NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Wise and Otherwise 
 WITH A STUDY 
 
 BY 
 THOMAS W. TALLEY 
 
 OF FISK UNIVERSITY 
 
 KENNIKAT PRESS, INC. /PORT WASHINGTON, N. Y. 
 
KENNIKAT PRESS SERIES IN NEGRO CULTURE AND HISTORY 
 
 NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Copyright 1922 by The Macaillan Company 
 Reissued in 1968 by Kennikat Press 
 Library of Congress Catalog Card No: 68-25204 
 Manufactured in the United States of America 
 
T3 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 Of the making of books by individual authors 
 there is no end; but a cultivated literary taste 
 among the exceptional few has rendered almost im- 
 possible the production of genuine folk-songs. The 
 spectacle, therefore, of a homogeneous throng of 
 partly civilized people dancing to the music of 
 crude instruments and evolving out of dance-rhythm 
 a lyrical or narrative utterance in poetic form is 
 sufficiently rare in the nineteenth century to chal- 
 lenge immediate attention. In Neffro Folk Rhymes 
 is to be found no inconsiderable part of the musical 
 and poetic life-records of a people; the compiler; 
 presents an arresting volume which, in addition to 
 being a pioneer and practically unique in its field, is 
 as nearly exhaustive as a sympathetic understanding 
 of the Negro mind, careful research, and labor of 
 love can make it. Professor Talley of Fisk Uni- 
 versity has spared himself no pains in collecting and 
 piecing together every attainable scrap and fragment 
 of secular rhyme which might help in adequately 
 interpreting the inner life of his own people, 
 v 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 Being the expression of a race in, or just emerging 
 from bondage, these songs may at first seem to 
 some readers trivial and almost wholly devoid of 
 literary merit. In phraseology they may appear 
 crude, lacking in that elegance and finish ordinarily 
 associated with poetic excellence; in imagery they 
 are at times exceedingly winter-starved, mediocre, 
 common, drab, scarcely ever rising above the un- 
 happy environment of the singers. The outlook 
 upon life and nature is, for the most part, one of 
 imaginative simplicity and child-like naivete; super- 
 stitions crowd in upon a worldly wisdom that is 
 elementary, practical, and obvious; and a warped 
 and crooked human nature, developed and fostered 
 by circumstances, shows frequently through the lines. 
 What else might be expected? At the time when 
 these rhymes were in process of being created the 
 conditions under which the American Negro lived 
 and labored were not calculated to inspire him with 
 a desire for the highest artistic expression. Re- 
 stricted, cramped, bound in unwilling servitude, he 
 looked about him in his miserable little world to 
 see whatever of the beautiful or happy he might 
 find ; that which he discovered \s pathetically slight, 
 but, such as it is, it served to keep alive his stunted 
 artist-soul under the most adverse circumstances. 
 vi 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 He saw the sweet pinks under a blue sky, or ob- 
 served the fading violets and the roses that fall, as 
 he passed to a tryst under the oak trees of a forest, 
 and wrought these things into his songs of love and 
 tenderness. Friendless and otherwise without com- 
 panionship he lived in imagination with the beasts 
 and birds of the great out-of-doors; he knew per- 
 sonally Mr. Coon, Brother Rabbit, Mr. 'Possum 
 and their associates of the wild ; Judge Buzzard and 
 Sister Turkey appealed to his fancy as offering ma- 
 terial for what he supposed to be poetic treatment. 
 Wherever he might find anything in his lowly posi- 
 tion which seemed to him truly useful or beautiful, 
 he seized upon it and wove about it the sweetest 
 song he could sing. The result is not so much 
 poetry of a high order as a valuable illustration of 
 the persistence of artist-impulses even in slavery. 
 
 In some of these folk-songs, however, may be 
 found certain qualities which give them dignity and 
 worth. They are, when properly presented, rhyth- 
 mical to the point of perfection. I myself have 
 heard many of them chanted with and without the 
 accompaniment of clapping hands, stamping feet, 
 and swaying bodies. Unfortunately a large part of 
 their liquid melody and flexibility of movement is 
 lost through confinement in cold print; but when 
 vii 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 they are heard from a distance on quiet summer 
 nights or clear Southern mornings, even the most 
 fastidious ear is satisfied with the rhythmic pulse 
 of them. That pathos of the Negro character which 
 can never be quite adequately caught in words or 
 transcribed in music is then augmented and intensi- 
 fied by the peculiar quality of the Negro voice, rich 
 in overtones, quavering, weird, cadenced, throbbing 
 with the sufferings of a race. Or perhaps that well- 
 developed sense of humor which has, for more than 
 a century, made ancestral sorrows bearable finds 
 fuller expression in the lilting turn of a note than 
 in the flashes of wit which abundantly enliven the 
 pages of this volume. There is one lyric in par- 
 ticular which, in evident sincerity of feeling, simple 
 and unaffected grace, and regularity of form, appeals 
 to me as having intrinsic literary value : 
 
 She hug' me, an' she kiss' me, 
 She wrung my han' an' cried. 
 She said I wus de sweetes' thing 
 Dat ever lived or died. 
 
 She hug' me an' she kiss' me. 
 Oh Heaben ! De touch o' her han' 1 
 She said I wus de puttiest thing 
 In de shape o' mortal man. 
 
 viii 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 I told her dat I love' her, 
 Dat my love wus bed-cord strong; 
 Den I axed her w'en she'd have me, 
 An' she jes' say, "Go 'long!" 
 
 There is also a dramatic quality about many 
 of these rhymes which must not be overlooked. It 
 has long been my observation that the Negro is 
 possessed by nature of considerable, though not as 
 yet highly developed, histrionic ability; he takes 
 delight in acting out in pantomime whatever he 
 may be relating in song or story. It is not sur- 
 prising, then, to find that the play-rhymes, originat- 
 ing from the "call" and "response," are really 
 little dramas when presented in their proper set- 
 tings. "Caught By The Witch" would not be in- 
 effective if, on a dark night, it were acted in the 
 vicinity of a graveyard! And one ballad if I 
 may be permitted to dignify it by that name called 
 "Promises of Freedom" is characterized by an un- 
 adorned narrative style and a dramatic ending 
 which are associated with the best English folk- 
 ballads. The singer tells simply and, one feels, 
 with a grim impersonality of how his mistress 
 promised to set him free ; it seemed as if she would 
 never die but "she's somehow gone" ! His master 
 likewise made promises, 
 
 ix 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 Yes, my ole Mosser promise' me ; 
 But "his papers" didn't leave me free. 
 A dose of pizen he'pped 'im along. 
 May de Devil preach 'is funer'l song. 
 
 The manner of this conclusion is strikingly like 
 that of the Scottish balkd, "Edward," 
 
 The curse of hell frae me sail ye beir, 
 
 Mither, Mither, 
 
 The curse of hell frae me sail ye beir, 
 Sic counseils ye gave to me O. 
 
 In both a story of cruelty is suggested in a single 
 artistic line and ended with startling, dramatic 
 abruptness. 
 
 In fact, these two songs probably had their 
 ultimate origin in not widely dissimilar types of 
 illiterate, unsophisticated human society. Profes- 
 sor Talley's "Study in Negro Folk Rhymes," ap- 
 pended to this volume of songs, is illuminating. 
 One may not be disposed to accept without con- 
 siderable modification his theories entire; still his 
 account from personal, first-hand knowledge of the 
 beginnings and possible evolution of certain rhymes 
 in this collection is apparently authentic. Here we 
 have again, in the nineteenth century, the record 
 of a singing, dancing people creating by a process 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 approximating communal authorship a mass of verse 
 embodying tribal memories, ancestral superstitions, 
 and racial wisdom handed down from generation to 
 generation through oral tradition. These are gen- 
 uine folk-songs lyrics, ballads, rhymes in which 
 are crystallized the thought and feeling, the uni- 
 versally shared lore of a folk. Recent theorizers 
 on poetic origins who would insist upon individual 
 as opposed to community authorship of certain 
 types of song-narrative might do well to consider 
 Professor Talley's characteristic study. And stu- 
 dents of comparative literature who love to recreate 
 the life of a tribe or nation from its song and story 
 will discover in this collection a mine of interesting 
 material. 
 
 Fisk University, the center of Negro culture in 
 America, is to be congratulated upon having initi- 
 ated the gathering and preservation of these relics, a 
 valuable heritage from the past. Just how impor- 
 tant for literature this heritage may prove to be 
 will not appear until this institution and others 
 with like purposes has fully developed by cul- 
 tivation, training, and careful fostering the artistic 
 impulses so abundantly a part of the Negro char- 
 acter. A race which has produced, under the most 
 disheartening conditions, a mass of folk-poetry such 
 xi 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 as Negro Folk Rhymes may be expected to create, 
 with unlimited opportunities for self-development, a 
 literature and a distinctive music of superior quality. 
 
 WALTER CLYDE CURRY. 
 Vanderbilt University, 
 September 30, 1921. 
 
 Xll 
 
PART I 
 NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
DANCE RHYME SECTION 
 JONAH'S BAND PARTY 
 
 SETCH a kickin' up san' ! Jonah's Ban' ! 
 Setch a kickin' up san' ! Jonah's Ban' ! 
 "Han's up sixteen ! Circle to de right ! 
 We's gwine to git big eatin's here to-night." 
 
 Setch a kickin' up san'! Jonah's Ban'! 
 Setch a kickin' up san'! Jonah's Ban'! 
 "Raise yo' right foot, kick it up high, 
 Knock dat * Mobile Buck in de eye." 
 
 Setch a kickin' up san'! Jonah's Ban'! 
 Setch a kickin' up san'! Jonah's Ban'! 
 "Stan' up, flat foot, * Jump dem Bars! 
 * Karo back'ards lak a train o' kyars." 
 
 Setch a kickin' up san'! Jonah's Ban'! 
 Setch a kickin' up san'! Jonah's Ban'! 
 "Dance 'round, Mistiss, show 'em de p'int; 
 Dat Nigger don't know how to * Coonjaint." 
 
 * These are dance steps. For explanation read the 
 Study in Negro Folk Rhymes. 
 
 I 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 LOVE IS JUST A THING OF FANCY 
 
 LOVE is jes a thing o' fancy, 
 Beauty's jes a blossom; 
 If you wants to git yo' finger bit, 
 Stick it at a 'possum. 
 
 Beauty, it's jes skin deep ; 
 Ugly, it's to de bone. 
 Beauty, it'll jes fade 'way; 
 But Ugly'll hoi' 'er own. 
 
 STILL WATER CREEK 
 
 WAY down yon'er on Still Water Creek, 
 
 I got stalded an' stayed a week. 
 
 I see'd Injun Puddin and Punkin pie, 
 
 But de black cat stick 'em in de yaller cat's eye. 
 
 'Way down yon'er on Still Water Creek, 
 De Niggers grows up some ten or twelve feet. 
 Dey goes to bed but dere hain't no use, 
 Caze deir feet sticks out f er de chickens t* roost. 
 
 I got hongry on Still Water Creek, 
 De mud to de hub an' de hoss britchin v/eak. 
 I stewed bullfrog chitlins, baked polecat pie; 
 If I goes back dar, I sho's gwine to die. 
 
 2 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 'POSSUM UP THE GUM STUMP 
 
 'POSSUM up de gum stump, 
 Dat raccoon in de holler; 
 Twis' 'im out, an' git 'im down, 
 An' I'll gin you a half a doller. 
 
 'Possum up de gum stump, 
 Yes, cooney in de holler ; 
 A pretty gal down my house 
 Jes as fat as she can waller. 
 
 'Possum up de gum stump, 
 His jaws is black an' dirty; 
 To come an' kiss you, pretty gal, 
 I'd run lak a goobler tucky. 
 
 'Possum up de gum stump, 
 A good man's hard to fin' ; 
 You'd better love me, pretty gal, 
 You'll git de yudder kin'. 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 JOE AND MALINDA JANE 
 
 OLE Joe jes swore upon 'is life 
 He'd make Merlindy Jane 'is wife. 
 Wen she hear 'im up 'is love an' tell, 
 She jumped in a bar'l o' mussel shell. 
 She scrape 'er back till de skin come off. 
 Nex' day she die wid de Whoopin' Cough. 
 
 WALK, TALK, CHICKEN WITH YOUR 
 HEAD PECKED! 
 
 WALK, talk, chicken wid yo' head pecked ! 
 You can crow w'en youse been dead. 
 Walk, talk, chicken wid yo' head pecked ! 
 You can hoi' high yo' bloody head. 
 
 You's whooped dat Blue Hen's Chicken, 
 You's beat 'im at his game. 
 If dere's some fedders on him, 
 Fer dat you's not to blame. 
 
 Walk, talk, chicken wid yo' head pecked! 
 You beat ole Johnny Blue! 
 Walk, talk, chicken wid yo' head pecked! 
 Say: "Cock-a-doo-dle-doo !" 
 4 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 TAILS 
 
 DE coon's got a long ringed bushy tail, 
 De 'possum's tail is bare ; 
 Dat rabbit hain't got no tail 'tall, 
 'Cep' a liddle bunch o' hair. 
 
 De gobbler's got a big fan tail, 
 
 De pattridge's tail is small ; 
 
 Dat peacock's tail 's got great big 
 
 eyes, 
 But dey don't see nothin' 'tall. 
 
 CAPTAIN DIME 
 
 CAPPUN Dime is a fine w'ite man. 
 He wash his face in a fry'n' pan, 
 He comb his head wid a waggin wheel, 
 An' he die wid de toothache in his heel. 
 
 Cappun Dime is a mighty fine feller, 
 
 An' he sho' play kyards wid de Niggers in 
 
 de cellar, 
 But he will git drunk, an' he won't smoke a 
 
 pipe, 
 Den he will pull de watermillions 'fore dey 
 
 gits ripe. 
 
 5 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 CROSSING THE RIVER 
 
 I WENT down to de river an* I couldn' git 'cross. 
 I jumped on er mule an' I thought 'e wus er hoss. 
 Dat mule 'e wa'k in an' git mired up in de san' ; 
 You'd oughter see'd dis Nigger make back fer de 
 Ian'! 
 
 I want to cross de river but I caint git 'cross ; 
 So I mounted on a ram, fer I thought 'e wus er hoss. 
 I plunged him in, but he sorter fail to swim ; 
 An' I give five dollars fer to git 'im out ag'in. 
 
 Yes, I went down to de river an' I couldn' git 'cross, 
 So I give a whole dollar fer a ole Win' hoss; 
 Den I souzed him in an* he sink 'stead o' swim. 
 Do you know I got wet clean to my ole hat brim? 
 
 T-U-TURKEY 
 
 T-u, tucky, T-u, ti. 
 T-u, tucky, buzzard's eye. 
 T-u, tucky, T-u, ting. 
 T-u, tucky, buzzard's wing. 
 Oh, Mistah Washin'ton ! Don't whoop me, 
 Whoop dat Nigger Back 'hind dat tree. 
 6 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 He stole tucky, I didn' steal none. 
 Go wuk him in de co'n field jes fer fun. 
 
 CHICKEN IN THE BREAD TRAY 
 
 "AUNTIE, will yo' dog bite?" 
 
 "No, Chile! No!" 
 Chicken in de bread tray 
 A makin* up dough. 
 
 "Auntie, will yo' broom hit?" 
 
 "Yes, Chile!" Pop! 
 Chicken in de bread tray; 
 "Flop! Flop! Flop!" 
 
 "Auntie, will yo' oven bake?" 
 
 "Yes. Jes fry!" 
 "What's dat chicken good fer?" 
 "Pie! Pie! Pie!" 
 
 "Auntie, is yo' pie good ?" 
 
 "Good as you could 'spec'." 
 Chicken in de bread tray; 
 "Peck! Peck! Peck!" 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 MOLLY COTTONTAIL, OR, GRAVE- 
 YARD RABBIT 
 
 OLE Molly Cottontail, 
 At night, w'en de moon's pale; 
 You don't fail to tu'n tail, 
 You always gives me leg bail.* 
 
 Molly in de Bramble-brier, 
 Let me git a little nigher; 
 Prickly-pear, it sting lak fire! 
 Do please come pick out de brier ! 
 
 Molly in de pale moonlight, 
 Yd' tail is sho a pretty white; 
 You takes it fer 'way out'n sight. 
 "Molly! Molly! Molly Bright!" 
 
 Ole Molly Cottontail, 
 You sets up on a rotten rail! 
 You tears through de graveyard ! 
 You makes dem ugly t hants wail. 
 
 Ole Molly Cottontail, 
 
 Won't you be shore not to fail 
 
 * Leg bail = to run away. 
 
 f Hants = ghosts or spirits. 
 
 8 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 * To give me yd* right bin* foot ? 
 My luck, it won't be fer sale. 
 
 tJUBA 
 
 JUBA dis, an' Juba dat, 
 
 Juba Jskin dat Yaller Cat. Juba! Juba! 
 
 Juba jump an' Juba sing. 
 
 Juba, Jcut dat Pigeon's Wing. Juba! Juba! 
 
 Juba, kick off Juba's shoe. 
 
 Juba, dance dat JJubal Jew. Juba! Juba! 
 
 Juba, whirl dat foot about. 
 
 Juba, blow dat candle out. Juba! Juba! 
 
 Juba circle, ^ Raise de Latch. 
 
 Juba do dat JLong Dog Scratch. Juba! Juba! 
 
 *This embraces the old superstition that carrying in 
 one's pocket the right hind foot of a rabbit, which has 
 habitually lived about a cemetery, brings good luck to its 
 possessor. 
 
 fThis peculiar kind of dance rhyme is explained in the 
 Study in Negro Folk Rhymes. 
 
 $ The expressions marked $ are various kinds of dance 
 steps. 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 ON TOP OF THE POT 
 
 WILD goose gallop an' gander trot; 
 Walk about, Mistiss, on top o' de pot! 
 
 Hog jowl bilin', an' tunnup greens hot, 
 Walk about, Billie, on top o' de pot! 
 
 Chitlins, hog years, all on de spot, 
 Walk about, ladies, on top o' de pot! 
 
 * STAND BACK, BLACK MAN 
 
 Ohl 
 
 STAN' back, black man, 
 You cain't shine; 
 Yo' lips is too thick, 
 An* you hain't my km*. 
 
 *In a few places in the South, just following the Civil 
 War, the Mulattoes organized themselves into a little 
 guild known as "The Blue Vein Circle," from which 
 those who were black were excluded. This is one of 
 their rhymes. 
 
 IO 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Aw! 
 
 Git 'way, black man, 
 You jes haint fine; 
 I'se done quit foolin' 
 Wid de nappy-headed kind. 
 
 Say? 
 
 Stan' back, black man! 
 Cain't you see 
 Dat a kinky-headed chap 
 Hain't nothin' side o' me? 
 
 NEGROES NEVER DIE 
 
 NIGGER! Nigger never die! 
 
 He gits choked on Chicken pie. 
 
 Black face, white shiny eye. Nigger! Nigger! 
 
 Nigger! Nigger never knows! 
 Mashed nose, an' crooked toes; 
 Dat's de way de Nigger goes. Nigger! Nigger! 
 
 Nigger! Nigger always sing; 
 Jump up, cut de Pidgeon's wing; 
 Whirl, an' give his feet a fling. Nigger! Nigger! 
 II 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 JAWBONE 
 
 SAMSON, shout! Samson, moan! 
 Samson, bring on yo' Jawbone. 
 
 Jawbone, walk! Jawbone, talk! 
 Jawbone, eat wid a knife an fo'k. 
 
 Walk, Jawbone! Jinny, come alon'! 
 Yon'er goes Sally wid de bootees on. 
 
 Jawbone, ring! Jawbone, sing! 
 Jawbone, kill dat wicked thing. 
 
 INDIAN FLEA 
 
 INJUN flea, bit my knee; 
 
 Kaze I wouldn' drink ginger tea. 
 
 Flea bite hard, flea bite quick ; 
 Flea bite burn lak dat seed tick. 
 
 Hit dat flea, flea not dere. 
 I'se so mad I pulls my hair. 
 
 I go wild an' fall in de creek. 
 To wash Mm off, I'd stay a week. 
 12 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 AS I WENT TO SHILOH 
 
 As I went down 
 To Shiloh Town; 
 I rolled my barrel of Sogrum down. 
 Dem lasses rolled ; 
 An' de hoops, dey bust; 
 An* blowed dis Nigger clear to 
 Thundergust ! 
 
 JUMP JIM CROW 
 
 GIT fus upon yo' heel, 
 
 An' den upon yo' toe; 
 
 An ebry time you tu'n 'round, 
 
 You jump Jim Crow. 
 
 Now fall upon yo' knees, 
 Jump up an' bow low; 
 An' ebry time you tu'n 'round, 
 You jump Jim Crow. 
 
 Put yo' han's upon yo' hips, 
 Bow low to yo' beau; 
 An' ebry time you tu'n 'round, 
 You jump Jim Crow. 
 13 
 
DANCE RHYME SONG SECTION 
 
 1. De Jay -bird jump from lim' to lim' An' he 
 ( Use all the stanzas of "Jaybird" ) 
 
 _ - * 
 
 tell Brer Bab-bit to do lak him Brer 
 
 Brer Rab - bit say to de cunnin' ell You jes 
 
 want me to fall an' kill my - se'f. 
 CHORUS. 
 
 I loves dem short -en gals! I loves dem 
 
 fr-f J J |J. JJ3VU J >- 
 
 Short -en gals! Oh, have mer-cy on my soul! 
 JAYBIRD 
 
 DE Jaybird jump from lim' to lim*, 
 An' he tell Br'er Rabbit to do lak him. 
 
 14 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Br'er Rabbit say to de cunnin' elf : 
 
 "You jes want me to fall an* kill myself." 
 
