Brown Collection- VI. Jingles about Animals
JINGLES ABOUT ANIMALS (contents)
152. Birds Courting 199
153. The Jaybird 201
154. Redbird and Jaybird 202
155. Jaybird Up in the 'Simmon Tree 203
156. Said the Blackbird to the Crow 203
157. The Crow and the Weasel 205
158. Chicken in the Bread Tray 205
159. The Old Black Hen 206
160. Get Along, John, the Day's Work's Done 206
161. Possum Up a 'Simmon Tree 206
162. De Possum Am a Cunning Thing 208
163. The Raccoon Has a Bushy Tail 208
164. De Possum Sits on 'Simmon Tree 209
165. Over the Hills So Far Away 210
166. Rabbit In the Log 211
167. Ole Moly Hare (Mr. Rabbit) 211
168. Mr. Rabbit Skipped, the Rabbit Hopped 213
169. Rabbit Stole de Greens 214
170. It's All Night Long 214
171. Mr. Squirrel 214
172. The Weasel and the Rat 215
173. Mole in the Ground 215
174. The Old Grey Horse Came Tearing Out of The Wilderness 216
175. The Old Grey Mare 217
176. I Had a Little Horse Whose Name Was Jack 217
177. Mv Old Sow's Nose 218
178. The Old Sow 218
I79. The Kitten Is Under the Sod 219
180. The Animal Fair 219
181. The Monkey Married the Baroon's Sister 219
182. The Catfish 220
183. Lulu 222
184. Jonah Fishing for a Whale 223
185. Snake Bakes a Hoecake 223
186. Row The Boat Ashore 224
187. I Went Down to the Low Ground 225
188. As I Went Up the Silver Lake 225
189. Way Down Yonder in Pasquotank 225
190. Ninety-Nine Blue Bottles 226
191. A Picnic 226
192. Two Little Fleas 227
193. Went to the River and I Couldn't Get Across 227
VI. JINGLES ABOUT ANIMALS
FOLKLORE in North Carolina (in other regions too, of course, but especially, I believe, in the Southern states) abounds in rhymes and jingles about birds, beasts, and other animate creatures. Among the birds the jay — noisy, impudent, and sly — is the favorite, but the buzzard, the owl, the raven, the crow, the blackbird, the woodpecker, the whippoorwill, the sapsucker, the robin, the sparrow, the tomtit, the cuckoo, the partridge, and in love songs the mourning dove also appear, and of domestic fowl the turkey, the goose, the duck, chickens, and even the clamorous guinea fowl.
Of four-footed creatures those that are hunted for food are remembered most often, the rabbit, the opossum, the raccoon, the groundhog, the squirrel ; "varmints" too — the wildcat, the rat, the mouse, the weasel, even the lowly mole — are not forgotten. Domestic animals are there, of course, the horse, the mule — with which the Negro seems to have established special relations — the cow, the sheep, the goat, the hog, and the cat. Exotic creatures of the circus, the elephant, the monkey, the kangaroo, claim a place. In the zoologically lower orders we find the frog, the tadpole, the lizard, the terrapin, and snakes. Of fish only the catfish, delight of fish fries, and the shad are included — unless we count Jonah's whale a fish. Of the insects flies (including bluebottles), bees, hornets, junebugs, grasshoppers, fleas, mosquitoes.
Not all of these appear in this section of Songs. Often the jingles form parts of the longer medleys, like 'Old Dan Tucker,' 'Uncle Joe Cut Ofif His Toe,' 'Old Joe Clark,' which will be found among the Play-Party Songs ; or they are themselves such songs, as is the case with 'Pop Goes the Weasel,' 'Turkey in the Straw,' 'Shoot the Buffalo,' 'Pig in the Parlor,' 'Poor Little Kitty Puss.' Very many of them are nursery songs or rhymes: 'The Barnyard Song,' 'McDonald's Farm,' 'The Frog's Courtship,' 'Kitty Alone,' 'Poor Little Lamb Cries "Mammy," ' and others. Some we have classed as Work Songs : 'Old Blue,' 'The Ground Hog,' 'Old Bob Ridley.' So that the items assembled in this section are those that do not fit readily into any of the other classes of songs.
How many of these are of Negro origin it is hard to say. Very few of our texts are described by the contributors as sung by Negroes. But many of them are reported by other collectors as Negro songs. Some of them are old English rhymes: 'I Had a Little Horse Whose Name Was Jack' and probably 'Said the Blackbird to the Crow' and 'My Old Sow's Nose'; 'Row the Boat Ashore' derives from a chanty; 'What Makes the Wildcat Wild' looks like a nonsense song of college boys. Some seem pretty certainly to have achieved currency as minstrel stage products: 'The Billy Goat,' 'Johnson's Mule,' 'The Kicking Mule,' 'The Preacher Song,' 'The Animal Fair.' But one can seldom be sure that the songs of the burnt-cork boys have not been caught up from the Negro in the cotton patch or the construction gang; certainly many of them are now traditional songs of the blacks. And there is often in these jingles, especially those about the rabbit, the coon, the possum, and the terrapin, a sly humor that seems native to Uncle Remus.
152. Birds Courting
As Barry pointed out in his notes on the New England versions (BFSSNE XII 19), this goes back to a seventeenth-century English ballad 'The Woody Queristers,' found in the Roxburghe, Pepys, and Douce collections (Roxburghe Ballads VI 301-3). Some twenty birds speak in the English ballad; only the owl, turtledove, redbird. jaybird, sparrow, and raven appear in our North Carolina texts. The song — songs, perhaps one should say — is known in Maine (BFSSNE XII 19). Vermont (BFSSNE XII 20), Virginia (SharpK 11 304), and North Carolina (SharpK II 304), and something resembling it has been reported from Florida (SFLQ VIII 181). Our texts are less elegiac than the English song; they are suggestive of the social satire in such songs as 'When Young Men Go A-Courting' (p. 394). See also 'Said the Blackbird to the Crow,' below.
A. 'The White Owl with the White Head.' Obtained from J. R. Midgett of Wanchese, Roanoke Island, probably in 1922. With tlie tune, as sung by Mr. or Mrs. C. K. Tillett in December 1922.
1 In came the owl with his head right white
'Lonesome day and a lonesome night.
I thought I heard some pretty girl say,
"Court all night and sleep next day." '
2 In come the lonely turtle dove:
'That is not the way to keep her love.
If you want to gain her heart's delight
Keep her up hoth day and night.'
3 Up stepped the sparrow as he flew:
'If I was a young man I'd have two;
If one forsake me and from me go
I'd still have a string to my how, how, how.'
B. No title. From Miss Gertrude Allen (later Mrs. Vaught), Taylorsville, Alexander county. Not dated. The first stanza almost identical with the first of A; the second runs:
'Oh,' said the raven as he flew.
If I'd been a young man I'd have two;
One might forsake me and the other might go,
Still I'd have a string to my bow, bow, bow.'
C. No title. Reported by W. C. Royster from Wake county with the notation: "Before the Civil War — personal recollections refreshed by talking with other old people."
1. Said the sparrow in the grass,
'I wish I had my bottle and glass
And my true love to drink with me;
Then oh, how happy I would be !'
