IV. Pastime Rhyme Section

PASTIME RHYME SECTION


SATAN

    De Lawd made man, an' de man made money.
    De Lawd made de bees, an' de bees made honey.
    De Lawd made ole Satan, an' ole Satan he make sin.
    Den de Lawd, He make a liddle hole to put ole Satan in.

    Did you ever see de Devil, wid his iron handled shovel,
    A scrapin' up de san' in his ole tin pan?
    He cuts up mighty funny, he steals all y[=o]' money,   
    He blinds you wid his san'. He's tryin' to git you, man!


JOHNNY BIGFOOT

    Johnny, Johnny Bigfoot!
    Want a pair o' shoes?
    Go kick two cows out'n deir skins.
    Run Brudder, tell de news!


THE THRIFTY SLAVE

    Jes wuk all day,
    Den go huntin' in de wood.
    Ef you cain't ketch nothin',
    Den you hain't no good.
    Don't look at Mosser's chickens,
    Caze dey're roostin' high.
    Big pig, liddle pig, root hog or die!


WILD NEGRO BILL

    I'se wild Nigger Bill
    Frum Redpepper Hill.
    I never did wo'k, an' I never will.

    I'se done killed de Boss.
    I'se knocked down de hoss.
    I eats up raw goose widout apple sauce!

    I'se Run-a-way Bill,
    I knows dey mought kill;
    But ole Mosser hain't cotch me, an' he never will!


YOU LOVE YOUR GIRL

    You loves y[=o]' gal?
    Well, I loves mine.
    Y[=o]' gal hain't common?
    Well, my gal's fine.

    I loves my gal,
    She hain't no goose--
    Blacker 'an blackberries,
    Sweeter 'an juice.


FRIGHTENED AWAY FROM A CHICKEN-ROOST

    I went down to de hen house on my knees,
    An' I thought I heared dat chicken sneeze.
    You'd oughter seed dis Nigger a-gittin' 'way frum dere,
    But 'twusn't nothin' but a rooster sayin' his prayer.
    How I wish dat rooster's prayer would en',
    Den perhaps I mought eat dat ole gray hen.


BEDBUG

    De June-bug's got de golden wing,
    De Lightning-bug de flame;
    De Bedbug's got no wing at all,
    But he gits dar jes de same.

    De Punkin-bug's got a punkin smell,
    De Squash-bug smells de wust;
    But de puffume of dat ole Bedbug,
    It's enough to make you bust.

    Wen dat Bedbug come down to my house,
    I wants my walkin' cane.
    Go git a pot an' scald 'im hot!
    Good-by, Miss Lize Jane!


HOW TO GET TO GLORY LAND

    If you wants to git to Glory Land,
    I'll tell you what to do:
    Jes grease y[=o]' heels wid mutton sue,
    W'en de Devil's atter you.
    Jes grease y[=o]' heel an' grease y[=o]' han',
    An' slip 'way--over into Glory Lan'.


DESTITUTE FORMER SLAVE OWNERS

    Missus an' Mosser a-walkin' de street,
    Deir han's in deir pockets an' nothin' to eat.
    She'd better be home a-washin' up de dishes,
    An' a-cleanin' up de ole man's raggitty britches.
    He'd better run 'long an' git out de hoes
    An' clear out his own crooked weedy corn rows;
    De Kingdom is come, de Niggers is free.
    Hain't no Nigger slaves in de Year Jubilee.


FATTENING FROGS FOR SNAKES

    You needn' sen' my gal hoss apples
    You needn' sen' her 'lasses candy;
    She would keer fer de lak o' you,
    Ef you'd sen' her apple brandy.

    W'y don't you git some common sense?
    Jes git a liddle! Oh fer land sakes!
    Quit y[=o]' foolin', she hain't studyin' you!
    Youse jes fattenin' frogs fer snakes!


