VII. Marriage & Married Life Rhyme Section


MARRIAGE RHYME SECTION


SLAVE MARRIAGE CEREMONY SUPPLEMENT

    Dark an' stormy may come de wedder;
    I jines dis he-male an' dis she-male togedder.
    Let none, but Him dat makes de thunder,
    Put dis he-male an' dis she-male asunder.
    I darfore 'nounce you bofe de same.
    Be good, go 'long, an' keep up y[=o]' name.
    De broomstick's jumped, de worl's not wide.
    She's now y[=o]' own. Salute y[=o]' bride!

 


MARRIED LIFE RHYME SECTION


THE NEWLY WEDS

    First Mont': "Set down in my cabin, Honey!"
     Nex' Mont': "Stan' up, my Pie."
    Third Mont': "You go to wuk, you Wench!
                  You well to wuk as I!"


WHEN I GO TO MARRY

    W'en I goes to marry,
    I wants a gal wid money.
    I wants a pretty black-eyed gal
    To kiss an' call me "Honey."

    Well, w'en I goes to marry,
    I don't wanter git no riches.
    I wants a man 'bout four foot high,
    So's I can w'ar de britches.


BOUGHT ME A WIFE

    Bought me a wife an' de wife please me,
    I feeds my wife un'er yon'er tree.
    My wife go: "Row-row!"
    My guinea go: "Potrack! Potrack!"
    My chicken go: "Gymsack! Gymsack!"
    My duck go: "Quack-quack! Quack-quack!"
    My dog go: "Bow-bow!"
    My hoss go: "Whee-whee! Whee-whee!"
    My cat go: "Fiddle-toe! Fiddle-toe!"


WHEN I WAS A "ROUSTABOUT"

    W'en I wus a "Roustabout," wild an' young,
    I co'ted my gal wid a mighty slick tongue.
    I t[=o]l' her some oncommon lies dere an' den.
    I t[=o]l' her dat we'd marry, but I didn' say w'en.

    So on a Mond'y mornin' I tuck her fer my wife.
    Of co'se I wus 'spectin' an agreeable life.
    But on a Chuesd'y mornin' she chuned up her pipe,
    An' she 'bused me more 'an I'd been 'bused all my life.

    On a Wednesd'y evenin', as I come 'long home,
    I says to myse'f dat she wus all my own;
    An' on a Thursd'y night I went out to de woods,
    An' I cut me two big fine tough leatherwoods.

    So on a Frid'y mornin' w'en she roll me 'er eyes,
    I retched fer my leatherwoods to give 'er a s'prise,
    Dem long keen leatherwoods wuked mighty well,
    An' 'er tongue, it jes rattle lak a clapper in a bell.

    On a Sadd'y mornin' she sleep sorter late;
    An' de las' time I see'd her, she 'us gwine out de gate.
    I wus feedin' at de stable, lookin' out through a crack,
    An' she lef' my log cabin 'fore I could git back.

    On a Sund'y mornin', as I laid on my bed,
    I didn' have no Nigger wife to bother my head.
    Now whisky an' brandy jug's my biges' bes' friend,
    An' my long week's wuk is about at its end.


MY FIRST AND MY SECOND WIFE

    My fust liddle wife wus short an' fat.
    Her face wus as black as my ole hat,
    Her nose all flat, an' her eyes sunk in,
    An' dat lip hang down below her chin.
        Now wusn't I sorrowful in mind?

    W'en I went down to dat wife's brother;
    He said: "She 'us tired. Gwineter marry 'nother."
    If I ever ketches dat city Coon,
    He railly mought see my razzer soon.
        Den I 'spec's he'd be troubled in mind!

    My nex' wife hug an' kiss me,
    She call me "Sugar Plum!"
    She throw her arms 'round me,
    Lak a grapevine 'round de gum!
        Wusn't dat glory to my soul!

    Her cheeks, dey're lak de cherry;
    Dat Cherry, it's lak de rose.
    Wid a liddle dimple in her chin,
    An' a liddle tu'ned up nose!
        Oh, hain't I happy in mind!

    I'se got you, Lou, now fer my wife.
    Keep new Coons 'way, "My Pie!"
    Caze, if you don't, I tells you now,
    Dat we all three mought die.
        Den we'd be troubled in min'!


GOOD-BY, WIFE!

    I had a liddle wife,
    An' I didn' want to kill 'er;
    So I tuck 'er by de heels,
    An' I throwed 'er in de river.
    "Good-by, Wife! Good-by, Honey!
    Hadn' been fer you,
    I'd a had a liddle money."

    My liddle fussy wife
    Up an' say she mus' have scissors;
    An' druther dan to fight,
    I'd a throwed 'er in three rivers.
    But she crossed dem fingers, w'en she go down,
    An' a liddle bit later
    She walk out on de groun'.