 Dat Jaybird a-settin' on a swingin' lim*. 
 He wink at me an' I wink at him. 
 He laugh at me w'en my gun "crack." 
 It kick me down on de flat o' my back. 
 
 Nex' day de Jaybird dance dat lim'. 
 I grabs my gun fer to shoot at him. 
 W'en I "crack" down, it split my chin. 
 "Ole Aggie Cunjer" fly lak sin. 
 
 Way down yon'er at de risin' sun, 
 Jaybird a-talkin' wid a forked tongue. 
 *He's been down dar whar de bad mens dwell. 
 "Ole Friday Devil," fare you well ! 
 
 OFF FROM RICHMOND 
 
 FSE off from Richmon' sooner in de mornin*. 
 I'se off from Richmon' befo' de break o' day. 
 I slips off from Mosser widout pass an' warnin* 
 Fer I mus' see my Donie wharever she may stay. 
 
 *A superstition. For explanation, see Study in Negro 
 Folk Rhymes. 
 
 15 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 HE IS MY HORSE 
 
 ONE day as I wus a-ridin' by, 
 
 Said dey: "Ole man, yo' boss will die" 
 
 "If he dies, he is my loss; 
 
 An' if he lives, he is my boss." 
 
 Nex' day w'en I come a-ridin' by, 
 
 Dey said : "Ole man, yo' boss may die." 
 
 "If he dies, I'll tan 'is skin; 
 
 An* if he lives, I'll ride 'im ag'in." 
 
 Den ag'in w'en I come a-ridin' by, 
 Said dey: "Ole man, yo' boss mought 
 die." 
 
 "If he dies, I'll eat his co'n ; 
 
 An' if he lives, I'll ride 'im on." 
 
 * JUDGE BUZZARD 
 
 DERE sets Jedge Buzzard on de Bench. 
 Go tu'n him off wid a monkey wrench! 
 Jedge Buzzard try Br'er Rabbit's case; 
 An' he say Br'er Tarepin win dat race. 
 Here sets Jedge Buzzard on de Bench. 
 Knock him off wid dat monkey wrench ! 
 See Study in Negro Rhymes for explanation. 
 
 16 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 SHEEP AND GOAT 
 
 SHEEP an' goat gwine to de paster; 
 Says de goat to de sheep : "Cain't you walk a liddle 
 faster?" 
 
 De sheep says : "I cain't, I'se a liddle too full." 
 Den de goat say: "You can wid my ho'ns in yo' 
 wool. 1 
 
 " 
 
 But de goat /all down an' skin 'is shin 
 
 An' de sheep split 'is lip wid a big broad grin. 
 
 JACKSON, PUT THAT KETTLE ON! 
 
 JACKSON, put dat kittle on ! 
 Fire, steam dat coffee done! 
 Day done broke, an' I got to run 
 Fer to meet my gal by de risin' sun. 
 
 My ole Mosser say to me, 
 Dat I mus' drink * sassf ac tea ; 
 But Jackson stews dat coffee done, 
 An' he sho' gits his po'tion: Son! 
 * Sassf ac = sassafras. 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 DINAH'S DINNER HORN 
 
 IT'S a col', frosty mornin', 
 An' de Niggers goes to wo'k; 
 Wid deir axes on deir shoulders, 
 An' widout a bit o' * shu't. 
 
 Dey's got ole husky ashcake, 
 Widout a bit o' fat; 
 An' de white folks'll grumble, 
 If you eats much o' dat. 
 
 I runs down to de henhouse, 
 An' I falls upon my knees; 
 It's 'nough to make a rabbit laugh 
 To hear my tucky sneeze. 
 
 I grows up on dem meatskins, 
 I comes down on a bone; 
 I hits dat co'n bread fifty licks, 
 I makes dat butter moan. 
 
 It's glory in yo' honor! 
 An' don't you want to go? 
 I sholy will be ready 
 Fer dat dinnah ho'n to blow. 
 * Shu't = shirt. 
 
 18 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Dat ole bell, it goes "Bangity 
 bang!" 
 
 Fer all dem white folks bo'n. 
 But I'se not ready fer to go 
 Till Dinah blows her ho'n. 
 
 "Poke sallid !" "Poke sallid 1" 
 Dat ole ho'n up an' blow. 
 Jes think about dem good ole greens! 
 Say? Don't you want to go? 
 
 MY MULE 
 
 LAS' Saddy mornin' Mosser said : 
 "Jump up now, Sambo, out'n bed. 
 Go saddle dat mule, an' go to town; 
 An' bring home Mistiss' mornin' 
 gown." 
 
 I saddled dat mule to go to town. 
 I mounted up an' he buck'd me down. 
 Den I jumped up from out'n de dust, 
 An' I rid him till I thought he'd bust. 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 BULLFROG PUT ON THE SOLDIER 
 CLOTHES 
 
 BULLFROG put on de soldier clo's. 
 
 He went down yonder fer to shoot at de crows; 
 
 Wid a knife an' a fo'k between 'is toes, 
 
 An' a white hankcher fer to wipe 'is nose. 
 
 Bullfrog put on de soldier clo's. 
 
 He's a "dead shore shot," gwineter kill dem 
 crows." 
 
 He takes "Pot," an' "Skillet" from de Fid- 
 dler's Ball. 
 
 Dey're to dance a liddle jig while Jim Crow 
 fall. 
 
 Bullfrog put on de soldier clo's. 
 
 He went down de river fer to shoot at de 
 
 crows. 
 
 De powder flash, an' de crows fly 'way ; 
 An' de Bullfrog shoot at 'em all nex' day. 
 
 SAIL AWAY, LADIES! 
 SAIL away, ladies! Sail away! 
 Sail away, ladies! Sail away! 
 Nev' min' what dem white folks say, 
 May de Mighty bless you. Sail away! 
 20 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Nev' min' what yo' daddy say, 
 Shake yo' liddle foot an' fly away. 
 Nev' min' if yo' mammy say: 
 "De Devil'll git you." Sail away! 
 
 THE BANJO PICKING 
 
 HUSH boys ! Hush boys ! Don't make a noise, 
 
 While ole Mosser's sleepin'. 
 
 We'll run down de Graveyard, an* take out 
 
 de bones, 
 An' have a liddle Banjer pickin'. 
 
 I takes my Banjer on a Sunday mornin'. 
 Dem ladies, dey 'vites me to come. 
 We slips down de hill an' picks de liddle chune : 
 "Walk, Tom Wilson Here Afternoon." 
 
 *"Walk Tom Wilson Here Afternoon"; 
 "You Cain't Dance Lak ole Zipp Coon." 
 Pick *"Dinah's Dinner Ho'n" "Dance 'Round 
 
 de Room." 
 "Sweep dat Kittle Wid a Bran' New Broom." 
 
 * Those starred are found elsewhere in this volume. 
 We were unable to obtain the other three. 
 
 21 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 OLD MOLLY HARE 
 
 OLE Molly bar'! 
 
 What's you doin' thar ? 
 
 "I'se settin' in de fence comer, smokin' seegyar." 
 
 Ole Molly bar'! 
 
 What's you doin' thar ? 
 
 "I'se pickin' out a br'or, settin' on a Pricky-p'ar." 
 
 Ole Molly bar'! 
 
 What's you doin' thar? 
 
 "I'se gwine cross de Cotton Patch, hard as I can 
 
 Molly bar* to-day, 
 
 So dey all say, 
 
 Grot her pipe o' clay, jes to smoke de time 'way. 
 
 "De dogs say 'boo!' 
 
 An' dey barks too. 
 
 I hain't got no time fer to talk to you." 
 
 22 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 ONE NEGRO TUNE USED WITH "AN OPOSSUM 
 HUNT" 
 
 CHORUS. 
 
 Pos-sum meat is good an' sweet, Charve him to de 
 
 heart I al - ways finds it good to eat 
 
 CHORUS. GENERAL CHO. 
 
 ==fr J* -=* N | J- ' 
 
 Charve him to de heart Charve dat 
 
 pos - sum! Charve dat pos - sum! Charve dat 
 
 ^^S^^^q=| 
 
 pos - sum! Oh charve 'im to de heartl 
 AN OPOSSUM HUNT 
 
 TOSSUM meat is good an' sweet, 
 I always finds it good to eat. 
 My dog tree, I went to see. 
 A great big 'possum up dat tree. 
 I retch up an' pull him In, 
 Den dat ole 'possum 'gin to grin. 
 23 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 I tuck him home an' dressed him 
 
 off, 
 
 Dat night I laid him in de fros'. 
 De way I cooked dat 'possum 
 
 sound, 
 I fust parboiled, den baked him 
 
 brown. 
 
 I put sweet taters in de pan, 
 'Twus de bigges' eatin' in de Ian*. 
 
 DEVILISH PIGS 
 
 I WISH I had a load o' poles, 
 
 To fence my new-groun' lot; 
 
 To keep dem liddle bitsy debblish pigs 
 
 Frum a-rootin' up all I'se got. 
 
 Dey roots my cabbage, roots my co'n ; 
 Dey roots up all my beans. 
 Dey speilt my fine sweet-tater patch, 
 An* dey ruint my tunnup greens. 
 
 I'se rund dem pigs, an' I'se rund dem 
 
 pigs. 
 
 I'se gittin' mighty hot; 
 An' one dese days w'en nobody look, 
 Dey'll root 'round in my pot. 
 24 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 PROMISES OF FREEDOM 
 
 MY ole Mistiss promise me, 
 Wen she died, she'd set me free. 
 She lived so long dat 'er head got bal', 
 An' she give out'n de notion a dyin' 
 at all. 
 
 My ole Mistiss say to me: 
 "Sambo, I'se gwine ter set you free." 
 But w'en dat head git slick an' bal', 
 De Lawd couldn' a' killed 'er wid 
 a big green maul. 
 
 My ole Mistiss never die, 
 
 Wid 'er nose all hooked an* skin all 
 
 dry. 
 
 But my ole Miss, she's somehow gone, 
 An' she lef "Uncle Sambo" a-hillin' 
 
 up co'n. 
 
 Ole Mosser lakwise promise me, 
 W'en he died, he'd set me free. 
 But ole Mosser go an' make his Will 
 Fer to leave me a-plowin' ole Beck 
 still. 
 
 25 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Yes, my ole Mosser promise me; 
 But "his papers" didn' leave me free. 
 A dose of pizen he'ped 'im along. 
 May de Devil preach 'is funer'l song. 
 
 WHEN MY WIFE DIES 
 
 WEN my wife dies, gwineter git me anudder one; 
 A big fat yaller one, jes lak de yudder one. 
 I'll hate mighty bad, w'en she's been gone. 
 Hain't no better 'oman never nowhars been bo'n. 
 
 W'en I comes to die, you mus'n' bury me deep, 
 But put Sogrum molasses close by my feet. 
 Put a pone o' co'n bread way down in my han'. 
 Gwineter sop on de way to de Promus' Lan'. 
 
 W'en I goes to die, Nobody mus'n' cry, 
 Mus'n' dress up in black, fer I mought come back. 
 But w'en Fse been dead, an' almos' fergotten; 
 You mought think about me an' keep on a-trottin'. 
 
 Railly, w'en I'se been dead, you needn' bury me 
 
 at tall. 
 
 You mought pickle my bones down in alkihall ; 
 Den fold my han's "so," right across my breas'; 
 An* go an' tell de folks I'se done gone to "res'." 
 26 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 ONE TUNE USED WITH "BAA! BAA! BLACK 
 SHEEP!" 
 
 Baa! Baa! Black Sheep. Has yon got wool? 
 
 4 
 
 Yes good Mos - ser three bags rail 
 
 One fer ole Mis-tess One fer Miss Dame 
 
 f jg^jj^T^'J*. J*_|J: j ft ^ 
 
 One fer de good Nig-ger jes 'cross de lane. 
 
 pi 
 
 Poor lid - die black sheep poor lid - die lam - my, 
 
 1 
 
 Poor lid - die black sheep's Got no mam my. 
 BAA! BAA! BLACK SHEEP 
 "BAA! Baa! Black Sheep, 
 Has you got wool?" 
 "Yes, good Mosser, 
 Free bags full. 
 One fer ole Mistis, 
 One fer Miss Dame, 
 27 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 An* one fer de good Nigger 
 Jes across de lane." 
 Poor liddle Black Sheep, 
 Poor liddle lammy; 
 Poor liddle Black Sheep's 
 Got no mammy. 
 
 HE WILL GET MR. COON 
 
 OLE Mistah Coon, at de break o' day, 
 You needn' think youse gwineter git 'way. 
 Caze ole man Ned, he know how to run, 
 An* he's sho' gone fer to git 'is gun. 
 
 You needn' clam to dat highes' lira', 
 You cain't git out'n de retch o' him. 
 You can stay up dar till de sun done set, 
 I'll bet you a dollar dat he'll git you yet. 
 
 Ole Mistah Coon, you'd well's to give up. 
 You had well's to give up, I say. 
 Caze ole man Ned is straight atter you, 
 An' he'll git you sho' this day. 
 
 28 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 BRING ON YOUR HOT CORN 
 
 BRING along yo' hot co'n, 
 Bring along yo' coP co'n; 
 But I say bring along, 
 Bring along yo' * Jimmy- 
 john. 
 
 Some loves de hot co'n, 
 Some loves de col' co'n; 
 But I loves, I loves, 
 I loves dat Jimmy-john. 
 
 THE LITTLE ROOSTER 
 
 I HAD a liddle rooster, 
 He crowed befo' day. 
 'Long come a big owl, 
 'An toted him away. 
 
 But de rooster fight hard, 
 An' de owl let him go. 
 Now all de pretty hens 
 Wants dat rooster fer deir 
 
 beau. 
 
 Jimmy-john = a whiskey jug. 
 29 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 SUGAR IN COFFEE 
 
 SHEEP'S in de meader a-mowin' o' de hay. 
 De honey's in de bee-gum, so dey all say. 
 My head's up an' I'se boun' to go* 
 Who'll take sugar in de coffee-o? 
 
 I'se de prettiest liddle gal in de county-o. 
 My mammy an' daddy, dey bofe say so. 
 I looks in de glass, it don't say, "No"; 
 So I'll take sugar in de coffee-o. 
 
 * THE TURTLE'S SONG 
 
 MUD turkle settin' on de end of a log, 
 A-watchin' of a tadpole a-turnin' to a frog. 
 He sees Br'er B'ar a-pullin' lak a mule. 
 He sees Br'er Tearpin a-makin' him a fool. 
 
 Br'er B'ar pull de rope an' he puff an' he 
 
 blow ; 
 But he cain't git de Tearpin out'n de water 
 
 from below. 
 
 Dat big clay root is a-holdin' dat rope, 
 Br'er Tearpin's got 'im fooled, an' dere 
 
 hain't no hope. 
 
 For explanation see Study in Negro Folk Rhymes. 
 30 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Mud turkle settin' one de end o' dat log ; 
 Sing fer de tadpole a-turnin' to a frog, 
 Sing to Br'er B'ar a-pullin' lak a mule, 
 Sing to Br'er Tearpin a-makin' 'im a 
 fool: 
 
 "Oh, Br'er Rabbit! Yo' eyes mighty big!" 
 "Yes, Br'er Turkle! Dey're made fer 
 
 to see." 
 "Oh, Br'er Tearpin! Yo' house mighty 
 
 cu'ous!" 
 "Yes, Br'er Turkle, but it jest suits me." 
 
 "Oh, Br'er B'ar ! You pulls mighty stout." 
 "Yes, Br'er Turkle! Dat's right smart 
 
 said!" 
 "Right, Br'er B'ar! Dat sounds bully 
 
 good, 
 But you'd oughter git a liddle mo' pull 
 
 in de head." 
 
 RACCOON AND OPOSSUM FIGHT 
 
 DE raccoon an' de 'possum 
 Under de hill a-fightin'; 
 Rabbit almos' bust his sides 
 Laughin' at de bitin'. 
 3* 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 De raccoon claw de 'possum 
 Along de ribs an' head ; 
 'Possum tumble over an' grin, 
 Playin' lak he been dead. 
 
 COTTON EYED JOE 
 
 HOL* my fiddle an' hoi' my bow, 
 Whilst I knocks ole Cotton Eyed Joe. 
 
 I'd a been dead some seben years ago, 
 If I hadn' a danced dat Cotton Eyed 
 Joe. 
 
 Oh, it makes dem ladies love me so, 
 Wen I comes 'roun' pickin' ole 
 Cotton Eyed Joe! 
 
 Yes, I'd a been married some forty 
 
 year ago, 
 If I hadn' stay'd 'roun' wid Cotton 
 
 Eyed Joe. 
 
 I hain't seed ole Joe, since way Las' 
 
 Fall; 
 Dey say he's been sol' down to Guinea 
 
 Gall. 
 
 32 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 RABBIT SOUP 
 
 RABBIT soup! Rabbit sop! 
 Rabbit e't my tunnup top. 
 
 Rabbit hop, rabbit jump, 
 Rabbit hide behin' dat stump. 
 
 Rabbit stop, twelve o'clock, 
 Killed dat rabbit wid a rock. 
 
 Rabbit's mine. Rabbit's skin'. 
 Dress 'im off an' take 'im in. 
 
 Rabbit's on ! Dance an* whoop ! 
 Makin' a pot o' rabbit soup ! 
 
 OLD GRAY MINK 
 
 I ONCE did think dat I would sink, 
 But you know I wus dat ole gray mink. 
 
 Dat ole gray mink jes couldn' die, 
 Wen he thought about good chicken pi 
 
 He swum dat creek above de mill, 
 An' he's killing an' eatin' chicken still. 
 33 
 
 pie. 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 RUN, NIGGER, RUN! 
 
 RUN, Nigger, run ! De * Patter-rollers'll 
 
 ketch you. 
 Run, Nigger, run ! It's almos' day. 
 
 Dat Nigger run'd, dat Nigger flew, 
 Dat Nigger tore his shu't in two. 
 
 All over dem woods and frou de paster, 
 Dem Patter-rollers shot; but de Nigger git 
 faster, 
 
 Oh, dat Nigger whirl'd, dat Nigger 
 
 wheel'd, 
 Dat Nigger tore up de whole co'n field. 
 
 SHAKE THE PERSIMMONS DOWN 
 
 DE raccoon up in de 'simmon tree. 
 
 Dat 'possum on de groun'. 
 
 De 'possum say to de raccoon: 
 
 "Suh!" 
 "Please shake dem 'simmons down." 
 
 *Patrollers, or white guards; on duty at night during 
 the days of slavery; whose duty it was to see that slaves 
 without permission to go, stayed at home. 
 
 34 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 De raccoon say to de 'possum : "Suh !" 
 (As he grin from down below), 
 "If you wants dese good 'simmons, 
 
 man, 
 Jes clam up whar dey grow." 
 
 THE COW NEEDS A TAIL IN FLY-TIME 
 
 DAT ole black sow, she can root in de mud, 
 She can tumble an' roll in de slime; 
 But dat big red cow, she git all mired up, 
 So dat cow need a tail in fly-time. 
 
 Dat ole gray hoss, wid 'is ole bob tail, 
 You mought buy all 'is ribs fer a dime; 
 But dat ole gray hoss can git a kiver on, 
 Whilst de cow need a tail in fly-time. 
 
 Dat Nigger Overseer, dat's a-ridin' on a 
 
 mule, 
 
 Cain't make hisse'f white lak de lime; 
 Mosser mought take 'im down fer a notch 
 
 or two, 
 Den de cow'd need a tail in fly-time. 
 
 35 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 JAYBIRD DIED WITH THE WHOOPING 
 COUGH 
 
 DE Jaybird died wid de Whoopin' Cough, 
 De Sparrer died wid de colic ; 
 'Long come de Red-bird, skippin' 'round, 
 Sayin' : "Boys, git ready f er de Frolic !" 
 
 De Jaybird died wid de Whoopin' Cough, 
 De Bluebird died wid de Measles; 
 'Long come a Nigger wid a riddle on his 
 
 back, 
 'Vitin' Crows fer to dance wid de Weasels. 
 
 Dat Mockin'-bird, he romp an' sing; 
 Dat ole Gray Goose come prancin'. 
 Dat Thrasher stuff his mouf wid plums, 
 Den he caper on down to de dancin*. 
 
 Dey hopped it low, an' dey hopped it high ; 
 Dey hopped it to, an' dey hopped it by ; 
 Dey hopped it fer, an' dey hopped it nigh ; 
 Dat fiddle an' bow jes make 'em fly. 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 WANTED! CORNBREAD AND COON 
 
 I'SE gwine now a-huntin' to ketch a big fat coon. 
 Gwineter bring him home, an' bake him, an' eat him 
 
 wid a spoon. 
 Gwineter baste him up wid gravy, an' add some 
 
 onions too. 
 I'se gwineter shet de Niggers out, an' stuff myse'f 
 
 clean through. 
 
 I wants a piece o' hoecake ; I wants a piece o' bread, 
 An' I wants a piece o' Johnnycake as big as my ole 
 
 head. 
 I wants a piece o' ash cake: I wants dat big fat 
 
 coon! 
 An' I sho' won't git hongry 'fore de middle o' nex* 
 
 June. 
 
 LITTLE RED HEN 
 
 MY liddle red hen, wid a liddle white foot, 
 Done built her nes' in a huckleberry root. 
 She lay mo' aigs dan a flock on a f ahm. 
 Anudder liddle drink wouldn' do us no harm. 
 37 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 My liddle red hen hatch fifty red chicks 
 In dat liddle ole nes' of huckleberry sticks. 
 Wid one mo' drink, ev'y chick'll make two! 
 Come, bring it on, Honey, an' let's git through. 
 
 RATION DAY 
 
 DAT ration day come once a week, 
 Ole Mosser's rich as Gundy; 
 But he gives us 'lasses all de week, 
 An' buttermilk fer Sund'y. 
 