THE MULE'S KICK

    Is dis me, or not me,
    Or is de Devil got me?
    Wus dat a muskit shot me?
    Is I laid here more'n a week?--
    Dat ole mule do kick amazin',
    An' I 'spec's he's now a-grazin'
    On de t'other side de creek.


CHRISTMAS TURKEY

    I prayed to de Lawd fer tucky-o.
    Dat tucky wouldn' come.
    I prayed, an' I prayed 'til I'se almos' daid.
    No tucky at my home.

    Chrismus Day, she almos' here;
    My wife, she mighty mad.
    She want dat tucky mo' an' mo'.
    An' she want 'im mighty bad.

    I prayed 'til de scales come on my knees,
    An' still no tucky come.
    I tuck myse'f to my tucky roos',
    An' I brung my tucky home.


A FULL POCKETBOOK

    De goose at de barn, he feel mighty funny,
    Caze de duck find a pocketbook chug full o' money.
    De goose say: "Whar is you gwine, my Sonny?"
    An' de duck, he say: "Now good-by, Honey."

    De duck chaw terbacker an' de goose drink wine,
    Wid a stuffed pocketbook dey sh[=o]' had a good time;
    De grasshopper played de fiddle on a punkin vine
    'Till dey all fall over on a sorter dead line.


NO ROOM TO POKE FUN

    Nev' m[=i]n' if my nose are flat,
    An' my face are black an' sooty;
    De Jaybird hain't so big in song,
    An' de Bullfrog hain't no beauty.


CROOKED NOSE JANE

    I courted a gal down de lane.
    Her name, it wus Crooked Nose Jane.
    Her face wus white speckled, her lips wus all red,
    An' she look jes as lean as a weasel half-fed.


BAD FEATURES

    Blue gums an' black eyes;
    Run 'round an' tell lies.
    Liddle head, liddle wit;
    Big long head, not a bit.

    Wid his long crooked toes,
    An' his heel right roun';
    Dat flat-footed Nigger
    Make a hole in de groun'.


MISS SLIPPY SLOPPY

    Ole Miss Slippy Sloppy jump up out'n bed,
    Den out'n de winder she poke 'er nappy head,
    "Jack! O Jack! De gray goose's dead.
    Dat fox done gone an' bit off 'er head!"

    Jack run up de hill an' he call Mosser's hounds;
    An' w'en dat fox hear dem turble sounds,
    He sw'ar by his head an' his hide all 'round,
    Dat he don't want no dinner, but a hole in de ground.


HOW TO MAKE IT RAIN

    Go kill dat snake an' hang him high,
    Den tu'n his belly to de sky.
    De storm an' rain'll come bye an' bye.


A WIND-BAG

    A nigger come a-struttin' up to me las' night;
    In his han' wus a walkin' cane,
    He tipped his hat an' give a low bow;
    "Howdy-doo! Miss Lize Jane!"

    But I didn' ax him how he done,
    Which make a hint good pinned,
    Dat I'd druther have a paper bag,
    When it's sumpin' to be filled up wid wind.


GOING TO BE GOOD SLAVES

    Ole Mosser an' Missus has gone down to town,
    Dey said dey'd git us somethin' an' dat hain't no jokes.
    I'se gwineter be good all de whilst dey're all 'way,
    An' I'se gwineter wear stockin's jes lak de white folks.


PAGE'S GEESE[30]

    Ole man Page'll be in a turble rage,
    W'en he find out, it'll raise his dander.
    Yankee soldiers bought his geese, fer one cent a-piece,
    An' sent de pay home by de gander.

[30] The Northern soldiers during the Civil War took all of a Southern
planter's geese except one lone gander. They put one penny, for each
goose taken, into a small bag and tied this bag around the gander's
neck. They then sent him home to his owner with the pay of one penny for
each goose taken. The Negroes of the community at once made up this
little song.


TO WIN A YELLOW GIRL

    If you wants to win a yaller gal,
    I tell you what you do;
    You "borrow" Mosser's Beaver hat,
    An' slip on his Long-tailed Blue.


