CHAPTER V: THE SOCIAL SONGS OF THE NEGRO
Increasing Popularity of the Social Songs. In the last twenty years there has been a marked increase in the popularity of the Negro's social songs. [1] Whereas during slavery and for a long time thereafter religious themes predominated in the songs of the Negro, there has now grown up a group of secular songs magnificent in its proportions and rich in variation. These songs
vary from the filthiest thoughts of the "rounder" to the loftiest sentiments of the lover, and every Negro child in the South falls heir to some part of this apparently unlimited body of song. Perhaps the diminishing importance of the older religious themes means that the Negro has finally outgrown that former disposition to sing himself away from a world of sorrow and trouble and is coming more and more to sing himself and his troubles through that world.
Not Pure Folk Songs.
The songs in this collection are Negro songs in that they have had their origin and growth among the Negroes, or have been adapted so completely that they have become the common property of the Negroes. As Dr. John Meir has said, they are "folk-poetry which, from whatever source and for whatever reason, has passed into the possession of the folk, the common people, so completely that each singer or reciter feels the piece to be his own." [2]
Each singer alters the song according to his own thoughts and feelings. Clearly many of the songs are adapted forms of well-known ballads; others, which in all probability had their origin among the Negroes, resemble very strongly the folk songs of other people; while still others combine in a striking way original features with the borrowed. In any case, the song, when it has become the common distinctive property of the Negroes, must be classed with Negro folk songs.
Origins of the Social Songs.
Fortunately many of the songs current among the Negroes today are of such a nature that their general origins may be traced with considerable accuracy. All of the songs popularly called "Nigger songs" are by no means genuine Negro
songs. In fact, the great mass of present-day Negro
songs may be divided into three classes, the third
constituting the folk songs : First, the modern "Nigger
songs," popular "hits" and "blues"; second, such
songs greatly modified and adapted partially by the
Negroes; third, songs originating with the Negroes
or adapted so completely as to become common Negro
songs. The second class easily arises from the popular
songs varied through constant singing or through
misunderstanding of the original versions. These
songs appear to be typical of the process of song-
making and indicate the facility of the Negroes in
producing their own songs from material of any sort.
The third class is made up of the approximate folk
songs. While the variations of the songs of the first
and second classes would afford material for an interesting study, they are in reality not folk songs.
Accordingly, only those that have become adapted are given in this collection.
Origins in White Ballads.
Naturally, in his song-making the Negro does not adapt only those songs having Negro themes. He appropriates distinctively
white songs and ballads and devises new versions which are distinctively Negro. For instance, the Negro song "Kelley's Love," the chorus of which is,
You broke de heart o' many a girl,
But you never will break dis heart o' mine,
is clearly an adaption of parts of the mountain song,
She broke the heart of many poor fellows,
But she won't break this heart of mine.
The once popular Western ballad, "Casey Jones," which begins,
Come, all you rounders, if you want to hear
The story about a brave engineer;
Casey Jones was the rounder's name,
On a heavy eight-wheeler he won his fame,
has its counterpart in the Negro song of the same name which begins,
Casey Jones was an engineer,
Told his fireman not to fear;
All he wanted was boiler hot,
Run into Canton 'bout four o'clock.
Similarly, such Negro songs as "Jesse James," "Eddy Jones," "Joe Turner," "Brady," "Lilly," "Stagolee," and others are largely made up of the Negro's efforts to make certain white ballads into narratives of Negro life. Resemblances may also be shown between the ballads and song-games of white children and the Negro songs entitled "Won't You Marry Me?", "Miss Lizzie, Won't" You Marry Me?", and "The Angel Band."
Origins in Everyday Life.
The majority of the Negro's social songs, however, are the product of experience — of life itself. Even in those songs which are most unmistakably borrowed, there would be little of the interesting left if the Negro's own interpretation of
his everyday life were removed. Here and there
rhythmic words or phrases occurring in conversation
or in thought are sung. This gives rise to what the
Negroes call one-verse songs. By this they mean a
single line, repeated again and again, constituting the
entire song. Usually the line is repeated with reg-
ularity, so that it makes a stanza of two, four, or six
lines, sometimes three or five. The last repetition is
usually preceded by some word of exclamation, as
"oh," "my," "well," "so," "yes," and others.