 Ole Mosser give me a pound o' meat. 
 I e't it all on Mond'y; 
 Den I e't 'is 'lasses all de week. 
 An' buttermilk fer Sund'y. 
 
 Ole Mosser give me a peck o' meal, 
 I fed and cotch my tucky; 
 But I e't dem 'lasses all de week, 
 An' buttermilk fer Sund'y. 
 
 Oh laugh an' sing an' don't git tired. 
 We's all gwine home, some Mond'y, 
 To de honey ponds an' fritter trees; 
 An' ev'ry day'll be Sund'y. 
 38 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 MY FIDDLE 
 
 IF my ole fiddle wus jes in chune, 
 She'd bring me a dollar ev'y Friday 
 
 night in June. 
 
 Wen my ole fiddle is fixed up right, 
 She bring me a dollar in nearly ev'y 
 
 night. 
 
 Wen my ole fiddle begin to sing, 
 She make de whole plantation ring. 
 She bring me in a dollar an' sometime 
 
 mo'. 
 Hurrah fer my ole fiddle an' bow! 
 
 DIE IN THE PIG-PEN FIGHTING 
 
 DAT ole sow said to de barren 
 "I'll tell you w'at let's do: 
 Let's go an' git dat broad-axe 
 And die in de pig-pen too." 
 
 "Die in de pig-pen fightin'! 
 Yes, die, die in de wah! 
 Die in de pig-pen fightin', 
 Yes, die wid a bitin' jaw!" 
 39 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 MASTER IS SIX FEET ONE WAY 
 
 MOSSER is six foot one way, an' free foot 
 
 tudder ; 
 
 An' he weigh five hunderd pound. 
 Britches cut so big dat dey don't suit de 
 
 tailor, 
 An' dey don't meet half way 'round. 
 
 Mosser's coat come back to a claw-hammer 
 
 p'int. 
 
 (Speak sof or his Bloodhound'll bite us.) 
 His long white stockin's mighty clean an 1 
 
 nice, 
 But a liddle mo' holier dan righteous. 
 
 FOX AND GEESE 
 
 BR'ER Fox wa'k out one moonshiny night, 
 He say to hisse'f w'at he's a gwineter do. 
 He say, "I'se gwineter have a good piece 
 
 o' meat, 
 
 Befo' I leaves dis townyoo. 
 Dis townyoo, dis townyoo! 
 Yes, befo' I leaves dis townyoo !" 
 40 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Ole mammy Sopentater jump up out'n bed, 
 An' she poke her head outside o' de do'. 
 She say: "Ole man, my gander's gone. 
 I heared 'im w'en he holler 'quinny- 
 
 quanio,' 
 
 'Quinny-quanio, quinny-quanio!' 
 Yes, I heared 'im w'en he holler 'quinny- 
 quanio.' " 
 
 GOOSEBERRY WINE 
 
 Now 'umble Uncle Steben, 
 I wonders whar youse gwine? 
 Don't never tu'n yo' back, Suh, 
 On dat good ole gooseberry wine ! 
 
 Oh walk chalk, Ginger Blue! 
 Git over double trouble. 
 You needn' min' de wedder 
 So's de win' don't blow you 
 double. 
 
 Now! 
 
 Uncle Mack! Uncle Mack! 
 Did you ever see de lak? 
 Dat good ole sweet gooseberry 
 
 wine 
 Call Uncle Steben back. 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 I WOULD RATHER BE A NEGRO THAN 
 A POOR WHITE MAN 
 
 MY name's Ran, I wuks in de san' ; 
 But I'd druther be a Nigger dan a po' 
 white man. 
 
 Gwineter hitch my oxes side by side, 
 An' take my gal fer a big fine ride. 
 
 Gwineter take my gal to de country 
 
 sto'; 
 Gwineter dress her up in red calico. 
 
 You take Kate, an' I'll take Joe. 
 Den off we'll go to de pahty-o. 
 
 Gwineter take my gal to de Hulla- 
 baloo, 
 
 Whar dere hain't no * Crackers in a 
 mile or two. 
 
 Interlocution: 
 
 (Fiddler) "Oh, Sal! Whar's de 
 
 milk strainer cloth?" 
 
 * Names applied by Negroes to the poorer class of white 
 people in the South. 
 
 42 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 (Banjo Picker) "Bill's got it 
 wropped 'round his ole sore leg." 
 
 (Fiddler) "Well, take it down to de 
 gum spring an' give it a cold wa- 
 ter rench ; I 'spizes nastness any- 
 way. I'se got to have a clean 
 cloth fer de milk." 
 
 He don't lak whisky but he jest drinks 
 
 a can. 
 Honey! I'd druther be a Nigger dan 
 
 a po' white man. 
 
 I'd druther be a Nigger, an' plow ole 
 
 Beck 
 Dan a white * Hill Billy wid his long 
 
 red neck. 
 
 THE HUNTING CAMP 
 
 SAM got up one mornin* 
 
 A mighty big fros'. 
 
 Saw "A louse, in de huntin* 
 
 camp 
 
 As big as any boss!" 
 
 * Names applied by Negroes to the poorer class of white 
 people in the South. 
 
 43 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Sam run 'way down de mountain; 
 But w'en Mosser got dar, 
 He swore it twusn't nothin' 
 But a big black b'ar. 
 
 THE ARK 
 
 OLE Nora had a lots o' hands 
 A clearin' new ground patches. 
 He said he's gwineter build a Ark, 
 An' put tar on de hatches. 
 
 He had a sassy Mo'gan hoss 
 An' gobs of big fat cattle; 
 An' he driv' em all aboard de Ark, 
 W'en he hear de thunder rattle. 
 
 An' den de river riz so fas' 
 Dat it bust de levee railin's. 
 De lion got his dander up, 
 An' he lak to a broke de palin's. 
 
 An' on dat Ark wus daddy Ham; 
 No udder Nigger on dat packet. 
 He soon got tired o' de Barber Shop, 
 Caze he couln' stan' de racket. 
 44 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 An' den jes to amuse hisse'f, 
 
 He steamed a board an' bent it, Son. 
 
 Dat way he got a banjer up, 
 
 Fer ole Ham's de fust to make one. 
 
 Dey danced dat Ark from een to een, 
 Ole Nora called de Figgers. 
 Ole Ham, he sot an' knocked de chunes, 
 De happiest of de Niggers. 
 
 GRAY AND BLACK HORSES 
 
 I WENT down to de woods an' I couldn' go 'cross, 
 So I paid five dollars fer an ole gray hoss. 
 
 De hoss wouldn' pull, so I sol' 'im fer a bull. 
 De bull wouldn' holler, so I sol' 'im fer a dollar. 
 De dollar wouldn' pass, so I throwed it in de grass. 
 Den de grass wouldn' grow. Heigho ! Heigho ! 
 
 Through dat huckleberry woods I couldn' git far, 
 So I paid a good dollar fer an ole black mar'. 
 Wen I got down dar, de trees wouldn' bar ; 
 So I had to gallop back on dat ole black mar'. 
 "Bookitie-bar!" Dat ole black mar'; "Bookitie- 
 
 bar!" Dat ole black mar'. 
 Ye" she trabble so hard dat she jolt off my ha'r. 
 45 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 RATTLER 
 
 Go call ole Rattler from de 
 
 bo'n. 
 
 Here Rattler! Here! 
 He'll drive de cows out'n de co'n, 
 Here Rattler! Here! 
 
 Rattler is my huntin' dog. 
 
 Here Rattler! Here! 
 
 He's good fer rabbit, good fer 
 
 hog, 
 Here Rattler! Here! 
 
 He's good fer 'possum in de dew. 
 Here Rattler! Here! 
 Sometimes he gits a chicken, too. 
 Here Rattler! Here! 
 
 BROTHER BEN AND SISTER SAL 
 
 OLE Br'er Ben's a mighty good ole man, 
 He don't steal chickens lak he useter. 
 He went down de chicken roos' las' Fri- 
 day night, 
 An' tuck off a dominicker rooster. 
 
 46 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Dere's ole Sis Sal, she climbs right well, 
 But she cain't 'gin to climb lak she useter. 
 So yonder she sets a shellin' out co'n 
 To Mammy's ole bob-tailed rooster. 
 
 Yes, ole Sis Sal's a mighty fine ole gal, 
 She's sho' extra good an' clever. 
 She's done tuck a notion all her own, 
 Dat she hain't gwineter marry never. 
 
 Ole Sis Sal's got a foot so big, 
 Dat she cain't wear no shoes an' gaiters. 
 So all she want is some red calico, 
 An' dem big yaller yam sweet raters. 
 
 Now looky, looky here! Now looky, 
 
 looky there! 
 
 Jes looky! Looky 'way over yonder! 
 Don't you see dat ole gray goose 
 A-smilin' at de gander? 
 
 SIMON SLICK'S MULE 
 
 DERE wus a liddle kickin' man, 
 His name wus Simon Slick. 
 He had a mule wid cherry eyes. 
 Oh, how dat mule could kick! 
 47 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 An', Suh, w'en you go up to him, 
 He shet one eye an' smile; 
 Den 'e telegram 'is foot to you, 
 An' sen' you half a mile! 
 
 NOBODY LOOKING 
 
 WELL : I look dis a way, an' I look dat a way, 
 An' I heared a mighty rumblin'. 
 W'en I come to find out, 'twus dad's 
 
 black sow, 
 A-rootin' an' a-grumblin'. 
 
 Den: I slipped away down to de big White 
 
 House. 
 
 Miss Sallie, she done gone 'way. 
 I popped myse'f in de rockin' chear, 
 An' I rocked myse'f all day. 
 
 Now : I looked dis a way, an' I looked dat a way, 
 An' I didn' see nobody in here. 
 I jes run'd my head in de coffee pot, 
 An' I drink'd up all o' de beer. 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 HOECAKE 
 
 IF you wants to bake a hoecake, 
 To bake it good an' done; 
 Jes' slap it on a Nigger's heel, 
 An' hoi' it to de sun. 
 
 Dat snake, he bake a hoecake, 
 An' sot de toad to mind it; 
 Dat toad he up an' go to sleep, 
 An' a lizard slip an' find it! 
 
 My mammy baked a hoecake, 
 
 As big as Alabamer. 
 
 She throwed it 'g'inst a Nigger's 
 
 head 
 An' it ring jes' lak a hammer. 
 
 De way you bakes a hoecake, 
 
 In de ole Virginy 'tire; 
 
 You wrops it 'round a Nigger's 
 
 heel, 
 An' hoi's it to de fire. 
 
 49 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 I WENT DOWN THE ROAD 
 
 I WENT down de road, 
 I went in a whoop ; 
 An* I met Aunt Dinah 
 Wid a chicken pot o' soup. 
 Sing: "I went away from dar; hook-a-doo-dle, 
 
 hook-a-doo-dle." 
 
 "I went away from dar; hook-a-doo-dle-doo!" 
 I drunk up dat soup, 
 An' I let her go by; 
 An* I tol' her nex' time 
 To bring Missus' pot pie. 
 
 Sing: "Oh f ar'-you-well ; hook-a-doo-dle, hook-a- 
 doo-dle ; 
 Oh f ar'-you-well, an 1 a hook-a-doo-dle-doo!" 
 
 THE OLD HEN CACKLED 
 
 DE ole hen she cackled, 
 An' stayed down in de bo'n. 
 She git fat an' sassy, 
 A-eatin' up de co'n. 
 50 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 De ole hen she cackled, 
 Git great long yaller laigs. 
 She swaller down de oats, 
 But I don't git no aigs. 
 
 De ole hen she cackled, 
 She cackled in de lot, 
 De nex' time she cackled, 
 She cackled in de pot. 
 
 I LOVE SOMEBODY 
 
 I LOVES somebody, yes, I do ; 
 
 An* I wants somebody to love me too. 
 
 Wid my chyart an* oxes stan'in* 
 
 'roun', 
 Her pretty liddle foot needn' tetch 
 
 de groun'. 
 
 I loves somebody, yes, I do, 
 Dat randsome, handsome, Sticka- 
 
 mastew. 
 
 Wid her reddingoat an' waterfall, 
 She's de pretty liddle gal dat beats 
 
 'em all. 
 
 51 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 WE ARE "ALL THE GO" 
 
 YES! We's "All-de-go," boys; we's "All-de-go." 
 Me an' my Lulu gal's "All-de-go." 
 I jes' loves my sweet pretty liddle Lulu 
 
 Ann, 
 But de way she gits my money I cain't 
 
 hardly understan'. 
 Wen she up an' call me "Honey!" I fer- 
 
 gits my name is Sam, 
 
 An' I hain't got one nickel lef ' to git a me 
 a dram. 
 
 Still: We's "All-de-go," boys; we's "All-de-go." 
 Me an* my Lulu gal's "All-de-go." 
 She's always gwine a-fishin', w'en she'd 
 
 oughter not to go; 
 An' now she's all a troubled wid de frostes 
 
 an* de snow. 
 I tells you jes one thing dat I'se done 
 
 gone an' foun': 
 
 De Nigs cain't git no livin' 'round de Co't 
 House steps an' town. 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 AUNT DINAH DRUNK 
 
 OLE Aunt Dinah, she got drunk. 
 
 She fell in de fire, an' she kicked up a 
 
 chunk. 
 
 Dem embers got in Aunt Dinah's shoe, 
 An' dat black Nigger sho' got up an' flew. 
 
 I likes Aunt Dinah mighty, mighty well, 
 But dere's jes' one thing I hates an' 'spize: 
 She drinks mo' whisky dan de bigges' fool, 
 Den she up an' tell ten thousand lies. 
 
 Yes, I won't git drunk an' kick up a 
 
 chunk. 
 I won't git drunk an' kick up a 
 
 chunk. 
 I won't git drunk an* kick up a 
 
 chunk, 
 
 'Way down on de ole Plank Road. 
 Oh shoo my Love ! My turkle dove. 
 Oh shoo my Love ! My turkle dove. 
 Oh shoo my Love ! My turkle dove. 
 'Way down on de ole Plank Road. 
 
 53 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 THE OLD WOMAN IN THE HILLS 
 
 ONCE: Dere wus an ole 'oman 
 Dat lived in de hills; 
 Put rocks in 'er stockin's, 
 An' sent 'em to mill. 
 
 Den: De ole miller swore, 
 
 By de pint o' his knife; 
 Dat he never had ground 
 
 up 
 No rocks in his life. 
 
 So : De ole 'oman said 
 
 To dat miller nex' day: 
 "You railly must 'scuse me, 
 It's de onliest way." 
 
 "I heared you made meal, 
 A-grindin' OH stones. 
 I mus' 'ave heared wrong, 
 It mus' 'ave been bones." 
 
 54 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 A SICK WIFE 
 
 LAS' Sadday night my wife tuck sick, 
 An' what d'you reckon ail her? 
 She e't a tucky gobbler's head 
 An' her stomach, it jes' fail her. 
 
 She squall out: "Sam, bring me some 
 
 mint! 
 
 Make catnip up an' sage tea!" 
 I goes an' gits her all dem things, 
 But she throw 'em back right to me. 
 
 Says I: "Dear Honey! Mind nex' time!" 
 "Don't eat from 'A to Izzard' " 
 "I thinks you won' git sick at all, 
 If you saves po' me de gizzard." 
 
 MY WONDERFUL TRAVEL 
 
 I COME down from ole Virginny, 
 'Twas on a Summer day; 
 De wedder was all frez up, 
 'An' I skeeted all de way! 
 55 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Interlocution : 
 
 Hand my banjer down to play, 
 
 Wanter pick fer dese ladies right away; 
 
 "Wen dey went to bed, 
 
 Dey couldn' shet deir eyes," 
 
 An' "Dey was stan'in' on deir heads, 
 
 A-pickin' up de pies." 
 
 I WOULD NOT MARRY A BLACK GIRL 
 
 I WOULDN' marry a black gal, 
 I'll tell you de reason why : 
 When she goes to comb dat head 
 De naps'll 'gin to fly. 
 
 I wouldn' marry a black gal, 
 
 I'll tell you why I won't: 
 
 When she'd oughter wash her face 
 
 Well, I'll jes say she don't. 
 
 I woudn' marry a black gal, 
 An' dis is why I say : 
 When you has her face around, 
 It never gits good day. 
 * For discussion see Study in Negro Folk Rhymes. 
 
 56 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 HARVEST SONG 
 
 LAS' year wus a good crap year, 
 An' we raised beans an' 'maters. 
 We didn' make much cotton an' co'n ; 
 But, Goodness Life, de taters! 
 
 You can plow dat ole gray boss, 
 I'se gwineter plow dat mulie; 
 An' w'en we's geddered in de craps, 
 I'se gwine down to see Julie. 
 
 I hain't gwineter wo'k on de rail- 
 road. 
 
 I hates to wo'k on de fahm. 
 I jes wants to set in de cool shade, 
 Wid my head on my Julie's ahm. 
 
 You swing Lou, an' I'll swing Sue. 
 Dere hain't no diffunce 'tween dese 
 
 two. 
 
 You swing Lou, I'll swing my beau; 
 I'se gwineter buy my gal red calico. 
 
 57 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 YEAR OF JUBILEE 
 
 NIGGERS, has you seed ole Mosser; 
 (Red mustache on his face.) 
 A-gwine 'roun' sometime dis mawnin', 
 'Spectin' to leave de place? 
 
 Nigger Hands all runnin' 'way, 
 Looks lak we mought git free! 
 It mus' be now de *Kingdom Come 
 In de Year o' Jubilee. 
 
 Oh, yon'er comes ole Mosser 
 Wid his red mustache all white! 
 It mus' be now de Kingdom Come 
 Sometime to-morrer night. 
 
 Yanks locked him in de smokehouse 
 
 cellar, 
 
 De key's throwed in de well : 
 It sho' mus' be de Kingdom Come. 
 Go ring dat Nigger field-bell! 
 
 * Kingdom Come = Freedom. 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 SHEEP SHELL CORN 
 
 Oh: De Ram blow de ho'n an' de sheep shell co'n; 
 An' he sen' it to de mill by de buck-eyed Whip- 
 
 poorwill. 
 Ole Joe's dead an' gone but his * Hant blows 
 
 de ho'n ; 
 An' his hound howls still from de top o* dat 
 
 hill. 
 
 Yes: De Fish-hawk said unto Mistah Crane; 
 
 :< I wishes to de Lawd dat you'd sen' a liddle 
 
 rain; 
 Fer de water's all muddy, an de creek's gone 
 
 dry; 
 If it 'twasn't fer de tadpoles we'd all die." 
 
 Oh: When de sheep shell co'n wid de rattle of his 
 
 ho'n 
 
 I wishes to de Lawd I'd never been bo'n ; 
 Caze when de Hant blows de ho'n, de sperits 
 
 all dance, 
 An' de hosses an' de cattle, dey whirls 'round 
 
 an' prance. 
 * Hant *= spirit or ghost 
 
 59 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Oh: Yonder comes Skillet an' dere goes Pot; 
 An' here comes Jawbone 'cross de lot. 
 Walk Jawbone! Beat de Skillet an' de Pan! 
 You cut dat Pigeon's Wing, Black Man ! 
 
 Now: Take keer, gemmuns, an' let me through; 
 
 Caze Fse gwineter dance wid liddle Mollie 
 
 Lou. 
 
 But Fse never seed de lak since Fse been bo'n, 
 When de sheep shell co'n wid de rattle of 
 
 his ho'n! 
 
 PLASTER 
 
 CHILLUNS: 
 
 Mammy an' daddy had a hoss, 
 Dey want a liddle bigger. 
 Dey sticked a plaster on his back 
 An' drawed a liddle Nigger. 
 
 Den: 
 
 Mammy an' daddy had a dog, 
 His tail wus short an' chunky. 
 Dey slapped a plaster 'round dat tail, 
 An' drawed it lak de monkey. 
 60 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Well: 
 
 Mammy an' daddy's dead an' gone. 
 Did you ever hear deir story? 
 Dey sticked some plasters on deir heels, 
 An' drawed 'em up to Glory! 
 
 UNCLE NED 
 
 JES lay down de shovel an' de hoe. 
 Jes hang up de fiddle an' de bow. 
 No more hard work fer ole man Ned, 
 Fer he's gone whar de good Niggers go. 
 
 He didn' have no years fer to hear, 
 Didn' have no eyes fer to see, 
 Didn' have no teeth fer to eat corn cake, 
 An' he had to let de beefsteak be. 
 
 Dey called 'im "Ole Uncle Ned," 
 
 A long, long time ago. 
 
 Dere wusn't no wool on de top o' his head 
 
 In de place whar de wool oughter grow. 
 
 When ole man Ned wus dead, 
 Mosser's tears run down lak rain; 
 But ole Miss, she wus a liddle sorter glad, 
 Dat she wouldn' see de ole Nigger 'gain. 
 61 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 THE MASTER'S "STOLEN" COAT 
 
 OLE Mosser bought a brand new coat, 
 He hung it on de wall. 
 Dat Nigger * stole dat coat away, 
 An* wore it to de Ball. 
 
 His head look lak a Coffee pot, 
 His nose look lak de spout, 
 His mouf look lak de fier place, 
 Wid de ashes all tuck out. 
 
 His face look lak a skillet lid, 
 His years lak two big kites. 
 His eyes look lak two big biled aigs, 
 Wid de yallers in de whites. 
 
 His body 'us lak a stuffed toad frog, 
 His foot look lak a board. 
 Oh-oh ! He thinks he is so fine, 
 But he's greener dan a gourd. 
 
 * Stole, here, means taken temporarily with intention 
 to return. 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 * I WOULDN'T MARRY A YELLOW OR A 
 WHITE NEGRO GIRL 
 
 I SHO' loves dat gal dat dey calls Sally t "Black," 
 An' I sorter loves some of de res' ; 
 I first loves de gals fer lovin' me, 
 Den I loves myse'f de bes'. 
 