SEX LAUGH

    You'se heared a many a gal laugh,
    An' say: "He! He-he! He-he-he!"
    But you hain't heared no boy laugh,
    An' say: "She! She-she! She-she-she!"


OUTRUNNING THE DEVIL

    I went upon de mountain,
    An' I seed de Devil comin'.
    I retched an' got my hat an' coat,
    An' I beat de Devil runnin'.

    As I run'd down across de fiel',
    A rattlesnake bit me on de heel.
    I rears an' pitches an' does my bes',
    An' I falls right back in a hornet's nes'.

    For w'en I wus a sinnah man,
    I rund by leaps an' boun's.
    I wus afeard de Devil 'ould ketch me
    Wid his ole three legged houn's.

    But now I'se come a Christun,
    I kneels right down an' prays,
    An' den de Devil runs from me--
    I'se tried dem other ways.


HOW TO KEEP OR KILL THE DEVIL

    If you wants to see de Devil smile,
    Simpully do lak his own chile.

    If you wants to see de Devil git spunk,
    Swallow whisky, an' git drunk.

    If you wants to see de Devil live,
    Cuss an' swar an' never give.

    If you wants to see de Devil run,
    Jes tu'n a loose de Gospel gun.

    If you wants to see de Devil fall,
    Hit him wid de Gospel ball.

    If you wants to see de Devil beg,
    Nail him wid a Gospel peg.

    If you wants to see de Devil sick,
    Beat him wid a Gospel stick.

    If you wants to see de Devil die,
    Feed him up on Gospel pie.

    But de Devil w'ars dat iron shoe,
    An' if you don't watch, he'll slip it on you.


JOHN HENRY

    John Henry, he wus a steel-drivin' man.
    He died wid his hammer in his han'.
    O come long boys, an' line up de track,
    For John Henry, he hain't never comin' back.

    John Henry said to his Cappun: "Boss,
    A man hain't nothin' but a man,
    An' 'fore I'll be beat in dis sexion gang,
    I'll die wid a hammer in my han'."

    John Henry, he had a liddle boy,
    He helt 'im in de pam of his han';
    An' de las' word he say to dat chile wus:
    "I wants you to be my steel-drivin' man."

    John Henry, he had a pretty liddle wife,
    An' her name, it wus Polly Ann.
    She walk down de track, widout lookin' back,
    For to see her big fine steel-drivin' man.

    John Henry had dat pretty liddle wife,
    An' she went all dress up in red.
    She walk ev'y day down de railroad track
    To de place whar her steel-drivin' man fell dead.


THE NASHVILLE LADIES[31]

    Dem Nashville ladies dress up fine.
    Got longpail hoopskirts hanging down beh[=i]n'!
    Got deir bonnets to deir shoulders an' deir noses in de sky!
    Big pig! Liddle pig! Root hog, or die!

[31] The name of the place was used where the rhyme was repeated.


THE RASCAL

    I'se de bigges' rascal fer my age.
    I now speaks from dis public stage.
    I'se stole a cow; I'se stole a calf,
    An' dat hain't more 'an jes 'bout half.

    Yes, Mosser!--Lover of my soul!--
    "How many chickens has I stole?"
    Well; three las' night, an' two night befo';
    An' I'se gwine 'fore long to git four m[=o]'.

    But you see dat hones' Billy Ben,
    He done e't more dan erry three men.
    He e't a ham, den e't a side;
    He would a e't m[=o]', but you know he died.


COFFEE GROWS ON WHITE FOLKS' TREES

    Coffee grows on w'ite folks' trees,
    But de Nigger can git dat w'en he please.
    De w'ite folks loves deir milk an' brandy,
    But dat black gal's sweeter dan 'lasses candy.

    Coffee grows on w'ite folks trees,
    An' dere's a river dat runs wid milk an' brandy.
    De rocks is broke an' filled wid gold,
    So dat yaller gal loves dat high-hat dandy.