The majority of Negro songs now current are one-
verse songs, and almost all have arisen and developed
along the one-verse method. In this way the origin
of a song is simple and natural. Any word may lead
to a phrase which itself becomes a one-verse song, and
naturally calls for a rhyme and additional verses. A
Negro is driving a delivery wagon; the weather is cold,
and wind and drizzling rain add to the gloominess of
the day. He pulls his coat around him and says,
"The wind sho do blow." Not having any special
song which he wishes to sing at the moment, he sings
these words for a while. Perhaps he adds others:
152 The Negro and His Songs
5
"Goin' where chilly win' don't blow," or "Ain't goin
to rain no mo'." Still other thoughts may suggest
lines which he sings in a sort of monotone, such as
"I bin workin' so long — hungry as I can be"; "Where
in de worl' you bin?" "I'm goin' 'way some day";
"Had a mighty good time las' night"; or as many others
as there are common scenes in his life. Presently he
makes a two-line rhyme. Next he might recall two
other lines or a single chorus line from some other song
which seems appropriate, and the combination easily
becomes a three- or a four-line song. If the theme is
not unusual, verses from other songs suggest them-
selves. The addition of one or more of these verses
gives length and dignity to the new song and pleases
the singer, although the words themselves may be
practically meaningless.
Little incidents of everyday life thus constitute an
inexhaustible source of song. Once a song is sung
before a group and is received with favor, the possibility
of numberless additions and variations is created.
"A girl wus luvin' a nigger," explained one singer,
"an' she thought he did not go to see any other girl;
she found out he did, an' she made a hole in the wall
of her house so she could watch an' see did her lover
go to see any other nigger. Her luvin' man found
this out an' it made him laugh; an' he wus sorry, too."
The lover makes a song:
Dony got a hole in de wall,
Dony got a hole in de wall,
Dony got a hole in de wall,
Oh, my Dony got a hole in de wall.
The Social Songs of the Negro 153
Baby weahs a number fo' shoe,
Baby weahs a number fo' shoe,
Baby weahs a number fo' shoe,
Oh, my baby weahs a number fo' shoe.
Thus is given the origin of a bit of song. How the
first verse suggested the other is not known, but they
were sung just as they have been given. Many of the
songs which the Negro sings are the outcome of his
attempts to build songs around incidents or stories of
incidents which appeal to his emotions or imagination.
Sometimes the story is exciting or fictitious, so that
the imagination of the song-maker has a chance to run
riot. More often, however, it falls well within the
pale of everyday trivialities. In theory at least, then,
the Negro song is based on incident; in practice it
develops through the common events of Negro life.
Origins in Improvisations. Many songs owe their
origins to the Negro's keenness at improvisation. Un-
doubtedly many Negroes have a consciousness of power
or ability to create new songs when they wish to.
Sometimes a boast that he knows a new song or that
he knows more songs than some one else compels the
singer to produce one in order to make good his as-
sertion. From his unlimited store of songs, sayings,
stories, and experiences he takes a theme and begins
his song. If he does not immediately think of rhym-
ing lines that would be appropriate, he continues to
sing the original line until the song takes further shape
in his mind. But, regardless of what the theme is,
the needed lines are invariably forthcoming and are
fitted into the tune. Nor would one suspect that the
song was a new one were it not for its unfinished or
154 The Negro and His Songs
incoherent lines and its lack of characteristic folk song
qualities. The song which follows is a very good
example of such a process of creation.
MULE SONG
I went up Zion Hill this mornin' on a wagon,
I went on a wagon up Zion's Hill this mornin';
The durn ole mule stop right still,
This mornin', this mornin', so soon.
I got out an' went 'round to his head this mornin',
I got out an' went 'round to his head this mornin';
The durn ole mule was standin' there dead,
This mornin', this mornin', so soon.
Yes, I hollow at the mule, an' the mule would not gee,
this mornin',
Yes, I hollow at the mule, an' the mule would not gee;
An' I hit him on the head with the single-tree,
This mornin', this mornin', so soon.
Thus is produced a song from imagination and expe-
rience aided by bits of other songs. At first glance,
this might appear to be an advanced composition which
was the result of protracted mental effort, but it is
more or less a spontaneous creation or assembling of
song material. The chorus line, "This mornin', this
mornin', so soon" (sometimes "This mornin', this
evenin', so soon"), is a very common one in Negro
social songs, while the last stanza is very likely taken
from a child's rhyme long current among the Negroes.