 I wouldn' marry dat yaller Nigger gal, 
 An' I'll tell you de reason why : 
 Her neck's drawed out so stringy an' long, 
 Pse afeared she 'ould never die. 
 
 I wouldn' marry dat White Nigger gal, 
 (Fer gracious sakes!) dis is why: 
 Her nose look lak a kittle spout ; 
 An' her skin, it hain't never dry. 
 
 DON'T ASK ME QUESTIONS 
 DON'T ax me no questions, 
 An' I won't tell you no lies; 
 But bring me dem apples, 
 An' I'll make you some pies. 
 
 *For discussion see Study in Negro Folk Rhymes. 
 
 t "Black" here is not the real name. This name is ap- 
 plied because of the complexion of the girls to whom it 
 was sung. 
 
 63 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 An' if you ax questions, 
 'Bout my havin' de flour; 
 I fergits to use 'lasses 
 An' de pie'll be all sour. 
 
 Dem apples jes wa'k here; 
 An' dem 'lasses, dey run. 
 Hain't no place lak my house 
 Found un'er de sun. 
 
 THE OLD SECTION BOSS 
 
 I ONCE knowed an ole Sexion Boss b.ut he done been 
 
 laid low. 
 I once knowed an ole Sexion Boss but he done been 
 
 laid low. 
 He "Caame frum gude ole Ireland some fawhrty 
 
 year ago." 
 
 Wen I ax 'im fer a job, he say: "Nayger, w'at can 
 
 yer do?" 
 Wen I ax 'im fer a job, he say: "Nayger, w'at can 
 
 yer do?" 
 "I can line de track; tote de jack, de pick an' shovel 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Says he: "Nayger, de railroad's done, an' de chyars 
 
 is on de track," 
 Says he: "Nayger, de railroad's done, an' de chyars 
 
 is on de track," 
 "Transportation brung yer here, but yo' money'll 
 
 take yer back." 
 
 I went down to de Deepo, an' my ticket I sho' did 
 
 draw. 
 I went down to de Deepo, an' my ticket I sho' did 
 
 draw. 
 To take me over dat ole Iron Mountain to de State 
 
 o' Arkansaw. 
 
 As I went sailin' down de road, I met my mudder- 
 
 in-law. 
 I wus so tired an' hongry, man, dat I couldn* wuk 
 
 my jaw. 
 Fer I hadn't had no decent grub since I lef ole 
 
 Arkansaw. 
 
 Her bread wus hard corndodgers; dat meat, I 
 
 couldn' chaw. 
 Her bread wus hard corndodgers; dat meat, I 
 
 couldn' chaw. 
 You see ; dat's de way de Hoosiers feeds way out in 
 
 Arkansaw. 
 
 65 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 THE NEGRO AND THE POLICEMAN 
 
 "OH Mistah Policeman, tu'n me loose; 
 Hain't got no money but a good excuse." 
 Oh hello, Sarah Jane! 
 
 Dat ole Policeman treat me mean, 
 He make me wa'k to Bowlin' Green. 
 Oh hello, Sarah Jane! 
 
 De way he treat me wus a shame. 
 He make me wear dat Ball an' Chain. 
 Oh hello, Sarah Jane! 
 
 I runs to de river, I can't git 'cross ; 
 Dat Police grab me an' swim lak a hoss. 
 Oh hello, Sarah Jane! 
 
 I goes up town to git me a gun, 
 Dat ole Police sho' make me run. 
 Oh hello, Sarah Jane! 
 
 I goes crosstown sorter walkin' wid a hump 
 An' dat ole Police sho' make me jump. 
 Oh hello, Sarah Jane! 
 
 Sarah Jane, is dat yo' name ? 
 Us boys, we calls you Sarah Jane. 
 Well, hello, Sarah Jane! 
 66 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 HAM BEATS ALL MEAT 
 
 DEM white folks set up in a Dinin' Room 
 An* dey charve dat mutton an' lam'. 
 De Nigger, he set 'hind de kitchen door, 
 An' he eat up de good sweet ham. 
 
 Dem white folks, dey set up an' look so fine, 
 An' dey eats dat ole cow meat; 
 But de Nigger grin an' he don't say much, 
 Still he know how to git what's sweet. 
 
 Deir ginger cakes taste right good sometimes, 
 An' deir Cobblers an' deir jam. 
 But fer every day an' Sunday too, 
 Jest gimme de good sweet ham. 
 
 Ham beats all meat, 
 
 Always good an' sweet. 
 
 Ham beats all meat, 
 
 I'se always ready to eat. 
 
 You can bake it, bile it, fry it, stew it, 
 
 An' still it's de good sweet ham. 
 
 67 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 SUZE ANN 
 
 YES: I loves dat gal wid a blue dress on, 
 Dat de white folks calls Suze Ann. 
 She's jes' dat gal what stole my heart, 
 'Way down in Alabam'. 
 
 But : She loves a Nigger about nineteen, 
 Wid his lips all painted red; 
 Wid a liddle f uz around his mouf ; 
 An' no brains in his head. 
 
 Now: Looky, looky Eas'! Oh, looky, looky Wes' 
 I'se been down to ole Lou'zan' ; 
 Still dat ar gal I loves de bes' 
 Is de gal what's named Suze Ann. 
 Oh, head 'er! Head 'er! Ketch 'er! 
 Jump up an' * "Jubal Jew." 
 Fer de Banger Picker's sayin' : 
 He hain't got nothin' to do. 
 
 WALK TOM WILSON 
 
 OLE Tom Wilson, he had 'im a hoss ; 
 His legs so long he couldn' git 'em 'cross. 
 * Jubal Jew is a kind of dance step. 
 
 68 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 He laid up dar lak a bag o' meal, 
 
 An* he spur him in de flank wid his toenail heel. 
 
 Ole Tom Wilson, he come an' he go, 
 
 Frum cabin to cabin in de county-o. 
 
 Wen he go to bed, his legs hang do'n, 
 
 An' his foots makes poles fer de chickens t* roost on. 
 
 Tom went down to de river, an' he couldn' go 'cross. 
 Tom tromp on a 'gater an' 'e think 'e wus a hoss. 
 Wid a mouf wide open, 'gater jump from de san', 
 An' dat Nigger look clean down to de Promus' Lan'. 
 
 Wa'k Tom Wilson, git out'n de way! 
 Wa'k Tom Wilson, don't wait all de day! 
 Wa'k Tom Wilson, here afternoon; 
 Sweep dat kitchen wid a bran* new broom. 
 
 CHICKEN PIE 
 
 IF you wants to make an ole Nigger feel good, 
 
 Let me tell you w'at to do : 
 
 Jes take off a chicken from dat chicken roost, 
 
 An' take 'im along wid you. 
 
 Take a liddle dough to roll 'im up in, 
 
 An' it'll make you wink yo' eye ; 
 
 W'en dat good smell gits up yo' nose, 
 
 Frum dat home-ntade chicken pic. 
 
 69 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Jes go round w'en de night's sorter dark, 
 
 An* dem chickens, dey can't see. 
 
 Be shore dat de bad dog's all tied up, 
 
 Den slip right close to de tree. 
 
 Now retch out yo' han' an' pull 'im in, 
 
 Den run lak a William goat ; 
 
 An* if he holler, squeeze 'is neck, 
 
 An' shove 'im un'er yo' coat. 
 
 Bake dat Chicken pie! 
 It's mighty hard to wait 
 When you see dat Chicken pie, 
 Hot, smokin' on de plate. 
 Bake dat Chicken pie! 
 Yes, put in lots o' spice. 
 Oh, how I hopes to Goodness 
 Dat I gits de bigges' slice. 
 
 I AM NOT GOING TO HOBO ANY MORE 
 
 MY mammy done toP me a long time ago 
 To always try fer to be a good boy; 
 To lay on my pallet an' to waller on de flo' ; 
 An' to never leave my daddy's house. 
 I hain't never gwineter hobo no mo*. By George! 
 I hain't never gwineter hobo no mo'. 
 70 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Yes, befo' I'd live dat ar hobo life, 
 
 I'll tell you what I'd jes go an' do: 
 
 I'd court dat pretty gal an' take 'er fer my wife, 
 
 Den jes lay 'side dat ar hobo life. 
 
 I hain't never gwineter hobo no mo'. By George! 
 
 I hain't never gwineter hobo no mo'. 
 
 FORTY-FOUR 
 
 IF de people'll jes gimme 
 
 Des a liddle bit o* peace, 
 
 I'll tell 'em what happen 
 
 To de Chief o' Perlice. 
 
 He met a robber 
 
 Right at de do' ! 
 
 An' de robber, he shot 'im 
 
 Wid a forty-fo'! 
 
 He shot dat Perliceman. 
 
 He shot 'im sho' ! 
 
 What did he shoot 'im wid? 
 
 A forty-fo'. 
 
 Dey sent fer de Doctah 
 An' de Doctah he come. 
 He come in a hurry, 
 He come in a run. 
 71 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 He come wid his instilments 
 Right in his han', 
 To p rogue an' find 
 Dat forty-fo', Man! 
 De Doctah he progued ; 
 He progued 'im she' ! 
 But he jes couldn' find 
 Dat forty-fo'. 
 
 Dey sent fer de Preachah, 
 
 An' de preachah he come. 
 
 He come in a walk, 
 
 An' he come in to talk. 
 
 He come wid 'is Bible, 
 
 Right in 'is han', 
 
 An' he read from dat chapter, 
 
 Forty-fo', Man! 
 
 Dat Preachah, he read. 
 
 He read, I know. 
 
 What Chapter did he read frum? 
 
 Twus Forty-fo'! 
 
PLAY RHYME SECTION 
 
 BLINDFOLD PLAY CHANT 
 
 OH blin' man! Oh blin' man! 
 You cain't never see. 
 Just tu'n 'round three times 
 You cain't ketch me. 
 
 Ohtu'nEas'! Oh tu'n Wes'! 
 Ketch us if you can. 
 Did you thought dat you'd cotch us, 
 Mistah blin' man? 
 
 FOX AND GEESE PLAY 
 
 * (Fox Call) "Fox in de mawnin'!" 
 
 (Goose Sponse) "Goose in de evenin'!" 
 
 (Fox Call) "How many geese you got?" 
 
 (Goose Sponse) "More 'an you're able to ketch!" 
 
 *For explanation of "call," and "sponse," see Study 
 in Negro Folk Rhymes. 
 
 73 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 HAWK AND CHICKENS PLAY 
 
 * (CHICKEN'S Call) "Chickamee," chickamee, 
 cranie-crow." 
 
 I went to de well to wash my toe. 
 Wen I come back, my chicken wus 
 
 gone. 
 Wat time, ole Witch? 
 
 (Hawk Sponse) "One" 
 
 (Hawk Call) "I wants a chick." 
 
 (Chicken's Sponse) "Well, you cain't git mine." 
 
 (Hawk Call) "I shall have a chick!" 
 
 (Chicken's Sponse) "You shan't have a chick!" 
 
 CAUGHT BY THE WITCH PLAY 
 
 (HUMAN Call) "Molly, Molly, Molly-bright!" 
 (Witch Sponse) "Three sco' an' ten!" 
 (Human Call) "Can we git dar 'fore candle-light?" 
 (Witch Sponse) "Yes, if yo' legs is long an' light." 
 (Conscience's Warning Call) "You'd better watch 
 
 out, 
 Or de witches'll git yer !" 
 
 * For explanation of "call," and "sponse," sec Study 
 in Negro Folk Rhymes. 
 
 74 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 GOOSIE-GANDER PLAY RHYME 
 
 "GoosiE, goosie, goosie-gander ! 
 What d'you say?" "Say: 'Goose!'" 
 "Ve'y well, go right along, Honey! 
 I tu'ns yo' years a-loose." 
 
 "Goosie, goosie, goosie-gander! 
 What d'you say?" "Say: 'Gander'" 
 "Ve'y well. Come in de ring, Honey! 
 I'll pull yo' years way yander!" 
 
 HAWK AND BUZZARD 
 
 ONCE: De Hawk an' de buzzard went to roost, 
 An' de hawk got up wid a broke off tooth. 
 
 Den : De hawk an' de buzzard went to law, 
 
 An' de hawk come back wid a broke up jaw. 
 
 But lastly : Dat buzzard tried to plead his case, 
 Den he went home wid a smashed in face. 
 
 * For explanation read the Study in Negro Folk 
 Rhyme*. 
 
 75 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 LIKES AND DISLIKES 
 
 I SHO' loves Miss Donie! Oh, yes, I do! 
 She's neat in de waist, 
 Lak a needle in de case; 
 An' she suits my taste. 
 
 I'se gwineter run wid Mollie Roalin'! Oh, yes, I 
 will! 
 
 She's pretty an' nice 
 Lak a bottle full o' spice, 
 But she's done drap me twice. 
 
 I don't lak Miss Jane ! Oh no, I don't. 
 She's fat an' stout, 
 Got her mouf sticked out, 
 An' she laks to pout. 
 
 SUSIE GIRL 
 
 RING 'round, Miss Susie gal, 
 Ring 'round, "My Dovie." 
 Ring 'round, Miss Susie gal. 
 Bless you! "My Lovie." 
 76 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Back 'way, Miss Susie gal. 
 Back 'way, "My Money." 
 Now come back, Miss Susie gal. 
 Dat's right! "My Honey." 
 
 Swing me, Miss Susie gal. 
 Swing me, "My Starlin'." 
 Jes swing me, my Susie gal. 
 Yes "Love!" "My Darlin'." 
 
 SUSAN JANE 
 
 I KNOW somebody's got my Lover; 
 Susan Jane ! Susan Jane ! 
 Oh, cain't you tell me; help me find 'er? 
 Susan Jane! Susan Jane! 
 
 If I lives to see nex' Fall; 
 
 Susan Jane! Susan Jane! 
 
 I hain't gwineter sow no wheat at all. 
 
 Susan Jane! Susan Jane! 
 
 'Way down yon'er in de middle o' de branch; 
 Susan Jane! Susan Jane! 
 De ole cow pat an' de buzzards dance. 
 Susan Jane! Susan Jane! 
 77 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 PEEP SQUIRREL 
 
 PEEP squir'l, ying-ding-did-lum ; 
 Peep squir'l, it's almos' day, 
 Look squir'l, ying-ding-did-lum, 
 Look squir'l, an* run away. 
 
 Walk squir'l, ying-ding-did-lum; 
 Walk squir'l, fer dat's de way. 
 Skip squir'l, ying-ding-did-lum; 
 Skip squir'l, all dress in gray. 
 
 Run squir'l! Ying-ding-did-lum! 
 Run squir'l! Oh, run away! 
 I cotch you squir'l! Ying-ding-did-lum! 
 I cotch you squir'l ! Now stay, I say. 
 
 DID YOU FEED MY COW? 
 
 "Dro yer feed my cow?" Yes, Mam!" 
 "Will yer tell me how?" "Yes, Mam!" 
 "Oh, w'at did yer give 'er?" "Cawn an* hay." 
 "Oh, w'at did yer give 'er?" "Cawn an' hay." 
 78 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 "Did yer milk 'er good ?" "Yes, Mam I" 
 "Did yer do lak yer should ?" "Yes, Mam !" 
 "Oh, how did yer milk 'er?" "Swish! Swish! 
 
 Swish!" 
 "Oh, how did yer milk er?" "Swish! Swish! 
 
 Swish!" 
 
 "Did dat cow git sick ?" "Yes, Mam !" 
 "Wus she kivered wid tick?" "Yes, Mam!" 
 "Oh, how wus she sick?" "All bloated up." 
 "Oh, how wus she sick ?" "All bloated up." 
 
 "Did dat cow die?" "Yes, Mam!" 
 "Wid a pain in 'er eye?" "Yes, Mam!" 
 "Oh, how did she die?" "Uh-! Uh-! Uh-!" 
 "Oh, how did she die?" "Uh-! Uh-! Uh-!" 
 
 "Did de Buzzards come?" "Yes, Mam!" 
 "Fer to pick 'er bone?" "Yes, Mam!" 
 "Oh, how did they come ?" "Flop ! Flop ! Flop !" 
 "Oh, how did they come ?" "Flop ! Flop ! Flop !" 
 
 A BUDGET 
 
 IF I lives to see nex' Spring 
 I'se gwineter buy my wife a big gold ring. 
 79 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 If I lives to see nex' Fall, 
 
 I'se gwinter buy my wife a waterfall. 
 
 "When Christmas comes?" You cunnin' elf! 
 I'se gwineter spen' my money on myself. 
 
 THE OLD BLACK GNATS 
 
 DEM ole black gnats, dey is so bad ! 
 I cain't git out'n here. 
 Dey stings, an' bites, an' runs me mad ; 
 I cain't git out'n here. 
 
 Dem ole black gnats dey sings de song, 
 "You cain't git out'n here. 
 Ole Satan'll git you befo* long; 
 You cain't git out'n here." 
 
 Dey burns my years, gits in my eye; 
 An' I cain't git out'n here. 
 Dey makes me dance, dey makes me cry; 
 An' I cain't git out'n here. 
 
 I fans an' knocks but dey won't go 'way! 
 I cain't git out'n here. 
 Dey makes me wish 'twus Jedgment Day; 
 Fer I cain't git out'n here. 
 80 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 SUGAR LOAF TEA 
 
 BRING through yo' * Sugar-lo'-tea, bring through 
 
 yo' * Candy, 
 All I want is to wheel, an' tu'n, an' bow to my Love 
 
 so handy. 
 
 You tu'n here on Sugar-lo'-tea, I'll tu'n there on 
 
 Candy. 
 All I want is to wheel, an' tu'n, an' bow to my Love 
 
 so handy. 
 
 Some gits drunk on Sugar-lo'-tea, some gits drunk 
 
 on Candy, 
 But all I wants is to wheel, an' tu'n, an* bow to my 
 
 Love so handy. 
 
 GREEN OAK TREE! ROCKY'O 
 
 GREEN oak tree! Rocky'o! Green oak tree! Rocky'o! 
 
 Call dat one you loves, who it may be, 
 
 To come an' set by de side o' me. 
 
 "Will you hug 'im once an' kiss 'im twice?" 
 
 "W'y! I wouldn' kiss 'im once fer to save 'is life!" 
 
 Green oak tree! Rocky'o! Green oak tree! Rocky'o! 
 
 * Nicknames applied in imagination to the women en- 
 gaged in playing in the Play Song. 
 
 81 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 KISSING SONG 
 
 A SLEISH o' bread an' butter fried, 
 Is good enough fer yo' sweet Bride. 
 Now choose yo' Lover, w'ile we sing, 
 An' call 'er nex' onto de ring. 
 
 "Oh my Love, how I loves you! 
 Nothin' 's in dis worl' above you. 
 Dis right han', fersake it never. 
 Dis heart, you mus' keep forever. 
 One sweet kiss, I now takes from you ; 
 Caze I'se gwine away to leave you." 
 
 KNEEL ON THIS CARPET 
 
 JES choose yo' Eas'; jes choose yo' Wes'. 
 Now choose de one you loves de bes'. 
 If she hain't here to take 'er part 
 Choose some one else wid all yo' heart. 
 
 Down on dis chyarpet you mus' kneel, 
 Shore as de grass grows in de fiel'. 
 Salute yo' Bride, an' kiss her sweet, 
 An' den rise up upon yo' feet. 
 82 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 SALT RISING BREAD 
 
 I LOVES saltin', saltin' bread. 
 
 I loves saltin', saltin' bread. 
 
 Put on dat skillet, nev' mind de lead ; 
 
 Caze I'se gwineter cook dat saltin' bread ; 
 
 Yes, ever since my mammy's been dead, 
 
 I'se been makin' an' cookin' dat saltin' bread. 
 
 I loves saltin', saltin' bread. 
 
 I loves saltin', saltin' bread. 
 
 You loves biscuit, butter, an' fat? 
 
 I can dance Shiloh better 'an dat. 
 
 Does you turn 'round an' shake yo' head ? 
 
 Well ; I loves saltin', saltin' bread. 
 
 I loves saltin', saltin' bread. 
 
 I loves saltin', saltin' bread. 
 
 Wen you ax yo' mammy fer butter an' bread, 
 
 She don't give nothin' but a stick across yo' 
 
 head. 
 
 On cracklin's, you say, you wants to git fed ? 
 Well, I loves saltin', saltin' bread. 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 PRECIOUS THINGS 
 
 HOL' my rooster, hoi' my hen, 
 
 Pray don't tetch my * Gooshen Ben'. 
 
 Hoi' my bonnet, hoi' my shawl, 
 Pray don't tetch my waterfall. 
 
 Hoi' my han's by de finger tips, 
 
 But pray don't tetch my sweet liddle lips. 
 
 HE LOVES SUGAR AND TEA 
 
 MISTAH BUSTER, he loves sugar an' tea. 
 Mistah Buster, he loves candy. 
 Mistah Buster, he's a Jim-dandy! 
 He can swing dem gals so handy. 
 
 Charlie's up an' Charlie's down. 
 Charlie's fine an' dandy. 
 Ev'ry time he goes to town, 
 He gits dem gals stick candy. 
 
 Dat Niggah, he love sugar an' tea. 
 Dat Niggah love dat candy. 
 Grecian Bend. 
 
 84 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Fine Niggah ! He can wheel 'em 'round, 
 An' swing dem ladies handy. 
 
 Mistah Sambo, he love sugar an' tea. 
 Mistah Sambo love his candy. 
 Mistah Sambo; he's dat han'some man 
 What goes wid sister Mandy. 
 
 HERE COMES A YOUNG MAN 
 COURTING 
 
 HERE comes a young man a courtin'! Courtin'! 
 
 Courtin' ! 
 Here comes a young man a-courtin'! It's Tidlum 
 
 Tidelum Day. 
 "Say! Won't you have one o' us? Us, Sir? Us, 
 
 Sir? 
 Say! Won't you have one o' us, Sir?" dem brown 
 
 skin ladies say. 
 