Refrain: To my rye fol dol de diddle dol day
To my rye fol dol de diddle dol day
2 Said the lonesome, lonesome dove,
T'll tell you a better way for to gain her love:
Keep her up all night and all the next day
And never give her time to say "Go 'way !" '
D. 'Bird Song.' Reported in 1923 by Mrs. Nilla Lancaster from Wayne county. This has no element in common with A, but its chorus and its first stanza link it with C, as C is linked by its second stanza with A.
1 'Long came a jay bird, hopping in the grass.
With his bottle and his glass.
'Say, fine lady, won't you drink with me?
Oh, how happy we will be !'
Chorus: Rye fol dol dol dil dol da
Rye fol dol dol dil dol da
2 'Whoop-dy doopty' went the old owl, sitting on a limb.
Learning how to tailor so as to cut him out a coat ;
Every fine lady he saw pass by
Nod his head and wink one eye.
3 Says the redbird to himself.
'Meat and bread upon the shelf;
Wouldn't be afraid, bet my life.
Fetch her home to be my wife.'
153. The Jaybird
The jay, with his confidence and his impudence, appears to have struck the folk fancy, especially of the Negroes. His death by whooping-cough is sung in South Carolina (JAFL XIV 425), Alabama (ANFS 243), and Mississippi (JAFL XXVI 133-4), and is
reported without specific location by Mrs. Richardson (AMS 99) and Talley (Negro Folk Rhymes 36). Snatches more or less like the second stanza of A are known in Virginia (FSV 201), Tennessee (BTFLS II 30), North Carolina (JAFL XXVI 131), Georgia
(SharpK 11 305), and Iowa (JAFL XLIV 170), as a square-dance song in the Midwest (Ford, Traditional Music of America 96),
and as sung by Negroes in the South (Talley 14-15, TNFS 191 ).
A. 'Jay Bird Died with the Whoopingcough.' Obtained in 1927 by Juilan P. Boyd from Minnie Lee, pupil in the school at Alliance, Pamlico county.
1 Jay bird died with the whoopingcough.
Black bird died with the colic;
'Long came a toad-frog with his tail bobbed off
And that broke up the frolic.
2 He winked at me and I winked at him,
I picked up a piece o' brickbat and hit him on the chin.
He says, 'Oh, little man, don't do that again!'
And that broke up the frolic.
B. 'Jaybird Died with the Whoopingcough.' Communicated by Thomas Smith of Zionville, Watauga county, probably in 1913 or thereabouts, as a "dance song — fiddle and banjo," known to have been sung and played there "nearly eighty years ago."
Jaybird died with tlie whoopingcough.
Sparrow died with the colic.
On came a frog with a fiddle cm his back
Inquiring the way to the frolic.
C. 'Way Down Yonder a Long Way Off.' Reported in 1914 by Charles R. Bagley of Moyock, Currituck county, as learned from his grandparents there.
Way down yonder, a long way off,
A jay bird died with the whooping cough.
Still shirt collar, three rows of stitches.
Square-toed boots and short-legged breeches.
D. No title. Reported by V. C. Royster of Wake county as having come down from before the Civil War — "personal recollections refreshed by talking with other old people."
A jay bird sal on a hickory limb,
He winked at me, I winked at him.
I picked up a rock and hit him on the shin;
Says he, 'Ole fellow, don't you do that again.'
154. Redbird and Jaybird
For other jingles about the jay, see pp. 201-2. A number of rhymes about him are reported by Perrow from Mississippi, gathered from both blacks and whites (JAFL xxvi 133), and by Miss Scarborough (TNFS no, in) and Talley (Negro Folk Rhymes
14-15) from the blacks, but none of them is just the same as our texts.
A. 'When I Went Down to Sycamore Town.' Found, without indication of its source, written down on the back of a Folk-Lore Society card and dated October 30, 1920. Probably Dr. Brown got his informant to write it down but omitted to add the informant's name. The jaybird and the redbird appear only in the last stanza.
1 When I went down to Sycamore town
The water was wide and deep.
I hopped upon an old gray goose
And galloped across the creek.
2 When I first got on the other side
The first thing met my mind
I saw twelve partridges pulling a plow,
With the foremost one behind.
3 The jaybird sat on the redbird's nest.
The redbird sat and mourned.
The blind man sat and shopped his shoe,
And the boatman blowed his horn.
B. 'Red Bird Sitting in a Jay Bird's Nest.' Contributed by Charles F. Bagley in 1914, as learned from his grandparents in Moyock, Currituck county. Olxservc that the position of the two birds is here reversed from what it is in A.
Redbird sitting in jaybird's nest,
Jaybird sitting in de morn.
Oh, look at the blind man sewing up tlie shoe
And the dead man just comin' to.
155. Jaybird Up in the 'Simmon Tree
See the headnotes to 'The Jaybird,' ahove, and 'Possum Up a 'Simmon Tree,' below.
'Jaybird Up in the 'Simmon Tree' From Thomas J. Gill, Jr., a Trinity College student (A.B. 1914), witli later address Laurinburg, North Carolina.
Jaybird up in the 'siiiiinon tree.
Sparrows on the ground;
Jaybird knocks the 'sininions down,
Sparrows hand them round.
Another copy, slightly different, from the same informant. This has "sparrow" instead of "sparrows" and "shake" instead of "knocks."
156. Said the Blackbird to the Crow
Here to the basic stanza — A, the first stanza of B and C, and the last stanza of D and E — have been added divers stanzas dealing with the love affairs of birds, very much in the fashion of the songs given above under the title 'Birds Courting.' Davis (FSV 202-3) reports it from Virginia and Randolph (OPS II 355-7) has versions from Arkansas and Missouri.
A. 'Said the Blackbird to the Crow.' Reported in 191 5 by K. P. Lewis as obtained from Dr. Kemp P. Battle of Chapel Hill.
Said the blackbird to the crow,
'What makes white folks hate us so?'
*Oh, ever since okl Adam was born
It's been our trade to pull up corn.
And that's why white folks hate us.'
B. 'Said the Blackbird to the Crow.' From Mrs. Laura M. Cromartie, Garland, Sampson county. Not dated. One supposes that tiie first person pronoun at the beginning of each stanza has crept in from the answers in the familiar nursery rhyme 'Who Killed Cock Robin?'
1. I, said the blackbird to the crow,
'What makes white folks hate us so?'
"Cause pull up corn has been our trade
Eber since old Adam was made.'
2. I, said the tomtit as he run,
'Oh, if I had a bottle of rum
An' two pretty girls to drink with me.
Oh, how happy I would be!'
3. I, said the wood peck in the tree,
'I once courted a fair laidee.
She grew fickle and from me fled ;
Eber since my head's been red."
C. 'The Blackbird and the Crow.' From Obadiah Johnson of Crossnore, Avery county, in 1920.
1. Blackbird says unto the crow,
'The reason why we're hated so,
Ever since old Adam's been born
It's been our trait to pull up corn.'
2. 'Hi,' says the blackbird, sittin' on a chair,
'Once I courted a lady fair;
She proved fickle and turned her back.
And ever since then I've dressed in black.'