The other two stanzas, however, are clearly made to
order in the effort to make song and rhyme.
Further examples of rather rough spontaneous
compositions containing made-to-order elements are
as follows :
The Social Songs of the Negro 155
WHOA MULE!
"Say, look here, Jane!
Don't you want to take a ride?"
"Well, I doan care if I do."
So he hitch up his mule an' started out.
Well, it's whoa, mule, git up an' down,
Till I say whoa-er, mule.
Well it's git up an' down
Jus' fas' as you can,
Fer I goin' to buy you
All of de oats an' bran.
An' it's whoa-er mule, git up an' down,
Till I say whoa-er mule.
"Ain't he a mule, Miss Jane?"— "Urn— huh."
POOR JOHN
Yes, he caught poor John with his hawk-tail coat,
An' he stab him to the fat;
He run the race an' he run so fas'
Till he bust his beaver hat.
Poor John fell down them winding steps,
Till he could not fall no further;
An' the girls all holler murder;
Go tell all policemen on this beat to see
Can't they catch that coon.
What coon am you talkin' about?
The coon that stab po' John;
I'm goin', I'm goin', to the shuckin' o' de corn,
I'm goin' jus' sho's you born.
Other Origins. Occasionally a poem is written with
the avowed intention of making a song. Given a poem
possessing the proper rhythmic qualities, it is almost
156 The Negro and His Songs
inevitable that the Negro will put it to music. One
thrifty teacher wrote verses on the sinking of the
Maine to be sung to the tune of "John Brown's Body,"
while another called "Hog Killin' Time" to be sung to
the tune of "The Old Oaken Bucket." A would-be
poet closed his description of a day's plowing in the hot
month of June with,
Dem skeeters dey callin' me cousin,
Dem gnats dey calls me frien',
Dem stingin' flies a buzzin',
Dis nigger done gone in;
and doubtless his verses have since been sung more
often than they have been recited. While such verses
do not ordinarily become standard folk songs, they
illustrate the ease with which any sort of song may
arise and become current.
How much of the Negro's song is borrowed and how
much is original cannot, of course, be discovered, but
it is certain that the majority of his social songs owe
their origin to his ability to create song from the
ordinary experiences of his everyday life or to make
entirely new adaptions.
The Role of the "Music Physicianer" Worthy of
consideration as makers and disseminators of Negro
songs are the "music physicianers," "musicianers,"
and "songsters." These terms may be synonymous,
or they may denote persons of different habits. In
general, "songster" is used to denote any Negro who
regularly sings or makes songs; "musicianer" applies
often to the individual who claims to be expert with
the banjo or fiddle; while "music physicianer" is
used to denote more nearly a person who is accustomed
The Social Songs of the Negro 157
to travel from place to place and who possesses a
combination of these qualities; or each or all of the
terms may be applied loosely to any person who sings
or plays an instrument. A group of small boys or
young men, when gathered together and wrought up
to a high degree of abandon, appear to be able to sing
an unlimited number of common songs. Perhaps the
"music physicianer" knows the "mo'est songs." With
a prized "box" (fiddle or guitar), perhaps his only
property, such a Negro may wander from town to
town, from section to section, loafing in general,
working only when compelled to do so, gathering new
songs and singing the old ones.
Most of the songs current among the Negroes are,
of course, sung without musical accompaniment. In
general, however, the majority of the songs of the
evening are accompanied by the "box" or fiddle when
large or small groups are gathered together for gayety;
when a lonely Negro sits on his doorstep or by the
fireside, playing and singing; when couples stay late at
night with their love songs and jollity; when groups
gather after church to sing the lighter melodies; when
the "musicianers," "music physicianers," and "song-
sters" gather to render music for special occasions,
such as church and private "socials," dances, and
other social gatherings. Most of these gatherings, and
especially the dance, require continuous music for a
longer period of time than the average song will last.
It thus happens that the Negro could sing the majority
of his songs to a single tune if the necessity called for it.
The expert "musicianer" often adds zest to the
occasion by making his instrument "talk" and "sing.'