 "You is too black an' rusty! Rusty! Rusty! 
 
 You is too black an' rusty!" said Tidlum Tidelum 
 
 Day. 
 "We hain't no blacker J an you, Sir! You, Sir! You, 
 
 Sir! 
 We hain't no blacker 'an you, Sir!" dem brown 
 
 skin ladies say. 
 
 85 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 "Pray! Won't you have one o' us, Sir? Us, Sir? 
 
 Us, Sir? 
 Pray! Won't you have one o' us, Sir?" say yaller 
 
 gals all gay. 
 
 "You is too ragged an' dirty! Dirty! Dirty! 
 You is too ragged an' dirty!" said Tidlum Tidelum 
 
 Day. 
 
 "You shore is got de bighead! Bighead! Bighead! 
 You shore is got de bighead! You needn' come dis 
 
 way. 
 We's good enough fer you, Sir! You, Sir! You, 
 
 Sir! 
 We's good enough fer you, Sir!" dem yaller gals 
 
 all say. 
 
 "De fairest one dat I can see, dat I can see, dat I 
 
 can see, 
 De fairest one dat I can see," said Tidlum Tidelum 
 
 Day. 
 "My Lulu, come an' wa'k wid me, wa'k wid me, 
 
 wa'k wid me. 
 My Lulu, come an' wa'k wid me. 'Miss Tidlum 
 
 Tidelum Day.' " 
 
 86 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 ANCHOR LINE 
 
 FSE gwine out on de Anchor Line, Dinah! 
 I won't git back 'fore de summer time, Dinah! 
 Wen I come back be "dead in line," 
 I'se gwineter bring you a dollar an* a dime, 
 Shore as I gits in from de Anchor Line, Dinah ! 
 
 If you loves me lak I loves you, Dinah ! 
 
 No Coon can cut our love in two, Dinah! 
 
 If you'll jes come an' go wid me, 
 
 Come go wid me to Tennessee, 
 
 Come go wid me; I'll set you free, Dinah! 
 
 SALLIE 
 
 SALLIE! Sallie! don't you want to marry? 
 Sallie! Sallie! do come an' tarry! 
 Sallie! Sallie! Mammy says to tell her when. 
 Sallie! Sallie! She's gwineter kill dat turkey hen! 
 
 Sallie! Sallie! When you goes to marry, 
 (Sallie ! Sallie!) Marry a fahmin man( !) 
 (Sallie Sallie!) Ev'ry day'll be Mond'y, 
 (Sallie! Sallie!) Wid a hoe-handle in yo' han'! 
 87 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 * SONG TO THE RUNAWAY SLAVE 
 
 Go 'way from dat window, "My Honey, My 
 
 Love!" 
 
 Go 'way from dat window! I say. 
 De baby's in de bed, an' his mammy's lyin' by, 
 But you cain't git yo' lodgin' here. 
 
 Go 'way from dat window, "My Honey, My 
 
 Love!" 
 
 Go 'way from dat window! I say; 
 Fer ole Mosser's got 'is gun, an' to Miss'ip' youse 
 
 been sol'; 
 So you cain't git yo' lodgin' here. 
 
 Go 'way from dat window, "My Honey, My 
 
 Love!" 
 Go 'way from dat window! I say. 
 
 * The story went among Negroes that a runaway slave 
 husband returned every night, and knocked on the window 
 of his wife's cabin to get food. Other slaves having be- 
 trayed the secret that he was still in the vicinity, he was 
 sold in the woods to a slave trader at reduced price. 
 This trader was to come next day with bloodhounds to 
 hunt him down. On the night after the sale, when the 
 runaway slave husband knocked, the slave wife pinched 
 their baby to make it cry. Then she sang the above 
 song (as if singing to the baby), so that he might, if pos- 
 sible, effect his escape. 
 
 88 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 De baby keeps a-cryin'; but you'd better un'erstan' 
 Dat you cain't git yd' lodgin' here. 
 
 Go 'way from dat window, "My Honey, My 
 Love!" 
 
 Go 'way from dat window ! I say ; 
 
 Fer de Devil's in dat man, an' you'd better un'er- 
 stan' 
 
 Dat you cain't git yd' lodgin' here. 
 
 DOWN IN THE LONESOME GARDEN 
 
 HAIN'T no use to weep, hain't no use to moan ; 
 Down in a lonesome gyardin. 
 You cain't git no meat widout pickin' up a bone, 
 Down in a lonesome gyardin. 
 
 Look at dat gal! How she puts on airs, 
 Down in de lonesome gyardin! 
 But whar did she git dem closes she w'ars, 
 Down in de lonesome gyardin? 
 
 It hain't gwineter rain, an' it hain't gwineter 
 
 snow ; 
 
 Down in my lonesome gyardin. 
 You hain't gwinter eat in my kitchen doo', 
 Nor down in my lonesome gyardin. 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 LITTLE SISTER, WON'T YOU MARRY 
 ME? 
 
 LIDDLE sistah in de barn, jine de weddin'. 
 Youse de sweetest liddle couple dat I ever did see. 
 Oh Love ! Love ! Ahms all 'round me ! 
 Say, liddle sistah, won't you marry me? 
 
 Oh step back, gal, an' don't you come a nigh me, 
 Wid all dem sassy words dat you say to me. 
 Oh Love ! Love ! Ahms all 'roun' me ! 
 Oh liddle sistah, won't you marry me? 
 
 RAISE A "RUCUS" TO-NIGHT 
 
 Two liddle Niggers all dressed in white, (Raise a 
 
 rucus to-night.) 
 Want to go to Heaben on de tail of a kite. (Raise 
 
 a rucus to-night.) 
 De kite string broke; dem Niggers fell; (Raise a 
 
 rucus to-night.) 
 Whar dem Niggers go, I hain't gwineter tell. 
 
 (Raise a rucus to-night.) 
 90 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 A Nigger an' a w'ite man a playin' seben up; 
 
 (Raise a rucus to-night.) 
 De Nigger beat de w'ite man, but 'e's skeered to 
 
 pick it up. (Raise a rucus to-night.) 
 Dat Nigger grabbed de money, an' de w'ite man fell. 
 
 (Raise a rucus to-night.) 
 How de Nigger run, Fse not gwineter tell. (Raise 
 
 a rucus to-night.) 
 
 Look here, Nigger ! Let me tell you a naked f ac* : 
 
 (Raise a rucus to-night.) 
 You mought a been cullud widout bein' dat black; 
 
 (Raise a rucus to-night.) 
 Dem 'ar feet look lak youse sho' walkin' back; 
 
 (Raise a rucus to-night.) 
 An' yd' ha'r, it look lak a chyarpet tack. (Raise a 
 
 rucus to-night.) 
 
 Oh come 'long, chilluns, come 'long, 
 Wile dat moon are shinin' bright. 
 Let's git on board, an' float down de river, 
 An' raise dat rucus to-night. 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 SWEET PINKS AND ROSES 
 
 SWEET pinks an' roses, strawbeers on de vines, 
 
 Call in de one you loves, an' kiss 'er if you minds. 
 
 Here sets a pretty gal, 
 
 Here sets a pretty boy; 
 
 Cheeks painted rosy, an' deir eyes battin' black. 
 
 You kiss dat pretty gal, an' I'll stan' back. 
 
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 yo' 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! 
 93 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 THE THRIFTY SLAVE 
 
 JES wuk all day, 
 
 Den go huntin' in de wood. 
 
 Ef you cain't ketch nothing 
 
 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! 
 
 94 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 YOU LOVE YOUR GIRL 
 
 You loves yo' gal? 
 Well, I loves mine. 
 Yo' 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 beared 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. 
 
 95 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 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 yo' heels wid mutton sue, 
 
 Wen de Devil's atter you. 
 
 Jes grease yo' heel an' grease yo' han', 
 
 An' slip 'way over into Glory Lan*. 
 
 96 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 DESTITUTE FORMER SLAVE OWNERS 
 
 Missus an' Mosser a-walkin' de street, 
 Deir ban'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 boss 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 yo' foolin', she hain't study in' you! 
 Youse jes fattenin' frogs fer snakes! 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 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. 
 
 98 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 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 sho' 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' mm' 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. 
 99 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 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. 
 
 100 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 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. 
 
 Fse gwineter be good all de whilst dey're all 'way, 
 An' Fse gwineter wear stockin's jes lak de white 
 
 folks. 
 
 101 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 *PAGE'S GEESE 
 
 OLE man Page'll be in a turble rage, 
 
 Wen 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. 
 
 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!" 
 
 * 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 com- 
 munity at once made up this little song. 
 
 I O2 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 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. 
 
 103 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 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. 
 104 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 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' J 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, 
 105 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 *THE NASHVILLE LADIES 
 
 DEM Nashville ladies dress up fine. 
 
 Got longpail hoopskirts hanging down behin' ! 
 
 Got deir bonnets to deir shoulders an' deir noses in 
 
 desky! 
 Big pig! Liddle pig! Root hog, or die! 
 
 THE RASCAL 
 
 I'SE de bigges' rascal fer my age. 
 I now speaks from dis public stage. 
 Fse stole a cow; Fse 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 bef o' ; 
 An' I'se gwine 'fore long to git four mo'. 
 
 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 mo', but you know he died. 
 
 * The name of the place was used where the rhyme 
 was repeated. 
 
 106 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 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. 
 107 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 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. 
 108 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 UNCLE JERRY FANTS 
 
 HAS you beared 'bout Uncle Jerry Fonts? 
 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 belt to my liddle brown jug, you bet! 
 109 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 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 fieP ; 
 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. 
 
 110 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 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. 
 in 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 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 sho' 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 
 
 WEN 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. 
 112 
 
. NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 WHY LOOK AT ME? 
 
 WHAT'S you lookin' at me fer? 
 I didn' come here to stay. 
 I wants dis bug put in yo' 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!" 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 I'LL EAT WHEN I'M HUNGRY 
 
 I'LL eat when Fse 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 ! 
 
 114 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 NEGRO SOLDIER'S CIVIL WAR CHANT 
 
 OLE * 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. 
 
 PARODY ON "NOW I LAY ME DOWN TO 
 
 SLEEP" 
 
 UH-HUH: "Now I lays me down to sleep 1" 
 While dead oudles o' bedbugs 'round me creep, 
 Well: If dey bites me befo' "I" wake, 
 I hopes "deir" ole jawbones'll break. 
 
 * Abraham Lincoln. 
 
 115 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 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. 
 
 116 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 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 flo', 
 
 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. 
 117 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 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." 
 118 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 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 * copperse an' oak-bark." 
 * Copperse is copperas, or sulphate of iron. 
 
 119 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 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 yo' 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. 
 
 120 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 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 fie? of yo' 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 yo' business, an' I'll tend to 
 mine. 
 
 121 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 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 vvouldn' 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 mo' rest. 
 "What d'you say? You Nigger, dar!" 
 "Wet ground grows grass best." 
 122 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 A REQUEST TO SELL 
 
 GWINETER ax my daddy to sell ole Rose, 
 So's I can git me some new clo'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'otfier 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 fieP 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. 
 123 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Oh, sing 'long boys, f er 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. 
 
 Yo' 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 
 
 WEN it's sheep skin an' beeswax, 
 It sho's a mighty fine plaster: 
 De mo' you tries to pull it off, 
 De mo' it sticks de faster. 
 124 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 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. 
 
 125 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 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. 
 Sho! Sho! 
 
 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 mm' Mosser an' keep a stiff lip, 
 So's you won't git sol' down to ole Miss'sip*. 
 126 
 
LOVE RHYME SECTION 
 
 PRETTY LITTLE PINK 
 
 MY pretty liddle Pink, 
 
 I once did think, 
 
 Dat we-uns sho' would marry; 
 
 But Fse done give up, 
 
 Hain't got no hope, 
 
 I hain't got no time to tarry. 
 
 I'll drink coffee dat flows, 
 
 From oaks dat grows, 
 
 'Long de river dat flows wid brandy. 
 
 A BITTER LOVERS' QUARREL-ONE 
 SIDE 
 
 You nasty dog ! You dirty hog ! 
 You thinks somebody loves you. 
 I tells you dis to let you know 
 I thinks myse'f above you. 
 127 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 ROSES RED 
 
 ROSE'S red, vi'lets blue. 
 Sugar is sweet but not lak you. 
 De vi'lets fade, de roses fall; 
 But you gits sweeter, all in all. 
 
 As shore as de grass grows 'round de 
 
 stump, 
 
 You is my darlin' Sugar Lump. 
 Wen de sun don't shine de day is cold, 
 But my love fer you do not git old. 
 
 De ocean's deep, de sky is blue; 
 Sugar is sweet, an' so is you ; 
 De ocean waves an' de sky gits pale, 
 But my love are true, an' it never fail. 
 
 YOU HAVE MADE ME WEEP 
 
 YOU'SE made me weep, you'se made me 
 
 mourn, 
 
 You'se made me tears an' sorrow. 
 So far' you well, my pretty liddle gal, 
 I'se gwine away to-morrow. 
 128 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 MOURNING SLAVE FIANCEES 
 
 LOOK down dat lonesome road ! Look down ! 
 De way are dark an' col'. 
 Dey makes me weep, dey makes me mourn; 
 All 'cause my love are sol'. 
 
 O don't you see dat turkle dove, 
 What mourns from vine to vine ? 
 She mourns lak I moans fer my love, 
 Lef many a mile behin'. 
 
 DO I LOVE YOU? 
 
 DOES I love you wid all my heart ? 
 I loves you wid my liver; 
 An' if I had you in my mouf, 
 I'd spit you in de river. 
 
 LOVERS' GOOD-NIGHT 
 
 COTTON fields white in de bright moonlight, 
 Now kiss yd' gal' an' say "Good-night." 
 If she don't kiss you, jes go on 'way; 
 Hain't no need a-stayin' ontel nex' day. 
 129 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 VINIE 
 
 I LOVES coffee, an' I loves tea. 
 I axes you, Vinie, does you love me? 
 
 My day's study's Vinie, an' my midnight 
 
 dreams, 
 My apples, my peaches, my tunnups, an' greens. 
 
 Oh, I wants dat good 'possum, an' I wants to 
 
 be free ; 
 But I don't need no sugar, if Vinie love me. 
 
 De river is wide, an' I cain't well step it. 
 I loves you, dear Vinie; an' you know I cain't 
 he'p it. 
 
 Dat sugar is sweet, an' dat butter is greasy; 
 But I loves you, sweet Vinie ; don't be oneasy. 
 
 Some loves ten, an' some loves twenty, 
 But I loves you, Vinie, an' dat is a plenty. 
 
 Oh silver, it shine, an' lakwise do tin. 
 De way I loves Vinie, it mus' be a sin. 
 
 Well, de cedar is green, an' so is de pine. 
 God bless you, Vinie! I wish you 'us mine. 
 130 
 
LOVE SONG RHYME SECTION 
 
 SHE HUGGED ME AND KISSED ME 
 
 I SEE'D her in de Springtime, 
 I see'd her in de Fall, 
 I see'd her in de Cotton patch, 
 A cameing from de Ball. 
 
 She hug me, an' she kiss me, 
 She wrung my han' an' cried. 
 She said I wus de sweetes' thing 
 Dat ever lived or died. 
 
 She hug me an' she kiss me. 
 Oh Heaben ! De touch o' her han' ! 
 She said I wus de puttiest thing 
 In de shape o' mortal man. 
 
 I told her dat I love her, 
 Dat my love wus bed-cord strong; 
 Den I axed her w'en she'd have me, 
 An' she jes say "Go long!" 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 IT IS HARD TO LOVE 
 
 IT'S hard to love, yes, indeed 'tis. 
 It's hard to be broke up in min'. 
 You'se all lugged up in some gal's heart, 
 But you hain't gwineter lug up in 
 mine. 
 
 ME AND MY LOVER 
 
 ME an' my Lover, we fall out. 
 How d'you reckon de fuss begun? 
 She laked licker, an' I laked fun, 
 An' dat wus de way de fuss begun. 
 
 Me an* my Lover, we fall out. 
 Wat d'you reckon de fuss wus 'bout? 
 She loved bitters, an' I loved kraut, 
 An' dat wus w'at de fuss wus 'bout. 
 
 Me an' my Lover git clean 'part. 
 How d'you reckon dat big fuss start? 
 She's got a gizzard, an' Fse got a heart, 
 An' dat's de way dat big fuss start. 
 
 132 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 I WISH I WAS AN APPLE 
 
 OH : I wish I wus an apple, 
 
 An' my Sallie wus anudder. 
 What a pretty match we'd be, 
 Hangin' on a tree togedder! 
 
 But: If I wus an apple, 
 
 An' my Sallie wus anudder; 
 We'd grow up high, close to de sky, 
 Whar de Niggers couldn' git 'er. 
 
 We'd grow up close to de sun 
 An' smile up dar above; 
 Den we'd fall down 'way in de groun' 
 To sleep an' dream 'bout love. 
 
 And : W'en we git through a dreamin', 
 We'd bofe in Heaben wake. 
 No Nigger shouldn' git my gal 
 W'en 'is time come to bake. 
 
 133 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 REJECTED BY ELIZA JANE 
 
 WEN I went 'cross de cotton patch 
 I give my ho'n a blow. 
 I thought I heared pretty Lizie say: 
 "Oh, yon'er come my beau !" 
 
 So: I axed pretty Lizie to marry me, 
 An* what d'you reckon she said? 
 She said she wouldn' marry me, 
 If ev'ybody else wus dead. 
 
 An* : As I went up de new cut road, 
 An' she go down de lane; 
 Den I thought I heared somebody 
 
 say: 
 "Good-bye, ole Lize Jane!" 
 
 Well: Jes git 'long, Lizie, my true love. 
 Git 'long, Miss Lizie Jane. 
 Perhaps you'll * sack "Ole Sour Bill" 
 An' git choked on "Sugar Cain." 
 * Sack = To reject as a lover. 
 
 134 
 
COURTSHIP RHYME SECTION 
 
 ANTEBELLUM COURTSHIP INQUIRY 
 
 (He) Is you a fly in' lark or a settin' dove? 
 
 (She) Fse a flyin' lark, my honey Love. 
 
 (He) Is you a bird o' one fedder, or a bird o' two? 
 
 (She) I'se a bird o' one fedder, w'en it comes to 
 you. 
 
 (He) Den, Mam: 
 
 I has desire, an' quick temptation, 
 To jine my fence to yd' plantation. 
 
 INVITED TO TAKE THE ESCORT'S 
 ARM 
 
 Miss, does you lak strawberries? 
 * * * # # 
 
 Den hang on de vine. 
 
 * * 
 
 Miss, does you lak chicken ? 
 
 * * 
 
 Den have a wing dis time. 
 135 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 SPARKING OR COURTING 
 
 I'SE heaps older dan three. 
 I'se heaps thicker dan barks; 
 An' de older I gits, 
 De mo* harder I sparks. 
 
 I sparks fast an' hard, 
 For I'se feared I mought fail. 
 Dough I'se gittin' ole, 
 I don't co't lak no snail. 
 
 A CLANDESTINE LETTER 
 
 KIND Miss: If I sent you a letter, 
 By de crickets, 
 Through de thickets, 
 How'd you answer better? 
 
 Kind Suh: I'd sen' you a letter, 
 By de mole, 
 Not to be tol'; 
 Fcr dat's mo' secretter. 
 136 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 ANTEBELLUM MARRIAGE PROPOSAL 
 
 (A proposal of marriage with the answer deferred) 
 
 (HE) De ocean, it's wide; de sea, it's 
 
 deep. 
 
 Yes, in yo' arms I begs to sleep, 
 Not fer one time, not fer three; 
 But long as we-uns can agree. 
 
 (She) Please gimme time, Suh, to "re- 
 ponder;" 
 
 Please gimme time to "gargalize;" 
 Den 'haps I'll tu'n to "cattlegog," 
 An' answer up 'greeable fer a 
 s'prise. 
 
 IF YOU FROWN 
 
 IF you frowns, an' I frowns, 
 Wen we goes out togedder; 
 Den all de t'other folks aroun' 
 Will say: "De rain is fallin' down 
 Right in de sunshine wedder I" 
 
 137 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 "LET'S MARRY" COURTSHIP 
 (A proposal of marriage t with a provisional ac- 
 ceptance) 
 
 (HE) Oh Miss Lizie, how I loves you! 
 My life's jes los' if you hain't true. 
 If you loves me lak I loves you, 
 No knife cain't cut our love in two. 
 
 (She) Grapevine warp, an' cornstalk fillin'; 
 I'll marry you if mammy an' daddy's 
 willin'. 
 
 (He) Rabbit hop an' long dog trot! 
 
 Let's git married if dey say "not." 
 
 COURTSHIP 
 
 (A proposal of marriage with its acceptance) 
 
 KIND Miss: Fse on de stage o' action, 
 
 Pleadin' hard fer satisfaction, 
 Pleadin' 'fore de time-thief late ; 
 Darfore, Ma'm, now, *"cra- 
 
 venate." 
 * Cravenate = consider. 
 
 138 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 If I brung to you a gyarment; 
 To be cut widout scissors, 
 An' to be sewed widout thread ; 
 How (I ax you) would you 
 
 make it, 
 
 Widout de needle sewin* 
 An' widout de cloth spread ? 
 
 Kind Suh : I'd make dat gyarment 
 
 Wid love from my heart, 
 Wid tears on yd' head; 
 We never would part. 
 
 I WALKED THE ROADS 
 
 WELL: I walked de roads, till de roads git muddy. 
 I talked to dat pretty gal, till I couldn' stan' 
 study. 
 
 Den: I say: "Love me liddle," I say; "Love me 
 
 long." 
 