3 'Hi,' says the woodpecker, sittin' on a fence,
'Once I courted a handsome wench;
She proved fickle and from me fled.
And ever since my head's been red.'
4 'Hi,' says the robin as away he flew,
'When I was a young man 1 chose two.
If one didn't love me, the other one would.
And don't you think my notion's good?'
D. 'Sapsuck A-Sucking Up a Hollow Gum Tree.' Reported by Charles R. Hagley in 1913 from Moyock, Currituck county, as learned from his grandparents there.
1. Sapsuck a-sucking up a hollow gum tree,
'Once I comled a fair ladie;
She proved false and from me fled ;
Ever since my head's been red.'
2 Up stepped the blackbird, said to the crow,
'What makes the farmer hate us so?'
'It's been the case ever since I've been born,
'Cause we jnill up the farmer's corn.'
E. 'Too Hoo, Says de Owl.' From Miss Jean Holeman of Durham in 1922. With the music. Perhaps a chance putting together of two familiar stanzas. The first is similar to the final stanza of 'Hidi (Jiiili Lodi Quili," which will be found in the section on Work Songs.
1. 'Too-hoo!' says de owl a-settin' in de tree,
'What's to come o' you an' me?
De creek's all muckly an' de pon's all dry.
If 'twan't fer de tadpoles we'd all die.'
2 Says de blackbird to de crow,
'What makes white folks hate us so?
Ever since I been born
Been my trade to pull up corn.'
157. The Crow and the Weasel
Of the many jingles about birds, beasts, and fishes current among both whites and blacks in the Southern states, this one seems to have escaped the eyes of collectors.
'The Crow He Peeped at the Weasel.' Reported by K. P. Lewis from the singing in 1910 of Dr. Kemp P. Battle of Chapel Hill.
The crow he peeped at the weasel,
The crow he peeped at the weasel,
The crow he peeped at the weasel,
AND
The weasel he peeped at the crow.
158. Chicken in the Bread Tray
This might as well, perhaps, be captioned 'Granny, will your dog bite?" for the two pairs of lines commonly go together. Miss Scarborough (TNFS 194) calls it something that "every Southerner knows." It has been reported from Virginia (FSV 232). Kentucky (Shearin 38). Tennessee (JAFL xxvi 130), South Carolina (JAFL XXVI 127, XLIV 431, in both cases from Negroes). Alabama (ANFS 241, Negroes), and Talley gives it in his Negro Folk Rhymes 7. Ford, Traditional Music of America 36. gives it as a square-dance song. It appears seven times in our collection, with little variation in form. The following, reported by Antoinette Beasley of Monroe, Union county, seems to be the standard text:
Chicken in the bread tray
Scratching out dough.
Granny, will your dog bite?
No, chile, no.
Of the other texts one, from Louise Bennett of Middleburg, Vance county, has "plate" for "tray" and "pickin' up" for "scratching out"; another, from Win. C. Daulken, who was a student at the University of North CaroHna in 1915, has "pickin' up" for "scratching out" and "mammy" for "granny"; another, from V. C. Royster, Wake county, adds a line:
Get out er the corner, do, gals, do;
and another, from Caroline Biggers of Union county, has only the last two lines of the quatrain.
159. The Old Black Hen
A scrap somewhat resembling this has been reported as sung by Negroes (Talley 37-8). Otherwise I have not found it.
'Master Had an Old Black Hen.' Contributed by Mamie Mansfield from the Fowler School District, Durham county, in July 1922.
Master had an old black hen.
Black as any bear.
Laid and set in an acorn shell
Eighteen inches square.
160. Get Along, John, the Day's Work's Done
This caption is not significant, but one does not know how else to title the jingle. The second and third lines of it appear with
various minor changes as folk song in divers regions : in Ontario (JAFL XXXI 115, 148), Tennessee (JAFL xxvi 130), South Carolina (JAFL XXII 376, XLIV 435) ; in the Bahamas it is used as a prelude or motto at the beginning of folk tales (JAFL XII 486- 500) ; what seems to be a trace of it is found in an Indiana play-party song (Wolford 100).
'Get Along, John, the Day's Work's Done.' Reported by J. G. McAdams apparently from .Alamance county as a "song jingle" "heard sung during my childhood."
Get along, lohn, the day's work's done.
The goose chewed the 'bacco and the cat drank the wine,
The kitten played the fiddle on the strawberry vine.
161. Possum Up a 'Simmon Tree
Variants of this rhyme are numerous. For further examples, from all parts of the South, see Perrow (JAFL xxvi 131 ff.),
Scarborough (TNFS 173), White (ANFS 236-8). It has been mixed in with the 'Old Bob Ridley' corn-husking song, too; see pp. 229-32. below. Rndolph (OFS 11 361 ) reports a stanza from Missouri using the first two lines of our version D. Mrs. Steely found it in the Ebenezer community in Wake county.
A. No title. From Miss Louise Bennett, .Mi(kllel)urg, \anoe county. No date given.
Posstim up a '.sininion tree,
Rabbit on de ground.
Rabbit said to de possum dar,
'Shake deni 'sinmions down.'
B
'Possum Up de 'Simmon Tree.' From Miss Eura Mangum, Durham,
1922.
Possum up the 'simmon tree,
Rabbit on the ground.
Rabbit said to possum.
Rabbit said to possum,
'Throw some 'simmons down.'
c
'Possum Up the 'Simmon Tree.' From J. Ben Harris, Warren county.
No date given.
Possum up the 'simmon tree,
Raccoon in the hollow.
Wake up. Black Snake,
June-bug stole a half a dolla' !
D
'Possum Up a Gum Tree.' From Mrs. C. C. Thomas, place and date
not given.
Possum up a gum tree,
Cooney in a hollow ;
Dinah's in the mudhole ;
Don't vou hear her holler?
'Raccoon Up de Tree.' Reported by Jesse L. Peterson, Durliam, as
heard in Sampson county in 191 1. The last line seems to he misreported.
Raccoon up de tree,
Possum on de ground.
Raccoon spit in de possum's face
'N de possum slop de possum down.
F
There is in the Collection also a text from Afartinsville, Virginia, con-
tributed probably in 1920 by Miss Julia E. Self (later Mrs. L. E.
Blackwell ) :
208 N (J R T II CAROLINA FOLKLORE
Possum up the 'sinimon tree,
Raccoon on the ground.
Raccoon says to the possum,
'Shake me some 'simmons down.'
162
De Possum Am a Cunning Thing
Similar stanzas appear in 'Lynchburg Town,' but not the chorus.
See also the Negro songs reported by White, ANFS 237-8. The
"Sandy" chorus is known also in Missouri (OFS 11 334).
A
'De Possum Am a Cunning Thing.' From Aliss E. A. Pool, Raleigh
(not dated) .
1 De possum am a cunning thing,
He trabbles in de dark.
Nuthin' 't all disturbs his mind
Twel he hear ole Ranger hark.
CJwnis:
Do come along. Sandy boy.
Do come along, oh, do.
Don't you hear de jaybird sing?
O Sandy, won't you come along too?
2 De squirrel am a pretty thing.
He's got a bushy tail ;
He eat up all ole Masser's corn
Er-settin' on a rail.