AUNT JEMIMA

    Ole Aunt Jemima grow so tall,
    Dat she couldn' see de groun'.
    She stumped her toe, an' down she fell
    From de Blackwoods clean to town.

    W'en Aunt Jemima git in town,
    An' see dem "tony" ways,
    She natchully faint an' back she fell
    To de Backwoods whar she stays.


THE MULE'S NATURE

    If you sees a mule tied up to a tree,
    You mought pull his tail an' think about me.
    For if a Nigger don't know de natcher of a mule,
    It makes no diffunce what 'comes of a fool.


I'M A "ROUND-TOWN" GENTLEMAN

    I hain't no wagon, hain't no dray,
    Jes come to town wid a load o' hay.
    I hain't no cornfield to go to bed
    Wid a lot o' hay-seeds in my head.
    I'se a "round-town" Gent an' I don't choose
    To wuk in de mud, an' do widout shoes.


THIS SUN IS HOT

    Dis sun are hot,
    Dis hoe are heavy,
    Dis grass grow furder dan I can reach;
    An' as I looks
    At dis Cotton fiel',
    I thinks I mus' 'a' been called to preach.


UNCLE JERRY FANTS

    Has you heared 'bout Uncle Jerry Fants?
    He's got on some cu'ious shapes.
    He's de one what w'ars dem white duck pants,
    An' he sot down on a bunch o' grapes.


KEPT BUSY

    Jes as soon as de sun go down,
    My True-love's on my min'.
    An' jes as soon as de daylight breaks
    De white folks is got me a gwine.

    She's de sweetes' thing in town;
    An' when I sees dat Nig,
    She make my heart go "pitty-pat,"
    An' my head go "whirly-gig."


CROSSING A FOOT-LOG

    Me an' my wife an' my bobtail dog
    Start 'cross de creek on a hick'ry log.
    We all fall in an' git good wet,
    But I helt to my liddle brown jug, you bet!


WATERMELON PREFERRED

    Dat hambone an' chicken are sweet.
    Dat 'possum meat are sholy fine.
    But give me,--now don't you cheat!--
    (Oh, I jes wish you would give me!)
    Dat watermillion, smilin' on de vine.


"THEY STEAL" GOSSIP

    _You know:_
          Some folks say dat a Nigger won't steal,
          But Mosser cotch six in a watermillion fiel';
          A-cuttin', an' a-pluggin' an' a-tearin' up de vines,
          A-eatin' all de watermillions, an' a-stackin' up de rinds.

    _Uh-huh! Yes, I heared dat:_
          Ole Mosser stole a middlin' o' meat,
          Ole Missus stole a ham;
          Dey sent 'em bofe to de Wuk-house,
          An' dey had to leave de land.


FOX AND RABBIT DRINKING PROPOSITIONS

    Fox on de low ground,
    Rabbit on de hill.
    Says he: "I'll take a drink,
    An' leave you a gill."

    De fox say: "Honey,
    (You sweet liddle elf!)
    Jes hand me down de whole cup;
    I wants it fer myself."


A TURKEY FUNERAL

    Dis tucky once on earth did dwell;
    An' "Gobble! Gobble! Gobble!"
    But now he gives me bigges' joy,
    An' rests from all his trouble.

    Yes, now he's happy, so am I;
    No hankerin' fer a feas':
    Because I'se stuffed wid tucky meat,
    An' he struts in tucky peace.


OUR OLD MULE

    We had an ole mule an' he wouldn' go "gee";
    So I knocked 'im down wid a single-tree.
    To daddy dis wus some mighty bad news,
    So he made me jump up an' outrun de Jews.


THE COLLEGE OX

    Ole Ox! Ole Ox! How'd you come up here?
    You'se sh[=o]' plowed de cotton fields for many a, many a year.
    You'se been kicked an' cuffed about wid heaps an' heaps abuse.
    Now! Now, you comes up here fer some sort o' College use.