 I say: "Let dat liddle be 'doggone' strong! 
 For, shore as dat rat runs 'cross de rafter, 
 So shore you'se de gal, you'se de gal Fse 
 after." 
 
 139 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 PRESENTING A HAT TO PHOEBE 
 
 SISTER PHOEBE : Happy wus we, 
 
 Wen we sot under dat Juniper tree. 
 Take dfs hat, it'll keep yo' head 
 
 warm. 
 Take dis kiss, it'll do you no harm. 
 
 Sister Phoebe: De hours, dey're few; 
 
 But dis hat'll say I'se thinkin* 'bout 
 
 you. 
 
 Sugar, it's sugar ; an' salt, it's salt ; 
 If you don't love me, it's sho* yo' 
 
 own fault. 
 
 WOOING 
 
 WAT is dat a wukin 
 At yo' han' bill on de wall, 
 So's yo' sperit, it cain't res', 
 An' a gemmun's heat, it call? 
 
 Is you lookin' fer sweeter berries 
 Growin' on a higher bush? 
 An' does my combersation suit? 
 If not, w'at does you wush? 
 140 
 
COURTSHIP SONG RHYME SECTION 
 
 THE COURTING BOY 
 
 WEN I wus a liddle boy, 
 Jes fifteen inches high; 
 De way I court de pretty gals, 
 It make de ole folks cry. 
 
 De geese swim in de middle pon*. 
 De ducks fly 'cross de clover. 
 Run an' tell dem pretty gals, 
 Dat I'se a-comin' over. 
 
 Ho! Marindie! Ho! 
 
 Ho! Missindie! Ho! 
 
 Ho! Malindie! Ho! my gal! 
 
 I'se gwine now to see ole Sal. 
 
 141 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 PRETTY POLLY ANN 
 
 I'SE gwinetcr marry, if I can. 
 
 I'se gwineter marry pretty Polly Ann. 
 
 I axed Polly Ann, fer to marry me. 
 She say she's a-lookin' fer a Nigger dat's 
 free. 
 
 Pretty Polly Ann's jes dressed so fine! 
 I'll bet five dollars she hain't got a dime. 
 
 Pretty Polly Ann's jes a-puttin' on airs, 
 She won't notice me, but nobody cares. 
 
 I'll drop Polly Ann, a-lookin' lak a crane; 
 I 'spec's I'll marry Miss Lize Jane. 
 
 143 
 
MARRIAGE RHYME SECTION 
 
 SLAVE MARRIAGE CEREMONY 
 SUPPLEMENT 
 
 DARK an' stormy may come de wedder ; 
 I jines dis he-male an' dis she-male to- 
 
 gedder. 
 
 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 yo' name. 
 De broomstick's jumped, de worl's not 
 
 wide. 
 She's now yo' own. Salute yo' bride! 
 
 143 
 
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 
 
 WEN 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. 
 144 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 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! Gym- 
 sack!" 
 
 My duck go: "Quack-quack! 
 Quack-quack!" 
 
 My dog go: "Bow-bow!" 
 
 My boss go: "Whee-whee! Whee- 
 whee!" 
 
 My cat go: "Fiddle-toe! Fiddle- 
 toe!" 
 
 WHEN I WAS A "ROUSTABOUT" 
 
 WEN I wus a "Roustabout," wild an' young, 
 I co'ted my gal wid a mighty slick tongue. 
 I toP her some oncommon lies dere an' den. 
 I toP her dat we'd marry, but I didn' say w'en. 
 145 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 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. 
 146 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 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? 
 
 Wen 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 
 H7 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 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'. 
 
 148 
 
NURSERY RHYME SECTION 
 
 * AWFUL HARBINGERS 
 
 WEN de big owl whoops, 
 
 An' de screech owl screeks, 
 
 An' de win' makes a howlin' sound; 
 
 You liddle wooly heads 
 
 Had better kiver up, 
 
 Caze de "hants" is comin' 'round. 
 
 THE LAST OF JACK 
 
 I HAD a liddle dog, his name wus Jack; 
 He run forty mile 'fore he look back. 
 Wen he look back, he fall in a crack; 
 Wen he fall in a crack, he break 'is back; 
 An' dat wus de las' o' poor liddle Jack. 
 
 *This little rhyme is based upon a superstition once 
 current among Negroes, to the effect that bad luck would 
 come when a screech owl called near your home at 
 night unless, upon hearing him, you would stick the 
 handle of a shovel into the fire about which you were 
 sitting, or would throw salt into it. The word "hant" 
 means ghost or spirit 
 
 149 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 LITTLE DOGS 
 
 I HAD a liddle dog; his name wus Ball; 
 Wen I give him a liddle, he want it all. 
 
 I had a liddle dog, his name wus Trot ; 
 He helt up his tail, all tied in a knot. 
 
 I had a liddle dog, his name wus Blue; 
 I put him on de road, an' he almos' flew. 
 
 I had a liddle dog, his name wus Mack; 
 I rid his tail fer to save his back. 
 
 I had a liddle dog, his name wus Rover; 
 Wen he died, he died all over. 
 
 I had a liddle dog, his name wus Dan; 
 An* w'en he died, I buried 'im in de san'. 
 
 MY DOG, CUFF 
 
 I HAD a liddle dog, his name wus Cuff; 
 I sent 'im to town to buy some snuff. 
 He drapped de bale, an' he spilt de snuff, 
 An* I guess dat speech is long enough. 
 150 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 SAM IS A CLEVER FELLOW 
 
 SAY! Is yo' peaches ripe, my boy, 
 An' is yo' apples meller? 
 Go an' tell Miss Katie Jones 
 Dat Sam's a clever feller. 
 
 Say! Is yo' cherries red, my boy, 
 An' is yo' plums all yeller? 
 Oh please run tell Miss Katie Jones 
 Dat Sam's a clever feller. 
 
 THE GREAT OWL'S SONG 
 
 AH-HOO-HOO? Ah-hoo-hoo? Ah-hoo-hoo ? 
 
 An' who'll cook fer Kelline, an' who'll cook fer 
 you ? 
 
 I will cook fer myse'f, I won't cook fer you. 
 
 Ah-hoo-hoo ! Ah-hoo-hoo ! Ah-hoo ! 
 
 Ah-hoo-hoo! Ah-hoo-hoo! Ah-hoo-hoo! Ah- 
 hoo ! 
 
 I wonder if Kelline would not cook fer Hue ? 
 
 Fer dis is Big Sandy! It's Big Sandy Hue ! 
 
 Ah-hoo-hoo! Ah-hoo-hoo! Ah-hoo-hoo! Ah- 
 hoo! 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Ah-ha-hah! Ah-ha-hah! Ah-ha-hah! Ah- 
 
 hah ! 
 
 I thought you 'us ole Bill Jack as black as de tah. 
 You really must 'scuse me, my "Honey Lump Pa." 
 Ah-ha-hah! Ah-ha-hah! Ah-ha-hah! Ah- 
 
 hah ! 
 
 An' since I'se been Kelline, an' you'se Big Sandy 
 
 Hue; 
 
 I will cook fer myse'f, an' I will cook fer you. 
 I'll love you forever, an' sing in de dew: 
 "Ah-hoo-hoo! Ah-hoo-hoo! Ah-hoo-hoo! Ah- 
 
 hoo !" 
 
 YES ! Ah-hoo-hoo ! Ah-hoo-hoo ! Ah-hoo-hoo ! 
 Ah-hoo-all! 
 
 Now, we'll cook fer ourse'fs, but who'll cook fer 
 you all? 
 
 Fer Tom Dick an' his wife* fer Pete Snap an' Shoe- 
 Awl, 
 
 Rough Shot De Shoe-boot, an' de Lawd He knows 
 who all? 
 
 15* 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 HERE I STAND 
 
 HERE I stan', raggity an' dirty; 
 If you don't come kiss me, I'll run lak a 
 tucky. 
 
 Here I stan' on two liddle chips, 
 Pray, come kiss my sweet liddle lips. 
 
 Here I stan' crooked lak a horn ; 
 
 I hain't had no kiss since I'se been born. 
 
 PIG TAIL 
 
 RUN boys, run! 
 De pig tail's done. 
 If you don't come quick, 
 You won't git none. 
 
 Pig ham's dere, 
 Lakwise middlin's square; 
 But dese great big parts 
 Hain't no Nigger's bes' fare. 
 
 153 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 A, B, C 
 
 A, B, C, 
 
 Doubled down D; 
 
 I'se so lazy you cain't see me. 
 
 A, B, C, 
 
 Doubled down D 
 
 Lazy Chilluns gits hick'ry tea. 
 
 A, B, C, 
 
 Doubled down D, 
 
 Dat "cat's" in de cupboard an' hid. You see? 
 
 A, B, C, 
 
 Doubled down D, 
 
 You'd better come out an' wuk lak me. 
 
 NEGRO BAKER MAN 
 
 PATTY cake! Patty cake! Nigger Baker man. 
 Missus an' Mosser gwineter ketch 'im if dey can. 
 Put de liddle Nigger in Mosser's dish pan, 
 An' scrub 'im off good fer de ole San' Man. 
 
 154 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 STICK-A-MA-STEW 
 
 STICK-A-MA-STEW, he went to town. 
 Stick-a-ma-stew, he tore 'is gown. 
 All dem folks what live in town 
 Cain't mend dat randsome, handsome 
 gown. 
 
 BOB-WHITE'S SONG 
 
 BOB-WHITE ! Bob-white ! 
 Is yo' peas all ripe? 
 No ! not ! quite! 
 
 Bob-white ! Bob-white ! 
 Wen will dey be ripe? 
 To-mor ! row ! might! 
 
 Bob-white ! Bob-white ! 
 Does you sing at night ? 
 No ! not ! quite! 
 
 Bob-white ! Bob-white ! 
 Wen is de time right ? 
 At can! die! light! 
 1.55 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 COOKING DINNER 
 
 Go: BILE dem cabbage down. 
 Turn dat hoecake 'round, 
 Cook it done an' brown. 
 
 Yes : Gwineter have sweet taters too. 
 Hain't had none since las' Fall, 
 Gwineter eat 'em skins an' all. 
 
 CHUCK WILL'S WIDOW SONG 
 
 OH nimber, nimber Will-o ! 
 My crooked, crooked bill-o! 
 Fse settin' down right now, on 
 de sweet pertater hill-o. 
 
 Oh nimber, nimber Will-o! 
 My crooked, crooked bill-o ! 
 Two liddle naked babies, my two 
 brown aigs now fill-o. 
 
 Oh nimber, nimber Will-o! 
 My crooked, crooked bill-o! 
 Don't hurt de liddle babies; dey 
 is too sweet to kill-o. 
 
 156 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 BRIDLE UP A RAT 
 
 BRIDLE up er rat, 
 Saddle up er cat, 
 An' han' me down my big straw hat. 
 
 In come de cat, 
 
 Out go de rat, 
 
 Down go de baby wid 'is big straw hat. 
 
 MY LITTLE PIG 
 
 You SEE: I had a liddle pig, 
 I fed 'im on slop; 
 He got so fat 
 Dat he almos' pop. 
 
 An* den : I tuck de liddle pig, 
 
 An' I rid 'im to school ; 
 He e't ginger cake, 
 An' it tu'n 'im a fooL 
 
 But he grunt de lessons, 
 An' keep all de rule, 
 An' he make 'em all think 
 Dat he learn in de cool. 
 157 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 IN A MULBERRY TREE 
 
 JES looky, looky yonder ; w'at I see ! 
 Two liddle Niggers in a Mulberry tree. 
 One cain't read, an* de t'other cain't write. 
 But dey bofe can smoke deir daddy's pipe. 
 
 "One ma two! One ma two!" 
 Dat Mulberry Witch, he *titterer too. 
 "Big bait o' Mulberries make 'em bofe sick. 
 Dem liddle Niggers gwineter roll an' kick!" 
 
 ANIMAL ATTIRE 
 
 DAT Coon, he w'ar a undershirt; 
 Dat 'Possum w'ar a gown. 
 Br'er Rabbit, he w'ar a overcoat 
 Wid buttons up an' down. 
 
 Mistah Gobbler's got beads 'roun* 
 
 'is nee'. 
 
 Mistah Pattridge's got a collar, Hun ! 
 Mistah Peacock, a fedder on his head! 
 But dese don't stop no gun. 
 Titterer means laugh. 
 
 158 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 ASPIRATION 
 
 IF I wus de President 
 Of dese United States, 
 I'd eat good 'lasses candy, 
 An* swing on all de gates. 
 
 ANIMAL FAIR 
 
 HAS you ever hearn tell 'bout 
 
 de Animal Fair? 
 Dem birds an' beasts wus all 
 
 down dere. 
 Dat jaybird a-settin' down on 'is 
 
 wing ! 
 Has you ever hearn tell about 
 
 sitch a thing 
 As whut 'us at dat Animal Fair ? 
 
 Well, dem animals had a Fair. 
 Dem birds an' beasts wus dere. 
 De big Baboon, 
 By de light o' de moon, 
 Jes comb up his sandy hair. 
 159 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 De monkey, he git drunk, 
 
 He kick up a red hot chunk. 
 
 Dem coals, dey 'rose ; 
 
 An' bu'nt 'is toes! 
 
 He dumb de Elephan's trunk. 
 
 I went down to de Fair. 
 
 Dem varmints all wus dere. 
 
 Dat young Baboon 
 
 Wunk at Miss Coon; 
 
 Dat curled de Elephan's hair. 
 
 De Camel den walk 'bout, 
 An' tromped on de Elephan's 
 
 snout. 
 
 De Elephan' sneeze, 
 An' fall on his knees; 
 Dat pleased all dem monkeys. 
 
 LITTLE BOY WHO COULDN'T COUNT 
 
 SEVEN 
 
 ONCE der wus a liddle boy dat couldn' count one. 
 Dey pitched him in a fedder bed ; 'e thought it 
 great big fun. 
 
 1 60 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Once der wus a liddle boy dat couldn' count two. 
 Dey pitched him in a fedder bed; 'e thought 'e 'us 
 gwine through. 
 
 Once der wus a liddle boy dat couldn' count three. 
 Dey pitched him in a fedder bed; J e thought de 
 Niggers 'us free. 
 
 Once der wus a liddle boy dat couldn' count fo*. 
 Dey pitched him in a fedder bed; 'e jumped out 
 on de flo'. 
 
 Once der wus a liddle boy dat couldn' count five. 
 Dey pitched him in a fedder bed; 'e thought de 
 dead alive. 
 
 Once der wus a liddle boy dat couldn' count six. 
 Dey pitched him in a fedder bed; 'e never did git 
 fix! 
 
 Once der wus a liddle boy dat couldn' count seben. 
 Dey pitched him in a fedder bed; 'e thought he's 
 gwine to Heaben! 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 MISS TERRAPIN AND MISS TOAD 
 
 As I went marchin' down de road, 
 I met Miss Tearpin an' I met Miss Toad. 
 An' ev'ry time Miss Toad would jump, 
 Miss Tearpin would peep from 'hind de stump. 
 
 I axed dem ladies fer to marry me, 
 
 An' bofe find fault wid de t'other, you see. 
 
 "If you marries Miss Toad," Miss Tearpin 
 
 said, 
 "You'll have to hop 'round lak you'se been half 
 
 dead!" 
 
 "If you combs yo' head wid a Tearpin comb, 
 You'll have to creep 'round all tied up at home." 
 I run'd away frum dar, my foot got bruise, 
 For I didn't know zackly which to choose. 
 
 FROM SLAVERY 
 
 CHILE : I come from out'n slavery, 
 Whar de Bull-whup bust de hide; 
 Back dar, whar dis gineration 
 Natchully widdered up an' died! 
 162 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 THE END OF TEN LITTLE NEGROES 
 
 TEN liddle Niggers, a-eatin', fat an' fine; 
 One choke hisse'f to death, an' dat lef nine. 
 Nine liddle Niggers, dey sot up too late; 
 One sleep hisse'f to death, an' dat lef eight. 
 Eight liddle Niggers want to go to Heaben; 
 One sing hisse'f to death, an' dat lef seben. 
 Seben liddle Niggers, a-pickin' up sticks; 
 One wuk hisse'f to death, an' dat lef six. 
 Six liddle Niggers went out fer to drive; 
 Mule run away wid one, an' dat lef five. 
 Five liddle Niggers in a cold rain pour; 
 One coughed hisse'f to death, an' dat lef four. 
 Four liddle Niggers, climb a' apple tree; 
 One fall down an' out, an' dat lef three. 
 Three liddle Niggers a-wantin' sumpin new; 
 One, he quit de udders, an' dat lef two. 
 Two liddle Niggers went out fer to run; 
 One fell down de bluff, an' dat lef one. 
 One liddle Nigger, a-foolin' wid a gun; 
 Gun go off "bang!" an' dat lef none. 
 
 163 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 THE ALABAMA WAY 
 
 WAY down yon'er "in de Alerbamer way," 
 De Niggers goes to wo'k at de peep o' de 
 
 day. 
 
 De bed's too short, an' de high posts rear; 
 De Niggers needs a ladder fer to climb up 
 
 dere. 
 
 De cord's wore out, an' de bed-tick's gone. 
 Niggers' legs hang down fer de chickens 
 
 t' roost on. 
 
 MOTHER SAYS I AM SIX YEARS OLD 
 
 MY mammy says dat I'se too young 
 To go to Church an' pray; 
 But she don't know how bad I is 
 W'en she's been gone away. 
 
 My mammy says I'se six years old, 
 My daddy says I'se seben. 
 Dat's all right how old I is, 
 Jes since I'se a gwine to Heaben. 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 THE ORIGIN OF THE SNAKE 
 
 UP de hill an* down de level! 
 Up de hill an' down de level! 
 Granny's puppy treed de Devil. 
 
 Puppy howl, an' Devil shake! 
 Puppy howl, an' Devil shake! 
 Devil leave, an' dere's yd' snake. 
 
 Mash his head; de sun shine bright! 
 Mash his head; de sun shine bright; 
 Tail don't die ontel it's night. 
 
 Night come on, an' sperits groan! 
 Night come on, an' sperits groan! 
 Devil come an' gits his own. 
 
 WILD HOG HUNT 
 
 NIGGER in de woods, a-settin' on a log; 
 Wid his finger on de trigger, an' his eyes 
 
 upon de hog. 
 
 De gun say "bam !" an' de hog say "bip !" 
 An' de Nigger grab dat wild hog wid all 
 
 his grip. 
 
 165 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 A STRANGE BROOD 
 
 DE ole hen sot on tucky aigs, 
 An' she hatch out goslin's three. 
 Two wus tuckies wid slender legs, 
 An' one wus a bumblebee. 
 All dem hens say to one nudder : 
 "Mighty queer chickens! See?" 
 
 THE TOWN AND THE COUNTRY BIRD 
 
 JAYBIRD a-swingin' a two hoss plow ; 
 "Sparrer, why not you?" 
 "W'y ! My legs so liddle an' slen- 
 der, man, 
 Fse fear'd dey'd break in two." 
 
 Jaybird answer: "What'd you say? 
 I sometimes worms terbaccy; 
 But I'd druther plow sweet taters too, 
 Dan to be a ole Town Tacky!" 
 
 Jaybird up in de Sugar tree, 
 De sparrer on de groun'; 
 De jaybird shake de sugar down, 
 An' de sparrer pass it 'roun'. 
 166 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 De jaybird say: "Save some fer me; 
 I needs it w'en I bakes." 
 De sparrer say: "Use 'lasses, Suh! 
 Dat suits fer Country-Jakes!" 
 
 FROG IN A MILL (* GUINEA OR EBO 
 RHYME) 
 
 ONCE dere wus er frog dat lived in er mill. 
 He had er raker don la bottom o' la kimebo 
 Kimebo, nayro, dilldo, kiro 
 Stimstam, formididdle, all-a-board la rake ; 
 Wid er raker don la bottom o' la kimebo. 
 
 STRONG HANDS 
 
 HERE'S yo' bread, an' here's yo' butter; 
 
 An' here's de hands fer to make you sputter. 
 
 Tetch dese hands, w'en you wants to tetch a beaver. 
 If dese hands tetch you, you'll sho' ketch de fever. 
 
 Dese hands Samson, good fer a row, 
 W'en dey hits you, it's "good-by cow!" 
 
 *For explanation, read the Study in Negro Folk 
 Rhymes. 
 
 167 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 TREE FROGS (GUINEA OR EBO RHYME) 
 
 SHOOL! Shool! Shool! 
 
 I rule! 
 Shool! Shool! Shool! I 
 
 rule! 
 
 Shool! Shacker-rack! 
 I shool bubba cool. 
 
 Seller! Beller eel! 
 Fust to ma tree'l 
 Just came er bubba. 
 Buska! Buska-reel! 
 
 WHEN I WAS A LITTLE BOY 
 
 WEN I wus a liddle boy 
 I cleaned up mammy's dishes; 
 Now I is a great big boy, 
 I wears my daddy's britches. 
 I can knock dat Mobile Buck 
 An' smoke dat corncob pipe. 
 I can kiss dem pretty gals, 
 An' set up ev'ry night. 
 1 68 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 GRASSHOPPER SENSE 
 
 DERE wus a liddle grasshopper 
 Dat wus always on de jump; 
 An' caze he never look ahead, 
 He wus always gittin' a bump. 
 
 Huddlety, dumpty, dumpty, dump! 
 Mind out, or you will git a bump; 
 Shore as de grass grows 'round de stump 
 Be keerful, my sweet Sugar Lump. 
 
 YOUNG MASTER AND OLD MASTER 
 
 HICK'RY leaves an' calico sleeves! 
 I tells you young Mosser's hard to please. 
 Young Mosser fool you, de way he grin. 
 De way he whup you is a sin. 
 