B
'De Possum Am a Cunning Thing.' From George Lawrence Andrews,
Raleigh, about 1927-29. Almost identical with A.
'The Raccoon Is a Cunning Thing.' From J. D. Johnson, Jr., Garland,
Sampson county, in 1919, "sung to the banjo by an old Negro in Eastern
N. C."
The raccoon is a cunning thing. •
He walketh in the dark,
And never thinks to curl his tail
Till he hears old Ranger hark.
163
The Raccoon Has a Bushy Tail
This stanza appeared early in blackface minstrel songs (of.
'Lynchburg 'IVnvn'). Davis reports it from Virginia (FSV 319)
and Ran<l()l])b from Missouri (OFS 11 334).
J I N ti L !•: S A li O f T A N 1 M A L S 209
A
'De Raccoon Has a Bushy Tail.' From James E. Lyon, Jr., Trinity Col-
lege student, December 5, lyiy; "heard at High Point, N. C, in 1911."
With the music. White (A NFS 234) gives the same text from Ala-
bama Negroes, and adds tiiat he has it also from South Carolina as
well as from Lyon.
De raccoon has a bushy tail,
De possum tail am bare,
De rabbit has no tail at all.
Ah little bunch ub hair.
B
'Raccoon Wears a Bushy Tail.' From Miss Jewell RoI)bins, Pekin,
Montgomery county, in July 1922.
Raccoon wears a bushy tail.
Possum's tail is bare ;
Rabbit he comes skipping along,
Got no tail to spare.
No title. From an informant identified only as Hodgin, southeastern
N. C. The chorus is from 'Cindy' (given among Blackface Minstrel
songs in this collection). With stanza 2 compare 'Jaybird Up in the
'Simmon Tree' above. Stanza 3 suggests a square dance song.
1 Raccoon got a bushy tail,
The possum's tail is bare ;
The rabbit got no tail at all,
just a little bunch of hair.
Chorus:
(jit along home, Cindy,
Git along home, Cindy,
Git along home, Cindy,
Ise bound to join the band.
2 Possum uj) the 'simmon tree.
Raccoon (jn the ground.
Possum shake the 'simmons down.
Raccoon pass 'em around.
3 Swing and change and don't get lost ;
Tomorrow may be Sunday.
164
De PossiM Sits on 'Simmon Tree
The allusions seem to be to Charles Manly, of Wake county, who
was governor of North Carolina January i. 1849 — January i, 1851,
N.C.F., Vol. III. (16)
210 NORTH CAROLINA FOLKLORE
and to D. S. Reid, of Rockingham county, wlio was governor Jan-
uary I, 1851 — December 6, 1854.
From a clipping from the Weekly Register or A^ortli Carolina Gazette,
August 31, 1850, contributed by Miss Belair.
1 De possim sits on 'simmon tree
And feeds himself quite fat.
Put Manly on de stump for me,
I'm dog he'll soon leave dat.
2 So down along- de railroad
De cars go puff along.
An' ebbery nigger dat she meets
Dey shouts and sings dis song.
3 I now miLst go an' pick my toof,
It akes so very bad.
But since Reid's our Governor forsooth,
I feels my pain so glad.
165
Over the Hills So Far Away
Here the refrain holds together — more or less — two fragmentary
jingles about animals. The line about the old cow dying at the
fork of the branch has been reported from Virginia (TNFS 107),
South Carolina (JAFL xliv 425), Alabama (ANFS 230, 243),
and even Patagonia (FB 163, with a quite different refrain).
Among the many jingles about the rabbit, the raccoon, and the
opossum I have not found just what is here said about the possum
elsewhere.
'Possum Ran from Under the Barn.' Reported in 1913 by William B.
Covington as among his "reminiscences of my early youth spent in the
country on the border of the sand hills of Scotland county." He calls
it a "hunting song."
Possum ran from under the barn.
Fiddle l)ow imder his arm.
The only tune that he could play
Was over the hills so far away.
Over the hills so far away.
Over tile hills so far away.
The old cow died in the fork of the branch,
Over the hills so far away ;
Possum had a regular dance,
Over the hills so far away.
Over the hills so far away,
Over the hills so far awav.
J I N C. L K S A I! U T A N I M A L S 211
1 66
Rahhit in the Log
Reported as Negro song known in Tennessee (ANFS 283), Ala-
bama (ANFS 233, 2St,), and Mississippi (JAFL xxvi 127).
■Rahhit Song.' Reported in 1913 by William B. Covington as another of
bis "reminiscences of my early youth spent in the country on the border
of the sand bills of Scotland (.dunty."
Rabbit in tbe log-
An' I ain't got no dog.
Sbotitin' an' singin",
Gwine home.
167
Old Molly Hare (Mr. Rabbit)
Tlie rhymes about 'Old Molly Hare' and 'Mr. Rabbit' seem to
run together, at least in North Carolina tradition — see texts A and
G below. An api)arently early printing of the song appears in The
Xcgro Singer's Own Song Book: Containing Every Negro Song
Tlictt Has Ever Been Snng or Printed (New York: Turner and
Fisher, n.d.), p. 32. It begins:
Oh hare, what you doing dar ?
Sitting in de corner smoking pipe,
Full cut dried tobacco.
For texts of the "old Molly Hare" type from outside the state, see
Perrow (JAFL xxvi 132, from Mississippi Negroes), Talley
{Negro Folk Rhymes 22), Ford (Traditional Music of America 37
and 40, a square-dance song), Randolph (OF.S 11 359, Missouri),
and Joel Chandler Harris (Uncle Remus. His Songs and Sayings
[1928 ed.] 24); Davis lists it from Virginia (FSV 250). For
"Mr. Rabbit' texts see Mary W. F. Spears (JAFL xxiii 435-6,
from the singing of Negroes in Virginia and Maryland), Perrow
again (JAFL xxvi 132), Odum (JAFL xxiv 356, NS 215), Mrs.
Ames (JAFL xxiv 317, Missouri play-party song), Dorothy Scar-
borough (TNF.S 173-5. Negroes in South Carolina and Mississippi),
and Holzknecht (JAFL xli ^jt,, Negroes in Louisville).
A
'Ole Molly Hare, What You Doiii' There?' Reported in igi3 by Wil-
liam B. Covington as part of his "reminiscences of my early youth spent
in the country on the border of the sand hills of Scotland county."
1 *01e Molly Hare, what you doin' there?'
'Riinnin' through the cotton patch hard as I can tear.'
2 'Bru'r Rabbit, Bru'r Rabbit, what makes your ears so
long?'
' 'Cause, by God, they're put on wrong.'
212 NORTH CAROLINA FOLKLORE
3 'Bru'r l\abl)it, IJru'r Rabbit, what makes you look so
shy?'
"Cause, my Lord, I don't want to die.'
4 'Bru'r Rabbit, Bru'r Rabbit, what makes you look so thin?'
"Cause, by God, I'm burning the wind.'
5 "Bru'r Rabbit, Bru'r Rabbit, what makes your tail so
white ?'
"Cause, by God, I'm going out of sight.'
And the contributor notes : "Couplets unlimited."