This he does by skillfully running the back of a knife
158 The Negro and His Songs
along the strings of the instrument. A piece of bone,
polished and smooth, sometimes serves the same pur-
pose, but the knife is more commonly used. Hence
the term "knife song," which is by origin instrumental
only, but which is now regularly associated with sev-
eral songs (see Chapter VII). The "musicianer"
places his knife by the side of the instrument while he
picks the strings and sings. He can easily take it up
and use it at the proper time without interrupting the
music. The so-called "train song," examples of which
are given in a later chapter, derives its name from the
musical imitation of the running train. The train
is made to whistle by a prolonged and consecutive
striking of several strings, while the bell is rung by the
striking of a single string. As the listeners imagine
themselves observing the train, or riding on it, the
fervor of the occasion is increased. They follow the
train "when she blows fer the station," as it "pulls
out frum the station," passes crossings, goes up hill and
down hill, whistles for smaller stations, stops for water
and coal, and takes the siding "when she meets the
fas' express." If the piece is instrumental only, the
man at the guitar announces the various stages of the
run. To his remarks are added the exclamations of
the onlookers, such as "Lawd, God, she's a-runnin'
now!", "Sho God railroadin'!", and others. The
Negroes thus create their train. They see it and hear
it as distinctly as if it were a reality. Indeed, when
the "train song" is executed by an expert "musicianer,"
one can easily imagine that he hears the clicking of
the train wheels as they pass the joints in the rails.
Are the Negro's Songs an Index to His Life? Orig-
inating as they do from the daily life and expe-
The Social Songs of the Negro 159
rience of the common Negro, these songs maybe said
to have considerable value as reflectors of Negro life.
They portray the relation of the singer to his environ-
ment; they give some insight into character; they
reflect much of home life and morals, social habits and
ideals; they indicate possible social tendencies and
qualities; and they are themselves testimonials of the
creative ability and esthetic sense of the Negro. Lest
the absence of the higher ideals of home and woman-
hood, of love and virtue, of industry and thrift, give
rise to a pessimistic attitude, it must be constantly
borne in mind that this collection of songs is represent-
ative only of what may be called the Negro lower class.
Home and Home Life. Home for the singer of these
songs is little more than a place to stay. The ideal
home is simply a place where he has opportunity to do
as he pleases. "Everywhere I hang my hat is Home,
Sweet Home, to me," seems to be the prevailing at-
titude reflected in the Negro's songs. But it is not
surprising that he feels no more attachment for home,
if the following descriptions are true to life;
Clothes all dirty, ain't got no broom;
Ole dirty clothes all hangin' in de room.
Honey babe, honey babe, bring me de broom.
De lices an' de chinches 'bout to take my room.
Make me a pallet on de flo',
Make it in de kitchen behin' de do!
It is only when the Negro is far from home that his
songs are filled with references to home. The wanderer
sings in plaintive tones, "I'm po' boy long way from
home," or
160 The Negro and His Songs
Out in dis wide worl' alone,
Ain't got a place to call my home.
But he really loathes the idea of being attached to one
home or one place permanently. All he wants is
Hat on my head, shoes on my feet,
An' a few ole clothes to wear;
A place to eat an' a place to sleep —
What a-more need I care?
Man and Woman. Conceptions of woman, love, and
sex relations may be interpreted from the Negro's
songs. Woman holds first place among the themes
sung by the Negro, but there is almost a total lack of
any suggestion of higher conceptions of love, married
life, and the relations of the sexes. The excerpts that
follow are typical:
If I git drunk who's goin' ter carry me home?
Brown-skin woman, she chocolate to de bone.
I got a little black woman, honey, name is Mary Lou;
Treats me better, honey, heap better'n you.
She's long an' tall an' chocolate to de bone;
She make you married man an' leave yo' home.
I got a womaa^n' sweetheart, too;
Woman don't love me, sweetheart do.
Long as I make my nine a week,
'Round yo' bedside I goin' to creep.
Diamon' Joe, you better come an' git me.
Don't you see my man done quit me?
Where were you las' night when I was sick in bed?
Down town wid some other gal, wusn't here to hole my
head.
The Social Songs of the Negro 161
Don't you let my honey catch you here;
He kill you dead, sho's you born..
I got husband, sweetheart, too;
Husband don't love, sweetheart do.
The terms woman, love, sweetheart, baby, honey,
and others may all be synonymous in their application.
When the singer tells of his "woman" it is more often
a woman than any particular one. In addition to the
characterizations given above, woman is often thought
of as being of questionable quality, if the following bits
of song mean anything:
Woman is a good thing an' bad thing too;
They quit in the wrong an' start out bran' new.