 De monkey's a-settin' on de end of a rail, 
 Pickin' his tooth wid de end of his tail. 
 Mulberry leaves an' homespun sleeves! 
 Better know dat ole Mosser's not easy to 
 please. 
 
 169 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 MY SPECKLED HEN 
 
 SOMEBODY stole my speckled hen. 
 Dey lef me mighty poo*. 
 Ev'ry day she layed three aigs, 
 An' Sunday she lay fo'. 
 
 Somebody stole my speckled hen. 
 She crowed at my back do'. 
 Fedders, dey shine jes lak de sun; 
 De Niggers grudged her mo'. 
 
 * De whis'lin' gal, an' de crowin' hen, 
 Never comes to no good en'. 
 Stop dat whis'lin' ; go on an' sing ! 
 'Member dat hen wid 'er shinin' wing. 
 
 THE SNAIL'S REPLY 
 
 SNAIL! Snail! Come out'n o' yo' shell, 
 
 Or I'll beat on yo' back till you rings lak a bell. 
 
 "I do ve'y well," sayed de snail in de shell, 
 "I'll jes take my chances in here whar I dwell." 
 
 *An old superstition. 
 
 170 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 A STRANGE FAMILY 
 
 ONCE dere's an ole 'oman dat lived 
 
 in de Wes'. 
 
 She had two gals of de very bes*. 
 One wus older dan de t'other, 
 T'other's older dan her mother, 
 An' dey're all deir own gran'mother. 
 Can you guess? 
 
 GOOD-BY, RING 
 
 I HAD a liddle dog, his name wus Ring, 
 I tied him up to his nose wid a string. 
 I pulled dat string, an' his eyes tu'n blue. 
 "Good-by, Ring! I'se done wid you." 
 
 DEEDLE, DUMPLING 
 
 DEEDLE, deedle, dumplin'! My boy, Pete! 
 He went to bed wid his dirty feet. 
 Mammy laid a switch down on dat sheet! 
 Deedle, deedle, dumplin'! My boy, Pete! 
 171 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 BUCK AND BERRY 
 
 BUCK an' Berry run a race, 
 Buck fall down an 1 skin his face. 
 
 Buck an' Berry in a stall ; 
 Buck, he try to eat it all. 
 
 Buck, he e't too much, you see. 
 So he died wid choleree. 
 
 PRETTY LITTLE GIRL 
 
 WHO'S been here since I'se been gone? 
 A pretty liddle gal wid a blue dress on. 
 
 Who'll stay here when I goes 'way? 
 A pretty liddle gal, all dressed in gray. 
 
 Who'll wait on Mistess day an' night? 
 A pretty liddle gal, all dressed in white. 
 
 Who'll be here when I'se been dead? 
 A pretty liddle gal, all dressed in red. 
 
 172 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 TWO SICK NEGRO BOYS 
 
 Two liddle Niggers sick in bed, 
 One jumped up an' bumped his head. 
 Wen de Doctah come he simpully said 
 "Jes feed dat boy on shorten' bread." 
 
 T'other liddle Nigger sick in bed, 
 Wen he hear tell o' shorten' bread, 
 Popped up all well. He dance an' 
 
 sing! 
 He almos' cut dat Pigeon's Wing! 
 
 GRASSHOPPER SITTING ON A SWEET 
 POTATO VINE 
 
 GRASSHOPPER a settin' on a sweet tater vine, 
 'Long come a Blackbird an' nab him up behind. 
 
 Blackbird a-settin' in a sour apple tree; 
 Hawk grab him up behind; he "Chee! Chee! 
 Chee!" 
 
 Big hawk a-settin' in de top of dat oak, 
 Start to eat dat Blackbird an' he git choke. 
 173 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 DOODLE-BUG 
 
 DOODLE-BUG! Doodle-bug! Come git sweet milk. 
 Doodle-bug! Doodle-bug! Come git butter. 
 Doodle bug! Doodle-bug! Come git co'n bread. 
 Doodle-bug! Doodle-bug! Come on to Supper. 
 
 RAW HEAD AND BLOODY BONES 
 
 DON'T talk! Go to sleep! 
 Eyes shet an' don't you peep ! 
 Keep still, or he jes moans: 
 "Raw Head an' Bloody Bones!" 
 
 MYSTERIOUS FACE WASHING 
 
 I WASH my face in de watah 
 Dat's neider rain nor run. 
 I wipes my face on de towel 
 Dat's neider wove nor spun. 
 I wash my face in de dew, 
 An' I dries it in de sun. 
 
 * Repeated to restless children at night to make them 
 lie still and go to sleep. 
 
 174 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 GO TO BED 
 
 DE wood's in de kitchen. 
 De boss's in de shed. 
 You liddle Niggers 
 Had better go to bed. 
 
 * BUCK-EYED RABBIT! WHOOPEE! 
 
 DAT Squir'l, he's a cunnin' thing; 
 He tote a bushy tail. 
 He jes lug off Uncle Sambo's co'n, 
 An* heart it on a rail. 
 
 Dat Squir'l, he's a cunnin' thing; 
 An' so is ole Jedge B'ar. 
 Br'er Rabbit's gone an' los' his tail 
 'Cep' a liddle bunch of ha'r. 
 
 Buckeyed Rabbit ! Whoopee ! 
 Buckeyed Rabbit! Ho! 
 Buckeyed Rabbit! Whoopee! 
 Squir'l's got a long way to go. 
 
 *The explanation of this rhyme is found in the Study 
 in Negro Folk Rhymes. 
 
 175 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 CAPTAIN COON 
 
 CAPTAIN COON'S a mighty man, 
 He trabble atter dark; 
 Wid nothin' 'tall to 'sturb his mind, 
 But to hear my ole dog bark. 
 
 Dat 'Possum, he's a mighty man, 
 He trabble late at night. 
 He never think to climb a tree, 
 'Till he's feared ole Rober'll bite. 
 
 GUINEA GALL 
 
 WAY down yon'er in Guinea Gall, 
 De Niggers eats de fat an' all. 
 'Way down yon'er in de cotton fiel', 
 Ev'ry week one peck o' meal. 
 'Way down yon'er ole Mosser swar' ; 
 Holler at you, an' pitch, an' r'ar; 
 
 Wid cat o' nine tails, 
 
 Wid pen o' nine nails, 
 
 Tee whing, tee bing, 
 
 An' ev'ry thing! 
 
 176 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 FISHING SIMON 
 
 SIMON tuck his hook an' pole, 
 An' fished on Sunday we's been 
 
 told. 
 
 Fish dem water death bells ring, 
 Talk from out'n de water, sing 
 "Bait yo' hook, Simon! 
 Drap yo' line, Simon! 
 Now ketch me, Simon! 
 Pull me out, Simon! 
 Take me home, Simon! 
 Now clean me, Simon! 
 Cut me up now, Simon! 
 Now salt me, Simon! 
 Now fry me, Simon! 
 Dish me up now, Simon! 
 Eat me all, Simon!" 
 Simon e't till he wus full. 
 Still dat fish keep his plate fall. 
 Simon want no mo' at all, 
 Fish say dat he mus' eat all. 
 Simon's sick, so he throw up! 
 He give Sunday fishin' up. 
 
 177 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 A STRANGE OLD WOMAN 
 
 DERE wus an ole 'oman, her name wus Nan. 
 She lived an 'oman, an' died a man. 
 De ole 'oman lived to be dried up an' cunnin'; 
 One leg stood still, while de tother kep' runnin'. 
 
 IN '76 
 
 WAY down yonder in sebenty-six, 
 Whar I git my jawbone fix; 
 All dem coon-loons eatin' wid a spoon ! 
 I'll be ready fer dat Great Day soon. 
 
 REDHEAD WOODPECKER 
 
 REDHEAD woodpecker: "Chip! Chip! Chee!" 
 
 Promise dat he'll marry me. 
 
 Whar shall de weddin' supper be? 
 
 Down in de lot, in a rotten holler tree. 
 
 What will de weddin' supper be ? 
 
 A liddle green worm an' a bumblebee, 
 
 'Way down yonder on de holler tree. 
 
 De Redhead woodpecker, "Chip! Chip! Chee!" 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 OLD AUNT KATE 
 
 JES look at Ole Aunt Kate at de gyardin gate ! 
 
 She's a good ole 'oman. 
 
 Wen she sift 'er meal, she give me de husk ; 
 
 Wen she cook 'er bread, she give me de crust. 
 
 She put de hosses in de stable; 
 
 But one jump out, an' skin his nable. 
 Jes look at Ole Aunt Kate at de gyardin gate! 
 
 Still she's always late. 
 
 Hurrah fer Ole Aunt Kate by de gyardin gate ! 
 
 She's a fine ole 'oman. 
 
 Git down dat sifter, take down dat tray! 
 
 Go 'long, Honey, dere hain't no udder way! 
 
 She put on dat hoe cake, she went 'round de 
 house. 
 
 She cook dat 'Possum, an' she call 'im a mouse ! 
 Hurrah fer Ole Aunt Kate by de gyardin gate! 
 
 She's a fine playmate. 
 
 CHILDREN'S SEATING RHYME 
 
 You set outside, an' ketch de cow-hide. 
 I'll set in de middle, an' play de gol' fiddle. 
 You set 'round about, an' git scrouged out. 
 179 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 MY BABY 
 
 FSE de daddy of dis liddle black baby. 
 He's his mammy's onliest sweetest liddle Coon. 
 Got de look on de forehead lak his daddy, 
 Pretty eyes jes as big as de moon. 
 
 I'se de daddy of dis liddle black baby. 
 Yes, his mammy keep de "Sugar" rollin' over. 
 She feed him wid a tin cup an' a spoon ; 
 An' he kick lak a pony eatin' clover. 
 
 A RACE-STARTER'S RHYME 
 
 ONE fer de money! 
 Two fer de show! 
 Three to git ready, 
 An' four fer to go! 
 
 NESTING 
 
 DE jaybird build on a swingin' lim', 
 De sparrow in de gyardin; 
 Dat ole gray goose in de panel o' de fence, 
 An' de gander on de t'other side o' Jordan. 
 1 80 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 BABY WANTS CHERRIES 
 
 DE cherries, dey're red; de cherries, dey're ripe; 
 An' de baby it want one. 
 De cherries, dey're hard; de cherries, dey're sour; 
 An' de baby cain't git none. 
 
 Jes look at dat bird in de cherry tree ! 
 He's pickin' 'em one by one ! 
 He's shakin' his bill, he's gittin' it fill', 
 An' down dat th'oat dey run! 
 
 Nev' mind! Bye an* bye dat bird's gwineter fly, 
 An' mammy's gwineter make dat pie. 
 She'll give you a few, fer de baby cain't chew, 
 An' de Pickaninny sholy won't cry. 
 
 A PRETTY PAIR OF CHICKENS 
 
 DAT box-legged rooster, an' dat bow-legged hen 
 Make a mighty pretty couple, not to be no kin. 
 Dey's jes lak some Niggers wearin' white folks ole 
 
 britches, 
 Dey thinks dey's lookin' fine, w'en dey needs lots of 
 
 stitches. 
 
 1*1 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 TOO MUCH WATERMELON 
 
 DERE wus a great big watermillion growin' on de 
 
 vine. 
 
 Dere wus a liddle ugly Nigger watchin' all de time. 
 An* w'en dat great big watermillion lay ripenin' in 
 
 de sun, 
 An* de stripes along its purty skin wus comin' one 
 
 by one, 
 
 Dat ugly Nigger pulled it off an' toted it away, 
 An' he e't dat great big watermillion all in one 
 
 single day. 
 He e't de rinds, an* red meat too, he finish it all 
 
 trim; 
 An' den, dat great big watermillion up an' finish 
 
 him. 
 
 BUTTERFLY 
 
 PRETTY liddle butterfly, yaller as de gold, 
 My sweet liddle butterfly, you sho' is mighty bold. 
 You can dance out in de sun, you can fly up high, 
 But you know I'se bound to git you, yet, my liddle 
 butterfly. 
 
 182 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 THE HATED BLACKBIRD AND CROW 
 
 DAT Blackbird say unto de Crow: 
 "Dat's why de white folks hates us so; 
 For ever since ole Adam wus born, 
 It's been our rule to gedder green corn." 
 
 Dat Blackbird say unto de Crow : 
 "If you's not black, den I don't know. 
 White folks calls you black, but I say not; 
 Caze de kittle musn' talk about de pot." 
 
 IN A RUSH 
 
 HERE I comes jes a-rearin' an' a-pitchin', 
 
 I hain't had no kiss since I lef de ole kitchin. 
 
 Candy, dat's sweet ; dat's very, very clear ; 
 
 But a kiss from yo' lips would be sweeter, my dear. 
 
 TAKING A WALK 
 
 WE'S a-walkin' in de green grass dust, dust, dust. 
 We's a-walkin' in de green grass dust. 
 If you's jes as sweet as I thinks you to be, 
 I'll take you by yo' liddle hand to walk wid me. 
 
 183 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 PAYING DEBTS WITH KICKS 
 
 I OWES yo' daddy a peck o' peas. 
 I'se gwineter pay it wid my knees. 
 I owes yo' mammy a pound o' meat ; 
 An' I'se gwineter pay dat wid my feet. 
 Now, if I owes 'em somethin' mo* ; 
 You come right back an' let me know. 
 Please say to dem ('fore I fergets) 
 I never fails to pay my debts. 
 
 GETTING TEN NEGRO BOYS 
 TOGETHER 
 
 ONE liddle Nigger boy whistle an' stew, 
 He whistle up anudder Nigger an' dat make two. 
 Two liddle Nigger boys shuck de apple tree, 
 Down fall anudder Nigger, an' dat make three. 
 Three liddle Nigger boys, a-wantin' one more, 
 Never has no trouble a-gittin' up four. 
 Four liddle Nigger boys, dey cain't drive. 
 Dey hire a Nigger hack boy, an' dat make five. 
 Five liddle Niggers, bein' calcullated men, 
 Call anudder Nigger 'piece an' dat make ten. 
 184 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 HAWK AND CHICKENS 
 
 HEN an* chickens in a fodder stack, 
 Mighty busy scratchin'. 
 Hawk settin' off on a swingin' lim', 
 Ready fer de catchin'. 
 
 Hawk come a-whizzin' wid his bitin' mouf, 
 Couldn' hold hisself in. 
 Hen, flyin' up, knock his eye clean out; 
 An' de Jaybird died a-laughin'. 
 
 MUD-LOG POND 
 
 As I stepped down by de Mud-log pon', 
 I seed dat bullfrog wid his shoe-boots on. 
 His eyes wus glass, an' his heels wus brass; 
 An' I give him a dollar fer to let me pass. 
 
 WHAT WILL WE DO FOR BACON? 
 
 WHAT will we do fer bacon now? 
 I'se shot, Fse shot de ole sandy sow! 
 She jumped de fence an' broke de rail; 
 An' "Bam!" I shot her on de tail. 
 185 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 A LITTLE PICKANINNY 
 
 ME an* its mammy is both gwine to town, 
 
 To git dis Pickaninny a liddle hat an' gown. 
 
 Don't you never let him waller on de flo' ! 
 
 He's a liddle Pickaninny, 
 
 Born in ole Virginy. 
 
 Mammy! Don't de baby grow? 
 
 Setch a eatin' o' de honey an' a drinkin' o' de wine ! 
 We's gwine down togedder f er to have a good time ; 
 An' we's gwineter eat, an' drink mo' an' mo'. 
 Oh, sweet liddle * Pickaninny, 
 Born in ole Virginy. 
 Mammy! How de baby grow! 
 
 t DON'T SING BEFORE BREAKFAST 
 
 DON'T sing out 'fore Breakfast, 
 Don't sing 'fore you eat, 
 Or you'll cry out 'fore midnight, 
 You'll cry 'fore you sleep. 
 
 *Pickanniny appears to have been an African word 
 used by the early American slaves for the word baby. 
 fA superstition. 
 
 1 86 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 MY FOLKS AND YOUR FOLKS 
 
 IF you an' yo' folks 
 Likes me an' my folks, 
 Lak me an' my folks, 
 Likes you an' yo' folks; 
 You's never seed folks, 
 Since folks 'as been folks, 
 Like you an' yo' folks, 
 Lak me an' my folks. 
 
 LITTLE SLEEPING NEGROES 
 
 ONE liddle Nigger a-lyin' in de bed ; 
 His eyes shet an' still, lak he been dead. 
 
 Two liddle Niggers a-lyin' in de bed ; 
 A-snorin' an' a-dreamin' of a table spread. 
 
 Three liddle Niggers a-lyin' in de bed; 
 Deir heels cracked open lak shorten' bread. 
 
 Four liddle Niggers a-lyin' in de bed ; 
 Dey'd better hop out, if dey wants to git fed 1 
 187 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 MAMMA'S DARLING 
 
 Wro flowers on my shoulders, 
 An' wid slippers on my feet; 
 I'se my mammy's darlin*. 
 Don't you think I'se sweet? 
 
 I wish I had a fourpence, 
 Den I mought use a dime. 
 I wish I had a Sweetheart, 
 To kiss me all de time. 
 
 I has apples on de table, 
 An' I has peaches on de shelf ; 
 But I wish I had a husband 
 I'se so tired stayin' to myself. 
 
 STEALING A RIDE 
 
 Two liddle Nigger boys as black as tar, 
 Tryin' to go to Heaben on a railroad chyar. 
 Off fall Nigger boys on a cross-tie ! 
 Dey's gwineter git to Heaben shore bye-an'-bye. 
 
 188 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 WASHING MAMMA'S DISHES 
 
 WHEN I wus a liddle boy 
 A-washin' my mammy's dishes, 
 I rund my finger down my th'oat 
 An' pulled out two big fishes! 
 
 When I wus a liddle boy 
 A-wipin' my mammy's dishes, 
 I sticked my finger in my eye 
 An' I sho' seed liddle fishes. 
 
 De big fish swallowed dem all up ! 
 It put me jes a-thinkin*. 
 All dem things looks awful cu'ous! 
 I wonder wus I drinkin' ? 
 
 WILLIE WEE 
 
 WILLIE, Willie, Willie Wee! 
 One, two, three. 
 If you wanna kiss a pretty gal, 
 Come kiss me. 
 
 189 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 ONE NEGRO THEME SUNG WITH "FROG WENT 
 A-COURTING" 
 
 De frog went a cour - tin* he did ride, Uh - 
 
 huh! Uh-huh De frog went a court in* 
 
 he did ride Wid a sword an a pis - tol 
 
 by 'is side Uh - huh! Uh - huh! 
 
 FROG WENT A-COURTING 
 
 DE frog went a-co'tin', he did ride. Uh-huh! Uh- 
 huh! 
 
 De frog went a-co'tin', he did ride 
 
 Wid a sword an' a pistol by 'is side. Uh-huh! 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 He rid up to Miss Mousie's do'. Uh-huh! Uh-huh! 
 
 He rid up to Miss Mousie's do', 
 
 Whar he'd of en been befo. Uh-huh! Uh-huh! 
 
 TQO 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Says he: "Miss Mousie, is you in?" Uh-huh! 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 Says he: "Miss Mousie, is you in?" 
 
 "Oh yes, Sugar Lump! I kyard an' spin." Uh- 
 huh! Uh-huh! 
 
 He tuck dat Mousie on his knee. Uh-huh ! Uh-huh ! 
 He tuck dat Mousie on his knee, 
 An' he say: "Dear Honey, marry me!" Uh-huh! 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 "Oh Suh!" she say, "I cain't do dat." Uh-huh! 
 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 "Oh Suh!" she say, "I cain't do dat, 
 Widout de sayso o' uncle Rat." Uh-huh! Uh-huh! 
 
 Dat ole gray Rat, he soon come home. Uh-huh! 
 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 Dat ole gray Rat, he soon come home, 
 Sayin': "Whose been here since Fse been gone?" 
 
 Uh-huh! Uh-huh! 
 
 "A fine young gemmun fer to see." Uh-huh! 
 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 "A fine young gemmun fer to see, 
 An' one dat axed fer to marry me." Uh-huh! 
 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 191 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Dat Rat jes laugh to split his side. Uh-huh! 
 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 Dat Rat jes laugh to split his side. 
 "Jes think o' Mousie's bein' a bride!" Uh-huh! 
 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 Nex' day, dat rat went down to town. Uh-huh! 
 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 Nex' day dat rat went down to town, 
 To git up de Mousie's Weddin' gown. Uh-huh! 
 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 "What's de bes' thing fer de Weddin' gown?" 
 
 Uh-huh! Uh-huh! 
 
 "What's de bes' thing fer de Weddin' gown?" 
 "Dat acorn hull, all gray an' brown!" Uh-huh! 
 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 "Whar shall de Weddin' Infar' be?" Uh-huh! 
 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 "Whar shall de Weddin' Infar' be?" 
 "Down in de swamp in a holler tree." Uh-huh! 
 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 192 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 "What shall de Weddin' Infar' be?" Uh-huh! 
 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 "What shall de Weddin' Infar' be?" 
 "Two brown beans an' a blackeyed pea." Uh-huh ! 
 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 Fust to come in wus de Bumblebee. Uh-huh! 
 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 Fust to come in wus de Bumblebee. 
 Wid a fiddle an' bow across his knee. Uh-huh! 
 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 De nex' dat come wus Khyernel Wren. Uh-huh! 
 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 De nex' dat come wus Khyernel Wren, 
 An' he dance a reel wid de Turkey Hen. Uh-huh ! 
 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 De nex' dat come wus Mistah Snake. Uh-huh! 
 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 De nex' dat come wus Mistah Snake, 
 He swallowed de whole weddin' cake! Uh-huh! 
 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 193 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 De nex' come in wus Cap'n Flea. Uh-huh! Uh- 
 
 huh! 
 