B
'Ole Molly Hare.' From Miss Jewell Robhins, Pekin, Montgomery
county, in 1921. With the tune. The first couplet of A, with the fol-
lowing refrain — which seems to be a memory of 'Shule Aroon,' for
which see Volume II.
Shrum shrew shack a lack, shack a lack a shay.
Shrum shrew, shrum shrew, shack a lack a shay.
c
'Ole Molly Hare.' From Miss Louise Lucas of White Oak, Bladen
county, in 1922. With the tune. It looks as though it were intended
to be question and answer, in which case the "you" of the second and
last lines should be "I."
Ole AloUy Hare, where you going there ?
Going to the cotton patch as hard as you can tear.
Been to my house eating my grub.
Going to the cotton patch as hard as you can tear.
D
No title. Reported by Dorothy McDowell Vann of Raleigh. Not dated.
'Ole Molly Hare, what you doing there?"
'Trotting through the cotton patch as hard as I can tear.
Little piece of meat, big piece of bread.
I'm getting hungry and want to go to bed.'
E
'Old Molly Hare." Reported by J. C. McAdams (no date or place
given). Merely the first couplet of A with "going" for "running" in
the second line.
'Ole Molly Har'.' Reported by K. P. Lewis as set down from the sing-
ing (or recitation) of Dr. Kemp P. Battle of Ciiapel Hill in lyio. Only
two lines remembered :
'Ole Molly Har', watcher doin' dar?'
'Settin' in de corner, smokin' a cigar.'
T I N r. T. F. S A H () r T A X 1 M A L S 213
•Old Molly Hare.' Kepdrtcd by Miss Clara Ik-arnc nf Pittslioro, Chat-
ham county, in 1923 or thereabouts.
1 -Old Molly Hare, what you doing there,
Running through the cotton patch as hard as you can
tear ?
2 "Old Mt)lly Hare, your tail's mighty white.'
'Yes. my lawdy. I'm takin' it out of sight.'
H
•Old Molly Hare.' From McKinnon, eastern North Carolina. No
date recorded. Merely the initial couplet of A.
I
'Mr Rabbit' From the Misses Holeman, of Durham, in 1921 or there-
abouts Richard T. Wyche had already contributed the same text (from
which it will be observed, "old Molly Hare" has entirely disappeared)
as obtained from a Negro near Greensboro. Gudford county. Dr \\ hite
notes on the Holeman manuscript that in 1911-13. and possibly later, a
baseball rooting song sung at Trinity College was based on this. It ran
Wake Forest, Wake Forest, your face mighty long this morning.
Oh, your face mighty long.
Yes, by God, it was put on wrong
This morning, this evening, so soon.
1 'Mr. Rabbit. Mr. Rabbit, your ears are mighty thin.'
'Yes. bless God. they're splittin' the win'.'
2 'Mr. Rabbit. Mr. Rabbit, your head's mighty long.'
'Yes. my Lord, 'twas put on wrong."
3 'Mr. Rabbit. Mr. Rabbit, your feet's mighty round."
'Yes, my Lord, they're hittin' the ground."
4 'Mr. Rabbit, Mr. Rabbit, your tail's mighty white.'
'Yes. bless God. Lm kyarin' it out o' sight.'
168
The Rabbit Skipped, the Rabbit Hopped
Rhymes and jingles about the ral)l)it are ahuost as many, especially
in the South, as those about the possum and the coon. This par-
ticular bit has already been reported from North Carolina (bSSH
437) and something like it from Texas (TNFS 108) ; Shearin ( 3« >
mentions what may be the same thing as known in Kentucky.
'The Rabbit Skipped. Nursery Rhyme.' Reported l)y Mrs. Doris Over-
ton r^)rim of Durham in 1922.
The rabbit skipped, the rabbit hopped,
The rabbit bit olif the turnip top.
214 NORTH CAROLINA FOLKLORE
169
Rabbit Stole de Greens
From C. R. Bagley of Moyuck, Currituck county, Trinity college stu-
dent in 1914, with note that it was from eastern North Carolina and
belonged to a class of songs "known among the Negroes as breakdowns."
1 Rabbit stole de greens,
Rabbit stole de greens,
Rabbit stole de greens.
Break down, Molly, boo. boo,
Break down, Molly, boo, boo.
2 Big pot o' punkins,
Little pot o' peas ;
De ole bar smile
To see de pot bile.
Break down, Molly, boo, boo,
Break down, Molly, boo, boo.
170
It's All Night Long
From Miss Kate S. Russell, Roxboro, Person county, about 1923.
Of all tbe animals in tbis world
rd ratber be a squirrel.
I'd climb upon a telepbone pole
And peep all over tbis world.
It's all nigbt long.
It's all night long.
171
Mr. Squirrel
Althoug:h the squirrel figures often (but not as often as the
rabbit, the coon, and the possum ) in Southern folk song, this par-
ticular bit has not been found elsewhere.
'.\Ir. Squirrel." Obtained from Miss Valeria Johnson Howard, Rose-
boro, Sampson county.
One day Mr. Scjuirrel went up a tree to bed.
A great big bickory nut fell upon bis bead.
'Altbougb 1 am fond of nuts.' Mr. Squirrel tben did say,
'I'd very mucb ratber tbat tbey wouldn't come tbis way.'
J I N c; L K S A I! () V T A N 1 M A L S 215
172
The Weasel and the Rat
Very likely (if music-hall origin, hut I have not found it in print.
'Weasel and the Rat.' Obtained from Mr.s. W. L. Pridgen of Durham
in 1023.
Weasel and the rat.
Mosqtiito and the cat.
Chicken and the bunihle-hee ;
The old baboon,
The fuzzy little coon ;
They all went wild but me.
173
Mole in the Ground
The Loniaxes print this (ABFS 152-3) from a Brunswick record
made by B. L. Lunsford. A variant of the last stanza appears m
a river roustabout's song in Mary Wheeler's Stcamboatin' Days,
pp. 86-7. The song is a medley possibly from the minstrel stage,
possibly originating among the roustabouts themselves.
'Mole in the Ground.' Sung in 1921 by Fred Moody, Jonathan's Creek,
Haywood county. With the tune.
1 I wish I was a mole in the ground ;
I wish I was a mole in the ground ;
If I's a mole in the ground I'd root that mountain down;
I wish I was a mole in the ground.
2 I don't like a railroad man ;
I don't like a railroad man ;
A railroad man will kill you when he can
And drink up your blood like wine.
3 Oh. Tempy wants a nine-dollar shawl ;
Oh, Tempy wants a nine-dollar shawl ;
When I come o'er the hill with a forty-dollar bill
Oh, it's 'Baby, where you been so long?'
4 And it's 'Where have you been so long?'
And it's 'Where have you been so long?'
'I've been in the bend with rough and rowdy men.'
'Tis 'Where have you been so long?'
5 I wisli 1 was a lizard in the sjjring;
I wish I was a lizard in the spring ;
If I's a lizard in the spring I'd hear my darlin' sing;
I wish I was a lizard in the spring.
2 16 NORTH CAROLINA F O L K L O R K
6 Oh. Tenipy, let your hair roll down;
Oh, Tenipy, let your hair roll down ;
Let your hair roll down and your bangs curl around ;
Oh, Tempy, let your hair roll down.