CARE IN BREAD-MAKING

    W'en you sees dat gal o' mine,
    Jes tell 'er fer me, if you please,
    Nex' time she goes to make up bread
    To roll up 'er dirty sleeves.


WHY LOOK AT ME?

    What's you lookin' at me fer?
    I didn' come here to stay.
    I wants dis bug put in y[=o]' years,
    An' den I'se gwine away.

    I'se got milk up in my bucket,
    I'se got butter up in my bowl;
    But I hain't got no Sweetheart
    Fer to save my soul.


A SHORT LETTER

    She writ me a letter
    As long as my eye.
    An' she say in dat letter:
    "My Honey!--Good-by!"


DOES MONEY TALK?

    Dem whitefolks say dat money talk.
    If it talk lak dey tell,
    Den ev'ry time it come to Sam,
    It up an' say: "Farewell!"


I'LL EAT WHEN I'M HUNGRY

    I'll eat when I'se hongry,
    An' I'll drink when I'se dry;
    An' if de whitefolks don't kill me,
    I'll live till I die.

    In my liddle log cabin,
    Ever since I'se been born;
    Dere hain't been no nothin'
    'Cept dat hard salt parch corn.

    But I knows whar's a henhouse,
    An' de tucky he charve;
    An' if ole Mosser don't kill me,
    I cain't never starve.


HEAR-SAY

    Hello! Br'er Jack. How do you do?
    I'se been a-hearin' a heaps o' things 'bout you.
    I'll jes declar! It beats de Dickuns!
    Dey's been tryin' to say you's been a-stealin' chickens!


NEGRO SOLDIER'S CIVIL WAR CHANT

    Ole [32]Abe (God bless 'is ole soul!)
    Got a plenty good victuals, an' a plenty good clo'es.
    Got powder, an' shot, an' lead,
    To bust in Adam's liddle Confed'
    In dese hard times.

    Oh, once dere wus union, an' den dere wus peace;
    De slave, in de cornfield, bare up to his knees.
    But de Rebel's in gray, an' Sesesh's in de way,
    An' de slave'll be free
    In dese hard times.

[32] Abraham Lincoln.


PARODY ON "NOW I LAY ME DOWN TO SLEEP"

    Uh-huh: "Now I lays me down to sleep!"--
    While dead oudles o' bedbugs 'round me creep,--
    Well: If dey bites me bef[=o]' "I" wake,
    I hopes "deir" ole jawbones'll break.


I'LL GET YOU, RABBIT!

    Rabbit! Rabbit! You'se got a mighty habit,
    A-runnin' through de grass,
    Eatin' up my cabbages;
    But I'll git you shore at las'.

    Rabbit! Rabbit! Ole rabbit in de bottoms,
    A-playin' in de san',
    By to-morrow mornin',
    You'll be in my fryin' pan.


THE ELEPHANT

    My mammy gimme fifteen cents
    Fer to see dat elephan' jump de fence.
    He jump so high, I didn' see why,
    If she gimme a dollar he mought not cry.

    So I axed my mammy to gimme a dollar,
    Fer to go an' hear de elephan' holler.
    He holler so loud, he skeered de crowd.

    Nex' he jump so high, he tetch de sky;
    An' he won't git back 'fore de fo'th o' July.


A FEW NEGROES BY STATES

    Alabammer Nigger say he love mush.
    Tennessee Nigger say: "Good Lawd, hush!"

    Fifteen cents in de panel of de fence,
    South Ca'lina Nigger hain't got no sense.

    Dat Kentucky Nigger jes think he's fine,
    'Cause he drink dat Gooseberry wine.

    I'se done heared some twenty year ago
    Dat de Missippi Nigger hafter sleep on de fl[=o]'.

    Lousanner Nigger fall out'n de bed,
    An' break his head on a pone o' co'n bread.