Don't never git one woman on yo' min',
Keep you in trouble all de time,
Don't never let yo' woman have her way;
Keep you in trouble all yo' day.
Don't never have one woman for yo' frien';
When you out, 'nuther man in.
I thought I'd tell you what nigger woman'll do:
She have 'nuther man, an' play sick on you.
All I hope in dis bright worl',
If I love anybody, don't let it be a girl.
The Wanderer. The migratory habits of the Negro
are so well known that they need no explanation. The
Negro wanderer has a technique all his own. He has
been to Memphis, Atlanta, Birmingham, New Orleans,
and "all de big places." He has seldom worked a
stroke since he left home, yet he has always had plenty
to eat and a place to stay and has sometimes actually
162 The Negro and His Songs
had money to spend. Thus he would have one be-
lieve, and much of his narrative is true. His songs are
the most pathetic and plaintive of all, for he depends
upon them to arouse pity and to gain the favors which
he desires. He makes much of his hard times, his
loneliness, his lack of friends and sympathy; yet he
would not change these conditions if he could. He
makes conditions of his own liking, and these things
constitute his "good time." Sings the Negro wanderer
in pitiful tones:
I wish some scusion train would run,
Carry me back where I come frum.
Now my mommer's daid, an' my sweet ole popper, too;
Got no one fer to carry my troubles to.
An' if I wus to die so far away frum home,
The folks fer miles aroun' would mourn.
I'm goin' tell my mommer when I git home,
How people treated me far 'way frum home.
don't turn good man frum yo' do',
May be frien', babe, you don't know.
No need, babe, to throw me down,
Po' boy jus' come to town.
1 didn't bring nuthin' in dis bright worl';
Nuthin' I'll carry away.
Went down to de railroad, couldn' find a frien'.
Oh, look down dat lonesome road and cry.
The Hobo and Work. For the most part, the singer
loves idleness and shuns work. In the songs of this
The Social Songs of the Negro 163
collection the hobo or vagrant is represented more
than is the industrious Negro. The assumption that
the life of the hobo is an enviable one appears fre-
quently. The hobo's philosophy in regard to work is:
Don't do it except as a last resort. He boasts of his
ability to live from the work of the community or
some hard-working woman and of his skill at begging
"handouts."
I got it writ on de tail o' my shirt:
I'm a natu'el-bohn eastman, don't have to work.
If I could get them good hand-outs,
I'd quit work an' bum all de time.
All I want is my strong hand-out;
It will make me strong and stout.
Ain't no use me workin' so,
'Cause I ain't a-goin' to work no mo'.
When you kill a chicken, save me the whing;
When you think I'm workin', I ain't doin' a thing.
When you kill a chicken, save me the feet;
When you think I'm workin', I'm walkin' de street.
On the other hand, the songs indicate that the Negro
considers money his summum bonum. He is con-
stantly talking of money. Small change is his boon
companion, and larger amounts represent the ideal of
Utopian conditions. He speaks of "a bran' new dollar
bill," a "luvin' dime," a "fohty-dollar suit of clothes."
He sings dolefully of the three hundred dollars he had
when he left Kansas City — "all gone now." He
spends his wages a dozen times in his mind before
pay-day comes, and he maintains:
164 The Negro and His Songs
Now when you git a dollar, you got a frien',
Will stick to you through thick an' thin.
The Negro Bad Man. The idle Negro develops
from the vagrant, bum, or hobo, to the "bully boy"
or "bad man." He sings of crimes, of whiskey and
beer, of morphine and cocaine, of pistols and murders.
He extols the criminal and follows him with admiration.
He revels in the exploits of Stagolee, who ran his
enemy down and "laid him on de flo' " with his forty-
four gun; or of Railroad Bill, who was so bad that he
shot all the buttons off the high sheriff's coat; or of
Eddy Jones, who died on the "coolin' board" with
his "special" in his hand singing "Nearer, My God,
to Thee." Thus sings the Negro bad man:
I got de blues, but too damn mean to cry.
I was bohn in a mighty bad Ian',
For my name is Bad-Ian' Stone;
I want you all fer to understan'
I'm a bad man wid my licker on.
Wake up in de mornin' by city clock bell,
Niggers up town givin' cocaine hell.
I tell you once and I tell you twice,
Next time I tell you, goin' take yo' life.