1/4
The Old Grey Horse Came Tearing Through
THE Wilderness
Sandburg (ASb 102) calls this a Negro spiritual. The contributor
of A calls it a lullaby song. For its occurrence elsewhere see Bot-
kin's The American Play-Party Song 268 and add to the references
there given Virginia (FSV 260-1, listed as a Civil War song), the
Ozarks (OPS 11 349-50), and Iowa (JAFL lvi 102). It is quite
distinct from the immediately following item of 'The Old Grey
Mare.'
A
'Roll, Riley, Roll.' Contributed by Miss Mamie E. Cheek of Durbani
in 1923.
The old grey horse came trotting down the wilderness.
Trotting down the wilderness, trotting down the wilder-
ness.
The old grey horse came trotting down the wilderness.
Down in Alabam.
Chorus:
Roll, Riley, roll,
Roll. Riley, roll.
Roll. Riley, roll.
Oh, Lord, I'm bound to go.^
B
No title. Reported by Sarab K. Watkins from Anson and Stanly
covinties.
Old grey horse come trottin' out'n the wil'erness. trottin'
out'n the wil'erness,
Old grey horse come trottin' out'n the wil'erness. down in
Alabam.
c
'Oh, tbe Old Grey Mare She Ain't What She Used to Be.' Communi-
cated in December 1919, by K. W. Litaker of Durham as beard in tlie
cotton fields of Cabarrus county "within tbe last two years." With t'le
tune as sung by Eula Mangum. This stanza is found along witli tbe
"wilderness" stanza in Botkin's te.xts and elsewhere.
' The word "Riley" is not capitalized in the manuscript, but one sup-
poses that it is a man's name.
J I N C. I. K S A R () r T A N I M A L S 217
Oh, the old i^rcy mare she ain't what she used to be.
She ain't what she used to be. she ain't what she used to
be.
( )h. the old grey marc she ain't what she used to be
Ten or twenty years ago.
175
The Old Grey Mare
Rhythm as well as content distinf::uish this from the preceding
sons^.
'Tlic Old (irey Mare.' Contrilnitcd by Mildred Peterson from Bladen
county. The first line of each stanza is sung three times.
1 Once I had an old grey mare.
Once I had an old grey mare.
Once I had an old grey mare,
Saddled her and rode her there.
2 When I got there she got tired.
She laid down in an old courtyard.
3 Then they begin to sing and pray ;
She jumped up and ran away.
4 Then I went down the road on her track ;
Found her in a mud hole flat on her back.
176
I Had a Little Horse Whose Name Was Jack
This jingle, descended probably from the old English nursery
rhyme (Halliwell 139) beginning
I had a little pony.
His name was Dapple-gray,
has been several times reported as folk song — the animal is more
often a mule than a horse and sometimes is a dog, and once the
name is Dap, not Jack. See TNFS 184. 185. JAFL xxvi 125,
x.xxii 376, XXXIV 2,7- XLi 574. 'dl from the Southern states.
No title. F'rom Flossie Marshbanks, Mars Hill. Madison county. No
date given.
I had a little horse whose name was Jack,
Put him in the stable and he jumped through the crack.
2l8 north carolina folklore
My Old Sow's Nose
See the headnote to Randolph's Missouri text, OFS iii 149-50;
known also in Virginia (FSV 147) and Kentucky (BKH 185).
One suspects that it is an old English country song, hut I have
failed to find it so recorded.
'What Shall I Do with My Old Sow's Nose?' From the manuscript
songbook of Mrs. Harold Glasscock of Raleigh, lent to Dr. White in
1943. Most of the songs in the book Mrs. Glasscock learned from her
parents.
1 'What shall I do with my old sow's nose?'
' 'Twill make as good plow. sir. as ever plowed rows.
Plow, sir, shovel, sir, any stich thing.'
Sow took the measles and she died in the spring.
2 "What shall I do with my old sow's head?'
' 'Twill make as good cheese
3 'What shall 1 do with my old sow's sides?'
' 'Twill make as good bacon, sir, as ever was fried.
Bacon, sir, lard, sir, any such a thing.'
Sow took the measles and she died in the spring.
4 'W^hat will I do with my old sow's hide?'
"Twill make as good saddle, sir, as ever yot: did ride.
Saddle, sir, blanket, sir, and any such a thing.'
Sow took the measles and she died in the spring.
5 'What shall I do with my old sow's feet?'
"Twill make as good souse, sir, as ever you did eat.
Souse, sir, soap, sir, any such a thing.'
Sow took the measles and she died in the spring.
6 'What shall 1 do with my old sow's tail?'
"Twill make as good whip, sir, as ever you did flail.
Whip, sir, stick, sir, any such a thing.'
Sow took the measles and she died in the spring.
178
The Old Sow
This nonsensical and fragmentary hit T have not found elsewhere.
'The Old Sow.' Contrilnited, apparently in 1922, by H. C. Martin of
Blowing Rock, Watauga county. With the tune. The first eight
syllables of the second line, and perhaps the last six of line 4. represent
a "whistled" refrain. "Several lines missing," says tlio manuscript.
J I N C. I. !•: S A 1! () U T A \ I M A I, S 2I9
And till' old sow went to the barn to pig,
Hi hee hi hee hi hee hi hee barn to pig.
And the old sow went to the barn to pig,
But never cry di cr\- do cry da
For old Susainia is a pretty woman. . . .
179
TllK KlTTKX Is UNDKK THK Sol)
'i'his hit of Jini;lc has not been found elsewhere. Is it a nursery
rhviue? Or iust a college nonsense chant, like 'Turn the I)anii)er
Up'?
"The Kitten is under tlie Sod.' Reported by K. P. Lewis of Durham a.s
sung by Dr. Kemp P. Battle of Chapel Hill. The direction is "repeat
in varied manner until singers are weary."
The kitten is under the sod, the sod.
The kitten is under the sod.
180
The Animal Fair
Spaeth (Krad 'lim and Weep ~g) gives this as a popular song
of "reconstruction days" but says nothing of its authorship. It is
reported as folk song from Virginia (FSV 204). Tennessee
(BTFLS V 45-6), Georgia (SSSA 241), and Missouri (OFS iii
207) ; also by Sandburg (ASb 348-9), by Miss Pound in her sylla-
bus, and by Talley for the Negroes {Negro Folk Rhymes 159-60).
Doubtless it is much more widely known than this list would indi-
cate. It appears only once in our collection.
'The Animal Fair.' Reported by Miss Foy in 1920; but the
manuscript does not mention the region.
1 I went to the animal fair ;
The birds and the beasts were there.
The big raccoon by the light of the moon
Was combing his auburn hair.
2 The monkey he got drunk
And fell on the elephant's trunk.
The ele])hant sneezed and fell on liis knees
And thai was the end of the monk, the monk, the monk.
181
The Monkey Marrhcu the Baboon's Sister
Spaeth, Read 'Em and Weep 18-19, -"^'^ys this comic song was sung
by Charles Taussig in "reconstruction days." Auner of Phila-
delphia printed it as a penny song. It is known probably all over
220 N' R T H CAROLINA F O L K 1. U R F.
the country: reported as traditional song from Maine ( FSONE
241-3), from Virginia (FSV 204), from the Southern mountains
(AMS 86-7), from Texas (TNFS i8o. Negroes), from Michigan
(BSSM 471), and without location by Sandburg ( ASb 143).