HOW TO PLEASE A PREACHER

    If you wants to see dat Preachah laugh,
    Jes change up a dollar, an' give 'im a half.
    If you wants to make dat Preachah sing,
    Kill dat tucky an' give him a wing.
    If you wants to see dat Preachah cry,
    Kill dat chicken an' give him a thigh.


LOOKING FOR A FIGHT

    I went down town de yudder night,
    A-raisin' san' an' a-wantin' a fight.
    Had a forty dollar razzer, an' a gatlin' gun,
    Fer to shoot dem Niggers down one by one.


I'LL WEAR ME A COTTON DRESS

    Oh, will you wear red? Oh, will you wear red?
    Oh, will you wear red, Milly Biggers?
    "I won't wear red,
    It's too much lak Missus' head.
    I'll wear me a cotton dress,
    Dyed wid copperse an' oak-bark."

    Oh, will you wear blue? Oh, will you wear blue?
    Oh, will you wear blue, Milly Biggers?
    "I won't wear blue,
    It's too much lak Missus' shoe.
    I'll wear me a cotton dress,
    Dyed wid copperse an' oak-bark."

    You sholy would wear gray? You sholy would wear gray?
    You sholy would wear gray, Milly Biggers?
    "I won't wear gray,
    It's too much lak Missus' way.
    I'll wear me a cotton dress,
    Dyed wid copperse an' oak-bark."

    Well, will you wear white? Well, will you wear white?
    Well, will you wear white, Milly Biggers?
    "I won't wear white,
    I'd get dirty long 'fore night.
    I'll wear me a cotton dress,
    Dyed wid copperse an' oak-bark."

    Now, will you wear black? Now, will you wear black?
    Now, will you wear black, Milly Biggers?
    "I mought wear black,
    Case it's de color o' my back;
    An' it looks lak my cotton dress,
    Dyed wid [33]copperse an' oak-bark."

[33] Copperse is copperas, or sulphate of iron.


HALF WAY DOINGS

    My dear Brudders an' Sisters,
    As I comes here to-day,
    I hain't gwineter take no scripture verse
    Fer what I'se gwineter say.

    My words I'se gwineter cut off short
    An' I 'spects to use dis tex':
    "Dis half way doin's hain't no 'count
    Fer dis worl' nor de nex'."

    Dis half way doin's, Brudderin,
    Won't never do, I say.
    Go to y[=o]' wuk, an' git it done,
    An' den's de time to play.

    Fer w'en a Nigger gits lazy,
    An' stops to take short naps,
    De weeds an' grass is shore to grow
    An' smudder out his craps.

    Dis worl' dat we's a livin' in
    Is sumpen lak a cotton row:
    Whar each an' ev'ry one o' us
    Is got his row to hoe.

    An' w'en de cotton's all laid by,
    De rain, it spile de bowls,
    If you don't keep busy pickin'
    In de cotton fiel' of y[=o]' souls.

    Keep on a-plowin', an' a-hoein';
    Keep on scrapin' off de rows;
    An' w'en de year is over
    You can pay off all you owes.

    But w'en you sees a lazy Nigger
    Stop workin', shore's you're born,
    You'se gwineter see him comin' out
    At de liddle end of de horn.


TWO TIMES ONE

    Two times one is two.
    Won't you jes keep still till I gits through?
    Three times three is nine.
    You 'tend to y[=o]' business, an' I'll 'tend to mine.


HE PAID ME SEVEN (PARODY)

    "Our Fadder, Which are in Heaben!"--
    White man owe me leben and pay me seben.
    "D'y Kingdom come! D'y Will be done!"--
    An' if I hadn't tuck dat, I wouldn' git none.


PARODY ON "REIGN, MASTER JESUS, REIGN!"

    Oh rain! Oh rain! Oh rain, "good" Mosser!
    Rain, Mosser, rain! Rain hard!
    Rain flour an' lard an' a big hog head
    Down in my back yard.