Went up town wid my hat in my han';
"Good mornin', jedge, done kill my man.
Didn't quite kill him, but I fixed him so
He won't bodder wid me no mo'."
Arrests, court scenes, convictions, jail sentences —
all these are taken for granted by the bad man. Police-
men, jailers, and judges are no friends of his; they are
The Social Songs of the Negro 16b
hard-hearted men. He has doubtless been to court a
dozen times, but he always insists that the officer
Carried me 'round to the court house do',
Place where I ain't never been befo';
and his impression of the court room is always
Jedge an' jury all in de stan',
Great big law books in deir han'.
Just how much importance the bad man assumes in
real life it is difficult to say, but the high place which
he occupies in the songs of the Negro seems to justify
the assumption that he enjoys a prestige out of pro-
portion to his worth as a personality. Recklessness
and braggadocio characterize the songs of the Negro
bad man, and their careful study would doubtless
throw light upon a factor which is of no little impor-
tance in the causation of Negro criminality.
Sadness in Social Songs. While there is much reck-
lessness and care-free gayety in the Negro's social
songs, there is, nevertheless, a definite vein of sadness
running through the majority of them. There are
some, of course, who contend that the Negro's sadness
is not real, does not reflect an equivalent feeling. But
such a thesis is without foundation. In relation to his
own life experiences, the pathos expressed in the Negro's
songs is sincere and genuine. The reasons for this
sadness, however, are not apparent. Do the effects of
slavery still linger in the songs of today? Is it that
the Negro feels himself oppressed and downtrodden by
the whites? Or does the sadness in his songs arise
naturally, apart from racial considerations, from the
life he lives? Perhaps none of these factors offers an
166 The Negro and His Songs
adequate explanation. But, bound down as he is by
the eternal force of circumstances, condemned to
live a life which is destined to bring him a very small
share of the enjoyments and decencies that charac-
terize the civilization of which he has become a part,
it is no wonder that he either forgets himself in gayety
or purges his feelings with his sad and plaintive out-
bursts.
Filth and Vulgarity. Enough has been said to in-
dicate in a general way the philosophy and attitudes
of the class of Negroes represented by the songs in this
collection. Further study of the songs may be made
in succeeding chapters. It is to be regretted that a
great mass of material cannot be published because of
its vulgar and indecent content. These songs tell of
every phase of immorality and vice and filth; they rep-
resent the superlative of the repulsive. Ordinarily
the imagination can picture conditions worse than they
are, but in the Negro songs the pictures go far beyond
the conception of the real. The prevailing theme is
that of sexual relations, and there is no restraint in
expression. In comparison with the indecency that
has come to light in the vulgar songs of other peoples,
those of the Negro stand out undoubtedly in a class
of their own. They are sung in groups of boys and
girls, men and women. Children of ten or twelve
know scores of them, varying in all degrees of sug-
gestiveness. Often these songs are the favorites;
and many of the songs in this volume have been
shortened by the omission of stanzas unfit for pub-
lication.
The Social Songs of the Negro 167
Classification Difficult. Classification of songs and
fragments of songs like those in this collection is very
difficult. Classification by localities from which they
were collected would hardly be satisfactory. Division
according to subject-matter is, of course, more logical,
but even this is not wholly satisfactory. Many songs
have no unifying thread of thought, so that any one
of three or four titles would only partially describe any
particular song. Certain songs might be classed as
dance songs, but practically every Negro song is, or
could be, used as a dance accompaniment. There are
very few pure dance songs. Again, some might be
classed as love songs, but such a group would contain
productions that would fall as easily into other classes
such as work songs, wanderer's songs, bad man songs,
and many others. It is common for the Negro to
mingle every kind of song into one, so that what he
naively calls "coon songs," "devil songs," "knife songs,"
"corn songs," "work songs," and "ragtimes" may all
alike become love songs or dancing "breakdowns."
It has been thought best, therefore, to present the
songs in general groups. In the following chapter
will be found the shorter songs, while the next chapter
contains the longer ones, expecially those which are
narrative in style. At the same time the songs have
been grouped roughly according to subject-matter.
[1] In one sense all songs are social, but the term is used herein to denote the ordinary songs of the Negro's everyday life as distinguished from his purely religious songs.
[2] Quoted by Professor H. M. Belden. Journal of American Folklore, Vol. XXIV, p. 3.