A
'Monkey Married the Baboon's Sister.' Reported by K. P. Lewis as
set down from the singing of Dr. Kemp P. P.attle of Chapel Hill in
1910.
1 The monkey married the baboon's sister.
Smacked his mouth and then he kissed her,
Kissed her so hard he raised a blister,
.And she set up a yell.
2 What do vou think the bride was dressed in?
A blue gauze veil and a green glass breastpin,
White kid gloves ; she was interestin' ;
Oh, she cut a swell.
B
'The Monkey Married the Baboon's Sister.' From Miss Amy Hender-
.son of Worry, Burke county, in 1914. The same as .\ e.xcept in the
second stanza, which runs :
What do you suppose the bride was dressed in ?
White gauze veil and a green glass breastpin.
Red kid gloves ; looked quite interesting ;
She was quite a belle.
c
'Monkey Married a Baboon's Sister.' Obtained by Julian P. Boyd in
1927 from Minnie Lee, pupil in the school at Alliance, Pamlico county.
The first four lines oidv, the fourth of wliicli varies from those of A
and B:
Ha ! ha ! ha ! And goodbye, John !
182
The Catfish
The A text, the only one that has more than one stanza, is to
be found in Mountain Songs of North Carol ina (New York: G.
Schirmer, n.d. ) by .Susannah Wetmore and Marshall Bartholomew,
pp. 25-7. The cattish stanza is known in Kentucky (JAFL xli.x
235, as a stanza of 'Turkey in the Straw'), South Carolina (JAFL
XLiv 436), and Texas (TNF.S 199), and has become a "jackfish"
in Virginia (SharpK 11 316, where it is called a jig and has a
chorus ) ; the snake and the hornet's nest found their wav to the
minstrel stage more than a hundred years ago (Damon's Scries of
Old American Songs No. 28 ) and have been reported more recently
from South Carolina (JAFL xi.iv 425 i and .Alabama (ANFS 203,
J I N G h K S A H O r T A N 1 M A L S 221
J46, TNFS 197), and Talley {Xcgro l-'olk Rhymes 103) reports the
Iiornet's nest; the terrapin and tlie toad are hnked together in un-
numbered Negro songs.
A
'Banjo Sam." Obtained from Obadiab Johnson of Crossnorc, Avery
county, probably in 1940.
1 Cattish, cattish, goin' up stream,
Cattish, cattish, wliere you been?
1 grabbed that cattish by the snout,
I pulled that cattish wrong side out.
Yo-ho ! Banjo Sam.
2 As I was goin' thro' the field
A blacksnake bit me on the heel.
I grabbed me a stick and I done my best,
And I ran my head in a hornet's nest.
Yo-ho ! Banjo Sam.
3 And^ I was goin' down the road,
I met a terrapin and a toad.
The terrapin he began to sing.
The toad he cut the pigeon wing.
Yo-ho ! Banjo Sam.
B-D
All of these consists only of tbe catfish stanza. B. contributed by Wil-
liam B. Covington as part of his "reminiscences of my early youtb in
the country on the border of tbe sand hills of Scotland county," runs
I saw that cattish going up stream,
I asked that cattish what did he mean ;
I caught that catfish by the snout,
I jerked that catfish wrong side out.
C, reported by McKinnon from eastern North Carolina, differs
from the first stanza of A but slightly :
Catfish, cattish, swimming up stream.
Ask that cattish what he means ;
Ketch that catfish by his snout.
Turn that cattish round side out.
D. from W. B. Leake of Rich S(iuarc. Northampton county, and called
"Negro fragment," differs altogether in its outcome :
Catfish swimming down the river,
Nigger threw out his line.
Catfish said to the nigger,
'Aha, you didn't ketch me that time.'
^ Miswritten, one supposes, for "As."
222 north carolina folklore
Lulu
A medlev. as are so many of the traditional songs of the Southern
mountains. Since our text was published in 1909 Henry has re-
ported a briefer version from Avery county (JAFL xlv 167-8,
FSSH 436-7). Perrow (JAFL xxvi 127) prints a song from Ken-
tucky containing our first stanza with "Dad's old lip" for "my old
ad" and suggests that our "ad" should be "dad" — the granddaddy of
all fish.
"Lulu.' Rejxjrted in JAFL xxii (1909) 248 by Louise Rand Bascom
from the mountain country of North Carolina, without more definite
location. Miss Bascom notes that the last two lines are "like the popular
song which used to be sung everywhere,
Johnnie get your hair cut,
Johnnie get your hair cut,
Johnnie get your hair cut
Just like mine."
1 I went a-fishin' an' fished for shad ;
First I catight was my old ad.
Jerked him tip an' he fell back,
Next one bit was a great big cat.
2 r 11 give yoti a nickel
An' I'll give you a dime
To see little Lulu
Cut her shine.
3 My old missus promised me
That when she died she'd set me free.
An' now she's dead an' gone to hell ;
Hope the devil will chtmk her well.
4 Shout, little Lulu,
Shout your best,'
Fur your ole grandniaw's
Gone to rest.
5 The hull frog's up
In the bottom of the well ;
He swore by God
He'd gone to hell.
6 He jumped in the fire
An' scorched his hand ;
If he ain't in a hot place
I'll be damned,
J I X C. I, F. S A H O r T ANIMALS 223
7 Love you fur a nickel,
Love you fur a dime ;
Lulu, get your hair cut
just like mine.
184
Jonah I'^ishing for a Whale
This appears to be a secularizing of a Bible theme. It has not
been found elsewhere. For Negro songs about Jonah, see pp. 405-8.
"Jonah Fishing for a Whale.' Reported by Judge R. W. Winston of
Chapel Hill.
1 Cheer up, cheer up, my lively lads,
Uon't let your spirits fail ;
h^or Jonah's down in Sampson pond
A-hshin' for a whale.
2 And when he ain't a-whaling
He's at some other fun —
Down in the swamp a-cutting reeds
To string his whales upon.
185
Sn.\ke Baked .\ Hoecake
White ANFS 158-9 and 246-7 presents evidence that this song
has been known in America since about 1810-12 and quotes from
a letter remarking upon its occurrence in Washington Irving's note-
book for 1817. Sharp found it as a nursery song in Virginia in
1918 ( SharpK 11 346), and Davis so reports it ( FSV 206). Not
improbably 'I Went Down to the Low Ground,' No. 187 of the
present collection, is derived from it. It appears also as the tinal
stanza of one of the lullabies, 116 B.
A
'Snake Baked A Hoecake.' Reported by K. P. Lewis, Durham, as set
down from the singing or recitation of Dr. Kemp P. Battle of Chapel
Hill in September lyio.
Snake haked a hoecake, set the frog to mind it.
Frog he went a-nodding, lizard came and stole it.
'Bring hack my hoecake, you long-tailed ninny !'
B
'The Snake Baked a Hoecake.' From .Miss Mamie Mansfield, I-^owler
School District, Durliam, in 1922.
