55. The singer, this time, hovv^ever, changes the text, as well as parts of the
chorus. Also in this recording he omits "Sugar babe," which is given in the
printed version, III 536D, second stanza. For additional text cf. FSoA 156.
F-425
Two big nig - gers ly - ing on the bed; One turned
o - ver and the oth - er'n said: 'Don't my ba - by love
short - enin' bread! Don't my ba - by love short - enin',
short - enin', Don't my ba - by love short - enin' bread!'
Stanza 2
For melodic relationship cf. ***AMS 81; **RAS 163; OFS 11 328-9,
No. 255A ; JAFL xxviii 142, first four measures ; JAFL xliv 424, our
initial four measures with those of 'Who been here since I been gone ?' ;
*TNFS 150-2.
Scale: Mode III. Tonal Center: c. Structure: abcdd (2,2,2,2,2). There is
some relationship between a and b as well as c and d. Over-all form =z ab
(4,6). The tonal center is the lowest tone.
'Shortenin' Bread.' Sung by Miss Jewell Robbins, Pekin, Montgomery coun-
ty, 1922. The text of our first stanza is like that of version F, not G, as given
in printed text of III 537.
F-426
Put
de skil - let and put on de led; Mam-mie's
gwine to cook a lit - tie short - nin' bread. Mam-mie's gwi'
cook a lit - tie short - nin', short - nin', Mam-mie's gwi' cook a
lit - tie short - nin' bread. Mam-mie's gwi' cook a Ut - tie
short - nin', short-nin', Mam-mie's gwi' cook a lit - tie short-nin' bread.
For melodic relationship cf. ***TNFS 150, stanza only; **SHP 14, stanza
only; JAFL xliv 424, compare with our first four measures. The song quoted
is an entirely different song.
Scale: Mode III. Tonal Center: d. Structure: aa^bcbc (2,2,2,2,2,2) = abb or
nmm (4,4,4), inverted barform. The tonal center is the lowest tone.