    An' w'en you comes down to my cabin,
    Come down by de corn fiel'.
    If you cain't bring me a piece o' meat,
    Den bring me a peck o' meal.

    Oh rain! Oh rain! Oh rain, "good" Mosser!
    Dat good rain gives m[=o]' rest.
    "What d'you say? You Nigger, dar!"--
    "Wet ground grows grass best."


A REQUEST TO SELL

    Gwineter ax my daddy to sell ole Rose,
    So's I can git me some new cl[=o]'s.
    Gwineter ax my daddy to sell ole Nat,
    So's I can git a bran' new hat.
    Gwineter ax my daddy to sell ole Bruise,
    Den I can git some Brogran shoes.
    Now, I'se gwineter fix myse'f "jes so,"
    An' take myse'f down to Big Shiloh.
    I'se gwine right down to Big Shiloh
    To take dat t'other Nigger's beau.


WE'LL STICK TO THE HOE

    We'll stick to de hoe, till de sun go down.
    We'll rise w'en de rooster crow,
    An' go to de fiel' whar de sun shine hot,
    To de fiel' whar de sugar cane grow.
    Yes, Chilluns, we'll all go!
    We'll go to de fiel' whar de sun shine hot.
    To de fiel' whar de sugar cane grow.

    Oh, sing 'long boys, fer de wuk hain't hard!
    Oh scrape an' clean up de row.
    Fer de grass musn' grow, while de sun shine hot,
    In de fiel' whar de sugar cane grow.
    No, Chilluns. No, No!
    Dat grass musn' grow, while de sun shine hot,
    In de fiel' whar de sugar cane grow.

    Don't think 'bout de time, fer de time hain't long.
    Y[=o]' life soon come an' go;
    Den good-bye fiel' whar de sun shine hot,
    To de fiel' whar de sugar cane grow.
    Yes, Chilluns. We'll all go!
    Good-by to de fiel' whar de sun shine hot,
    To de fiel' whar de sugar cane grow.


A FINE PLASTER

    W'en it's sheep skin an' beeswax,
    It sh[=o]'s a mighty fine plaster:
    De m[=o]' you tries to pull it off,
    De m[=o]' it sticks de faster.


A DAY'S HAPPINESS

    Fust: I went out to milk an' I didn' know how,
          I milked dat goat instid o' dat cow;
          While a Nigger a-settin' wid a gapin' jaw,
          Kept winkin' his eye at a tucky in de straw.

    Den:  I went out de gate an' I went down de road,
          An' I met Miss 'Possum an' I met Mistah Toad;
          An' ev'y time Miss 'Possum 'ould sing,
          Mistah Toad 'ould cut dat Pigeon's Wing.

    But:  I went in a whoop, as I went down de road;
          I had a bawky team an' a heavy load.
          I cracked my whip, an' ole Beck sprung,
          An' she busted out my wagin tongue.

    Well: Dat night dere 'us a-gittin' up, shores you're born.
          De louse go to supper, an' de flea blow de horn.
          Dat raccoon paced, an' dat 'possum trot;
          Dat ole goose laid, an' de gander sot.


MASTER KILLED A BIG BULL

    Mosser killed a big bull,
    Missus cooked a dish full,
    Didn't give poor Nigger a mouf full.
        Humph! Humph!

    Mosser killed a fat lam'.
    Missus brung a basket,
    An' give poor Nigger de haslet.
        Eh-eh! Eh-eh!

    Mosser killed a fat hog
    Missus biled de middlin's,
    An' give poor Nigger de chitlin's.
        Sh[=o]! Sh[=o]!


YOU HAD BETTER MIND MASTER

    'Way down yon'er in 'Possum Trot,
    (In ole Miss'sip' whar de sun shines hot)
    Dere hain't no chickens an' de Niggers eats c'on;
    You hain't never see'd de lak since youse been bo'n,
    You'd better m[=i]n' Mosser an' keep a stiff lip,
    So's you won't git s[=o]l' down to ole Miss'sip'.