The snake haked a hoecake,
Left the lizard to mind it.
224 NORTH CAROLINA F L K L R F.
The lizard came and stole it.
"You bring back my hoecake,
You long-tailed Nannie!'
'Snake Baked a Hoecake.' From Aliss Amy Henderson, Worry. Burke
county, about 191 5-
Snake baked a hoecake and set a frog to mind it.
Frog went to sleep and lizard come and find it.
186
Row THE Boat Ashore
Originally a capstan chanty and so reported from Lancashire
(JFSS II 248, where the refrain is "Roll the boat ashore") and
from Newcastle (JFSS v 43, where the refrain is "And you rowed
about the shore"). Divers American texts lack the refrain wliich
gives the title to our North Carolina text but yet are held together
by the mention of "the hog-eye" or "the hog-eyed man."^ So
texts from Kentucky (SharpK 11 360), Alabama (ANFS 246,
Negroes), and Wisconsin (JAFL lii 49-50). Sandburg reports
it from South Carolina Negroes (ASb 380) and from an old sailor
apparently at San Francisco (ASb 410-11), both times with a re-
frain which evidently represents our "Row the Boat Ashore." Our
North Carolina text has lost all consciousness of the sea.
■Rodybodysho." Reported by Evelyn Moody from Stanly county.
1 .As I went through my harvest field
A black snake caught me by the heel.
I wheeled around to run my best
And I ran my head in a hornets' nest.
Chorus:
Rodybodysho and a hog eye.
Rodybodysho and a hog eye.
All I eat is hog eye meat.
2 As I went down the Cheraw hill
There I met my brother Hill
Sitting on a potato hill
Cracking the hones of a whippoorwill.
'Written 'hawk's-eye man' in JFSS n 248, where it is noted that a
te.xt in Tozer's Sailor So>ujs writes it "ox-eyed man." The meaning of
the phrase is not clear. Sharp. JFSS v 43, quotes Whall's Ships. Sea
Sotujs, and Shanties: "the barges in which gold-diggers were conveyed
to California in 1849 were known as 'hog-eyes.' " Odum, JAFL xxiv
270, says that among the Negroes "on a hog" means "broke." But in
the songs listed above it seems to have an erotic implication.
J 1 N (I I. K S A H () r T A N 1 M A I. S 225
3 I went down to ni\- pea patch
To see if luy ole hen had hatched.
The eggs was pipped, the chickens all gone,
Down in the low-grounds scratching up corn.
187
1 Wknt Down to tuk Low Ground
The first line of this occurs in a stanza (|U()tetl by Cox (SFLQ vi
249) from a version of 'Shoot the BulYalo' given in MWS. Other-
wise 1 have not found it recorded by collectors. But see 'Snake
Baked a Hoecake,' above.
No title. Contril)utecl, in 1923 or therealxuits, liy R. S. Russell of Rox-
boro, Person county.
1 went down to the low ground
To see about my farm ;
I ran upon a black snake
With an ash cake under his arm.
How come that snake don't die?
How come that snake don't die?
188
As I Went Up the Silver L.\ke
This 1 have not found reported elsewliere.
'.As I Went up the Silver Lake. Nursery Rbyme.' Reported, i)rol)ably
in 1922, I)y Airs. Doris Overton Brim of Durbam.
As I went up the silver lake
There I met a rattlesnake.
He did eat so much cake
That he had the tunniiy ache.
189
Way Down Yonder in Pasquotank;
For divers rhymes about die bullfrog, see White's note, ANFS
244. Our particular rhyme he says be has known from boyhood.
Forms of it showing the rhyme with "bank" (though not the proper
noun Pascjuotank ) have been reported from Virginia (FSV 151 ),
Tennessee (JAFL .xxvi 135), Soudi Carolina (JAFL xliv 425.
Negroes), Alabama (ANFS 244), and Mississippi (JAFL xxvi
135)-
'Pasquotank.' Contributed, probably in 191 3, by the Reverend L. D.
Haynian of Elizabeth City, Pasquotank county. Witli the tune.
X.C.E.. V(.]. Ill, (17)
226 N t) R T H C A R O L I N A FOLKLORE
Way down ycmder in Pasquotank.
Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank,
They jump so high they break their shank.
The old grey goose went "yankety yank.'
190
Ninety-Nine Blue Bottles
This sounds like a college song, though it may of course be a
music-hall product. It is listed in Miss Pound's Midwestern sylla-
bus, with "forty-nine" instead of "ninety-nine." Randolph (OPS
III 210) reports" it from Missouri. Presumably the blue bottles are
bluebottle flies, though the term is not hyphenated in the manuscript.
'Ninety-Nine Blue Bottles.' Reported by K. P. Lewis as obtained in
1910 from Dr. Kemp P. Battle of Chapel Hill.
T Ninety-nine blue bottles were hanging on the wall ;
Take one blue bottle away from them all
And ninety-eight blue bottles will be hanging on the wall.
2 Ninety-eight blue bottles were hanging on the wall ;
Take one blue bottle away from them all
And ninety-seven blue bottles will he hanging on the wall.
"Etc., etc., until tj-.c last blue bottle is removed or until the singer faints
from exhaustion."
191
A Picnic
This the editor heard recited by an old carpenter and boatman in
Michigan some thirty years ago, l)ut he has not succeeded in finding
it in print. Presumably it is a product of the vaudeville stage.
'A Picnic' Contributed in 1923 by Clara Hearne of Pittsboro, Chatham
county.
What's any better than a picnic ?
The victuals all on the ground.
Flies in the buttermilk, bugs in the butter,
/\nd the skeeters hunmiing around.
Chorus:
Gain' down, children,
Goin' down, 1 .say ;
Goin' down, children.
To have a holiday.
J 1 N t; L E S A H U T ANIMALS 227
192
Two Ijttlk r^LEAS
This l)it of folk Iiunior. a ])art of the miscellaneous folk song
dealing with birds, beasts, tishes. and insects in which this ])art of
the country abounds, I have not found elsewhere.
'Two Fleas.' Communicated by Mrs. W. L. Pridgen of Durham, prol)-
ably in 1923.
Two little fleas sat on u rock.
One to the other said :
'I've had no place to hang my hat
Since niy poor dog's been dead.
I've searched this whole world over ;
No longer shall I roam.
The first dog that shall show himself
Shall be my Home, Sweet Home.'
193
Went to the River .\xd I Couldn't Get Across
This jingle is ubicjuitous in the .South — see White's note, ANFS
194-5: Randolph (OFS 11 330-1 ) reports it also from Missouri —
but the traveler usually has recourse to an old grey, or blind, horse
(in New Orleans [TNFS 185] to an alligator, in Kentucky [JAFL
XXVI 197] to a possum). The Negro as a means of transportation
appears, however, in versions from South Carolina (TNFS 184)
and (apparently) from Texas (TNFS 184). See also No. 462,
below.
"Went to tlie River and I Couldn't Get Across.' From Dr. E. V. Howell
of Chapel Hill. Not dated. One couplet only.
Went to the river and I couldn't get across.
Jumped on a nigger's hack and thought he was a horse.