 De nex' come in wus Cap'n Flea, 
 An' he dance a jig fer de Bumblebee. Uh-huh! 
 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 An* now come in ole Giner'l Louse. Uh-huh! 
 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 An* now come in ole Giner'l Louse. 
 He dance a breakdown 'round de house. Uh-huh! 
 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 De nex' to come wus Major Tick. Uh-huh! Uh- 
 huh! 
 
 De nex' to come wus Major Tick, 
 
 An' he e't so much it make 'im sick. Uh-huh! 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 Dey sent fer Mistah Doctah Fly. Uh-huh ! Uh-huh ! 
 Dey sent fer Mistah Doctah Fly. 
 Says he : "Major Tick, you's boun' to die." Uh-huh ! 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 Oh, den crep' in ole Mistah Cat. Uh-huh ! Uh-huh ! 
 Oh, den crep' in ole Mistah Cat, 
 An 1 chilluns, dey all hollered, "Scat!!" Uh-huh!!! 
 Uh-huh!!! 
 
 194 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 It give dat frog a turble fright. Uh-huh ! Uh-huh ! 
 It give dat frog a turble fright, 
 An' he up an' say to dem, "Good-night !" Uh-huh ! 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 Dat frog, he swum de lake aroun*. Uh-huh! 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 Dat frog, he swum de lake aroun', 
 
 An* a big black duck come gobble 'im down. Uh- 
 huh! Uh-huh! 
 
 "What d'you say 'us Miss Mousie's lot?" Uh-huh! 
 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 "What d'you say 'us Miss Mousie's lot?" 
 "W'y , she got swallered on de spot!" Uh-huh! 
 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 Now, I don't know no mo' 'an dat. Uh-huh! 
 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 Now, I don't know no mo' 'an dat. 
 If you gits mo' you can take my hat. Uh-huh! 
 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 An* if you thinks dat hat won't do. Uh-huh! 
 Uh-huh! 
 
 An' if you thinks dat hat won't do, 
 
 Den you mought take my head 'long, too. Uh- 
 huh!!! Uh-huh!!! 
 195 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 SHOO! SHOO! 
 
 SHOO! Shoo! 
 
 What'll I do? 
 
 Run three mile an' buckle my shoe ? 
 
 No! No! 
 
 I'se gwineter go, 
 
 An* kill dat chicken on my flo*. 
 
 Oh! My! 
 
 Chicken pie! 
 
 Sen' fer de Doctah, I mought die. 
 
 Christmus here, 
 
 Once a year. 
 
 Pass dat cider an' 'simmon beer. 
 
 FLAP-JACKS 
 
 I LOVES my wife, an' I loves my baby: 
 An' I loves dem flap-jacks a-floatin' in gravy. 
 You play dem chyards, an' make two passes : 
 While I eats dem flap-jacks a-floatin' in 'lasses. 
 
 196 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Now : in come a Nigger an' in come a bear, 
 In come a Nigger dat hain't got no hair. 
 Good-by, Nigger, go right on back, 
 Fer I hain't gwineter give you no flap-jack. 
 
 TEACHING TABLE MANNERS 
 
 Now whilst we's here 'round de table, 
 All you young ones git right still. 
 I wants to 1'arn you some good manners, 
 So's you'll think o' Uncle Bill. 
 
 Cose we's gwineter 'scuse Merlindy, 
 Caze she's jes a baby yit. 
 But it's time you udder young ones 
 Wus a-1'arnin' a liddle bit. 
 
 I can 'member as a youngster, 
 Lak you youngsters is to-day; 
 How my mammy 1'arnt me manners 
 In a 'culiar kind o' way. 
 
 One o' mammy's ole time 'quaintance. 
 (Ole Aunt Donie wus her name) 
 Come one night to see my mammy. 
 Mammy co'se 'pared fer de same. 
 197 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Mammy got de sifter, Honey; 
 An' she tuck an' make up dough, 
 Which she tu'n into hot biscuits. 
 Den we all git smart, you know. 
 
 'Zerves an' biscuits on de table! 
 Honey, noways could I wait. 
 Ole Aunt Donie wus a good ole 'oman, 
 An' I jes had to pass my plate. 
 
 I soon swallered down dem biscuit, 
 E't 'em faster dan a shoat. 
 Dey wus a liddle tough an' knotty, 
 But I chawed 'em lak a goat. 
 
 "Pass de biscuits, please, Mam ! 
 Please, Mam, fer I wants some mo'." 
 Lawd ! You'd oughter seed my mammy 
 Frownin' up, jes "sorter so." 
 
 "Won't you pass de biscuit, please, Mam ?" 
 I said wid a liddle fear. 
 Dere wus not but one mo' lef, Sir. 
 Mammy riz up out'n her chear. 
 198 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Wen Aunt Donie lef our house, Suh, 
 Mammy come lak bees an' ants, 
 Put my head down 'twixt her knees, Suh, 
 Almos' roll me out'n my pants. 
 
 She had a great big tough hick'ry, 
 An* it help till it convince. 
 Frum dat day clean down to dis one, 
 Fse had manners ev'r since. 
 
 MISS BLODGER 
 
 DE rats an' de mice, dey rund up stairs, 
 Fer to hear Miss Blodger say her prayers. 
 Now here I Stan's 'fore Miss Blodger. 
 She 'spects to hit me, but I'se gwineter dodge her. 
 
 THE LITTLE NEGRO FLY 
 
 DERE'S a liddle Nigger fly 
 Got a pretty liddle eye ; 
 But he don't know 'is A, B, C's. 
 He up an' crawl de book, 
 An' he eben 'pears to look ; 
 But he don't know 'is A, B, C's. 
 199 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 DESTINIES OF GOOD AND BAD 
 CHILDREN 
 
 ONE, two, three, fo', five, six, seben; 
 All de good chilluns goes to Heaben. 
 All de bad chilluns goes below, 
 To * segashuate wid ole man t Joe. 
 
 One, two, three, fo', five, six, seben, eight; 
 All de good chilluns goes in de Pearly Gate. 
 But all de bad chilluns goes the Broad Road below, 
 To segashuate wid ole man Joe. 
 
 BLACK-EYED PEAS FOR LUCK 
 
 ONE time I went a-huntin', 
 I heared dat 'possum sneeze. 
 I hollered back to Susan Ann: 
 "Put on a pot o' peas." 
 
 Dat good ole 'lasses candy, 
 What makes de eyeballs shine, 
 Wid 'possum peas an' taters, 
 Is my dish all de time. 
 
 * Segashuate means associate with. 
 fRead first stanza of "Sheep Shell Corn," to know of 
 ole man Joe. 
 
 200 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 * Dem black-eyed peas is lucky ; 
 When e't on New Year's day, 
 You always has sweet taters, 
 An' 'possum come your way. 
 
 t PERIWINKLE 
 
 PENNYWINKLE, pennywinkle, poke out yo' ho'n ; 
 An' I'll give you five dollahs an' a bar'l o' co'n. 
 Pennywinkle! Pennywinkle! Dat gal love me? 
 Jes stick out yo' ho'n all pinted to a tree. 
 
 TRAINING THE BOY 
 
 WEN I wus a liddle boy, 
 Jes thirteen inches high, 
 I useter climb de table legs, 
 An' steal off cake an' pie. 
 
 Altho' I wus a liddle boy, 
 
 An' tho' I vvusn't high, 
 
 My mammy took dat keen switch down, 
 
 An' whupped me till I cry. 
 
 * This last stanza embodies one of the old superstitions. 
 t The Periwinkle seems to have been used as an oracle 
 by some Negroes in the days of their enslavement. 
 
 2OI 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Now I is a great big boy, 
 An* Mammy, she cain't do it; 
 My daddy gits a great big stick, 
 An' pulls me right down to it. 
 
 Dey say : "No breakin' dishes now ; 
 No stealin' an* no lies." 
 An' since I is a great big boy, 
 Dey 'spects me to act wise. 
 
 *BAT! BAT! 
 
 BAT ! Bat ! Come un'er my hat, 
 An' I'll give you a slish o' bacon. 
 But don't bring none yo' ole bedbugs, 
 If you don't want to git fersaken. 
 
 RANDSOME TANTSOME 
 
 RANDSOME Tantsome! Gwine to de Fair? 
 Randsome Tantsome ! Wat you gwineter wear ? 
 "Dem shoes an' stockin's Fse bound to wear!" 
 Randsome Tantsome a-gwine to de Fair. 
 
 *A superstition that it is good luck to catch a bat in 
 one's hat if he doesn't get bedbugs by so doing. 
 
 202 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 ARE YOU CAREFUL? 
 
 Is you keerf ul ; w'en you goes down de street, 
 To see dat yo' cloze looks nice an' neat? 
 Does you watch yo' liddle step 'long de way, 
 An' think 'bout dem words dat you say? 
 
 RABBIT HASH 
 
 DERE wus a big ole rabbit 
 Dat had a mighty habit 
 A-settin' in my gyardin, 
 An' eatin' all my cabbitch. 
 I hit 'im wid a mallet, 
 I tapped 'im wid a maul. 
 Sich anudder rabbit hash, 
 You's never tasted 'tall. 
 
 WHY THE WOODPECKER'S HEAD IS 
 RED 
 
 BILL DILLIX say to dat woodpecker bird: 
 "W'at makes yo' topknot red?" 
 Says he: "I'se picked in de red-hot sun, 
 Till it's done burnt my head." 
 203 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 BLESSINGS 
 
 THE chivalry of the Old South rather demanded 
 that all friends should be invited to partake of the 
 meal, if they chanced to come calling about the 
 time of the meal hour. This ideal also pervaded the 
 lowly slave Negro's cabin. In order that this hos- 
 pitality might not be abused, the Negroes had a 
 little deterrent story which they told their children. 
 Below are the fancied Blessings asked by the ficti- 
 tious Negro family, in the story, whose hospitality 
 had been abused. 
 
 BLESSING WITH COMPANY PRESENT 
 
 OH Lawd now bless an' bin' us, 
 An' put ole Satan 'hin' us. 
 Oh let yo' Sperit min' us. 
 Don't let none hongry fin' us. 
 
 BLESSING WITHOUT COMPANY 
 
 OH Lawd have mussy now upon us, 
 An' keep 'way some our neighbors from us. 
 For w'en dey all comes down upon us, 
 Dey eats mos' all our victuals from us. 
 204 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 ANIMAL PERSECUTORS 
 
 I WENT up on de mountain, 
 To git a bag o' co'n. 
 Dat coon, he sicked 'is dog on me, 
 Dat 'possum blowed 'is ho'n. 
 
 Dat gobbler up an' laugh at me. 
 Dat pattridge giggled out. 
 Dat peacock squall to bust 'is sides, 
 To see me runnin' 'bout. 
 
 FOUR RUNAWAY NEGROES WHENCE 
 THEY CAME 
 
 ONCE fo' runaway Niggers, 
 
 Dey met in de road. 
 
 An' dey ax one nudder : 
 
 Whar dey come from. 
 
 Den one up an' say: 
 
 "I'se jes come down from Chapel Hill 
 
 Whar de Niggers hain't wuked an* never will." 
 
 Den anudder up an' say: 
 
 "I'se jes come here from Guinea Gall 
 Whar dey eats de cow up, skin an' all." 
 205 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Den de nex' Nigger say 
 Whar he done come from: 
 
 "Dey wuked you night an' day as dey could; 
 
 Dey never had stopped an* dey never would." 
 
 De las' Nigger say 
 Whar he come from : 
 
 "De Niggers all went out to de Ball; 
 
 De thick, de thin, de short, de tall." 
 
 But dey'd all please set up, 
 
 Jes lak ole Br'er Rabbit 
 
 Wen he look fer a dog. 
 
 An' keep it in mind, 
 
 Whilst dey boasts 'bout deir gals 
 
 An' dem t'other things: 
 
 "Dat none deir gals wus lak Sallie Jane, 
 Fer dat gal wus sweeter dan sugar cane." 
 
 206 
 
WISE SAYING SECTION 
 
 LEARN TO COUNT 
 
 NAUGHT'S a naught, 
 Five's a figger. 
 All fer de white man, 
 None fer de Nigger. 
 
 Ten's a ten, 
 But it's mighty funny; 
 When you cain't count good, 
 You hain't got no money. 
 
 THE WAR IS ON 
 
 DE boll-weevil's in de cotton, 
 De cut-worm's in de corn, 
 De Devil's in de white man; 
 An' de wah's a-gwine on. 
 Poor Nigger hain't got no home ! 
 Poor Nigger hain't got no home ! 
 207 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 HOW TO PLANT AND CULTIVATE 
 SEEDS 
 
 PLANT: One fer de blackbird 
 
 Two fer de crow, 
 
 Three fer de jaybird 
 % An' fd' fer to grow. 
 
 Den : When you goes to wuk, 
 Don't never stand still; 
 When you pull de grass, 
 Pull it out'n de hill. 
 
 A MAN OF WORDS 
 
 A MAN o' words an' not o' deeds, 
 Is lak a gyarden full o' weeds. 
 
 De weeds 'gin to grow 
 
 Lak a gyarden full o' snow. 
 
 De snow 'gin to fly 
 
 Lak a eagle in de sky. 
 
 De sky 'gin to roar 
 
 Lak a hammer on yo' door. 
 
 De door 'gin to crack 
 
 Lak a hick'ry on yo' back. 
 208 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Yd' back 'gin to smart 
 
 Lak a knife in yo' heart. 
 
 Yo' heart 'gin to fail 
 
 Lak a boat widout a sail. 
 
 De boat 'gin to sink 
 
 Lak a bottle full o' ink. 
 
 Dat ink, it won't write 
 
 Neider black nor white. 
 Dat man o' words an' not o' deeds, 
 Is lak a gyarden full o' weeds. 
 
 INDEPENDENT 
 
 FSE jes as innerpenunt as a pig on ice. 
 Gwineter git up ag'in if I slips down twice. 
 If I cain't git up, I can jes lie down. 
 I don't want no Niggers to be he'pin' me 'roun*. 
 
 TEMPERANCE RHYME 
 
 WHISKY nor brandy hain't no friend to my kind. 
 Dey killed my po' daddy, an' dey troubled my mind. 
 Sometime he drunk whisky, sometime he drunk ale ; 
 Sometime he kotch de rawhide, an' sometime de 
 flail. 
 
 209 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 On yon'er high mountain, I'll set up dar high; 
 An' de wild geese can cheer me while passin* on by. 
 Go 'way, young ladies, an' let me alone; 
 For you know I'se a poor boy, an' a long ways from 
 home. 
 
 Go put up de hosses an' give 'em some hay ; 
 But don't give me no whisky, so long as I stay. 
 For whisky nor brandy hain't friend to my kind ; 
 Dey killed my po' daddy, an' dey troubled my mind. 
 
 THAT HYPOCRITE 
 
 I TELL you how dat hypocrite do, 
 He come down to my house, an' talk about you ; 
 He talk about me, an' he talk about you ; 
 An' dat's de way dat hypocrite do. 
 
 I tell you how dat hypocrite pray. 
 He pray out loud in de hypocrite way. 
 He pray out loud, got a heap to say; 
 An' dat's de way dat hypocrite pray. 
 
 I tell you how dat hypocrite 'ten', 
 He 'ten' dat he love, an' he don't love men. 
 He 'ten' dat he love, an' he hate Br'er Ben ; 
 An' dat's de way dat hypocrite 'ten'. 
 2IO 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 DRINKING RAZOR SOUP 
 
 HE'S been drinkin' razzer soup; 
 Dat sharp Nigger, black lak ink. 
 If he don't watch dat tongue o' his, 
 Somebody'll hurt 'im 'for' he think. 
 
 He cain't drive de pigeons t' roost, 
 Dough he talk so big an' smart. 
 Hain't got de sense to tole 'em in. 
 Cain't more 'an drive dat ole mule chyart. 
 
 OLD MAN KNOW-ALL 
 
 OLE man Know-All, he come 'round 
 Wid his nose in de air, turned 'way frum de ground. 
 His ole woolly head hain't been combed fer a week; 
 It say : "Keep still, while Know-All speak." 
 
 Ole man Know-All's tongue, it run ; 
 He jes know'd ev'rything under de sun. 
 When you knowed one thing, he knowed mo*. 
 He 'us sharp 'nough to stick an' green 'nough to 
 grow. 
 
 211 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Ole man Know-All died las' week. 
 He got drowned in de middle o' de creek. 
 De bridge wus dar, an' dar to stay. 
 But he knowed too much to go dat way. 
 
 FED FROM THE TREE OF 
 KNOWLEDGE 
 
 I NEBBER starts to break my colt, 
 
 Till he's ole enough to trabble. 
 
 I nebber digs my taters up 
 
 Wen dey's only right to grabble. 
 
 So w'en you sees me risin' up 
 
 To structify in meetin', 
 
 You can know Fse climbed de Knowledge 
 
 Tree 
 An' done some apple eatin'. 
 
 THE TONGUE 
 
 GOT a tongue dat jes run when it walk? 
 It cain't talk. 
 
 Got a tongue dat can hush when it talk? 
 It cain't squawk. 
 
 212 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 BRAG AND BOAST 
 
 BRAG is a big dog; 
 But Hold Fast, he is better. 
 Dem big black rough hands, 
 Dey cain't write no letter. 
 
 Boast, he barks an' growls loud; 
 But Bulger, he hain't no shirker. 
 Dat big loud mouf Nigger, 
 He hain't never no worker. 
 
 SELF-CONTROL 
 
 BEFO' you says dat ugly word, 
 You stop an' count ten. 
 Den if you wants to say dat word, 
 Begin an' count again. 
 
 Don't have a tongue tied in de middle, 
 An' loose frum en' to en'. 
 You mus' think twice, den speak once ; 
 Dat * donkey cain't count ten. 
 
 * The somewhat less dignified term was more commonly 
 used. 
 
 213 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 SPEAK SOFTLY 
 
 "Wus dat you spoke, 
 Or a fence rail broke?" 
 Br'er Rabbit say to de Jay 
 * Wen you don't speak sof, 
 Yo' baits comes off; 
 An' de fish jes swim away. 
 
 STILL WATER RUNS DEEP 
 
 DAT still water, it run deep. 
 Dat shaller water prattle. 
 Dat tongue, hung in a holler head, 
 Jes roll 'round an' rattle. 
 
 DONT TELL ALL YOU KNOW 
 
 KEEP dis in min', an' all '11 go right; 
 As on yo' way you goes ; 
 Be shore you knows 'bout all you tells, 
 But don't tell all you knows. 
 
 *The last three lines of the rhyme was a superstition 
 current among antebellum Negroes. 
 
 2:4 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 * JACK AND DINAH WANT FREEDOM 
 
 OLE Aunt Dinah, she's jes lak me. 
 
 She wuk so hard dat she want to be free. 
 
 But, you know, Aunt Dinah's gittin' sorter ole; 
 
 An' she's feared to go to Canada, caze it's so col'. 
 
 Dar wus ole Uncle Jack, he want to git free. 
 He find de way Norf by de moss on de tree. 
 He cross dat t river a-floatin' in a tub. 
 Dem $ Patterollers give 'im a mighty close rub. 
 
 Dar is ole Uncle Billy, he's a mighty good Nigger. 
 He tote all de news to Mosser a little bigger. 
 When you tells Uncle Billy, you wants free fer a 
 
 fac'j 
 De nex' day de hide drap off'n yo' back. 
 
 * The writer wishes to give explanation as to why the 
 rhyme "Jack and Dinah Want Freedom" appears under 
 the Section of Psycho-composite Rhymes as set forth in 
 
 "The Study " of our volume. The Negroes repeating 
 
 this rhyme did not always give the names Jack, Dinah, 
 and Billy, as we here record them, but at their pleasure 
 put in the individual name of the Negro in their sur- 
 roundings whom the stanza being repeated might rep- 
 resent. Thus this little rhyme was the scientific dividing, 
 on the part of the Negroes themselves, of the members of 
 their race into three general classes with respect to the 
 matter of Freedom. 
 
 fThe Ohio River. 
 
 $ White guards who caught and kept slaves at the 
 master's home. 
 
 215 
 
FOREIGN SECTION 
 AFRICAN RHYMES 
 
 The rhymes "Tuba Blay," "Near Waldo Tee-do 
 O mah nah mejai," "Sai Boddeoh Sumpun Komo," 
 and "Byanswahn-Byanswahn" were kindly contrib- 
 uted by Mr. John H. Zeigler, Monrovia, Liberia, 
 and Mr. C. T. Wardoh of the Bassa Tribe, Liberia. 
 They are natives and are now in America for col- 
 legiate study and training. 
 
 NEAR-WALDO-TEE-DO O MAH NAH 
 MEJAI 
 
 OR 
 
 NEAR-WALDO-TEE-DO IS MY 
 SWEETHEART 
 
 1. A YEHN me doddoc Near Waldo Tee-do. 
 Yehn me doddoc o-o seoh-o-o. 
 Omah nahn mejai Near Waldo Tee-do. 
 Omah nahn mejai Near Waldo Tee-do. 
 216 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Translation 
 
 Near Waldo Tee-do gave me a suit. 
 He gave me a suit. 
 
 Near Waldo Tee-do is my sweetheart. 
 Near Waldo Tee-do is my sweetheart. 
 
 TUBA BLAY 
 
 OR 
 
 AN EVENING SONG 
 
 1. SEAH o, Tuba blay. 
 Tuba blay, Tuba blay. 
 
 2. O blay wulna nahn blay. 
 Tuba blay, Tuba blay. 
 
 Translation 
 
 1. Oh please Tuba sing. 
 Tuba sing, Tuba sing. 
 
 2. Oh sing that song. 
 Tuba sing, Tuba sing. 
 
 THE OWL 
 
 We are indebted for this Baluba rhyme to Dr. 
 and Mrs. William H. Sheppard, pioneer mission- 
 aries under the Southern Presbyterian Church. The 
 little production comes from Congo, Africa. 
 217 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 SALA wa men tenge, Cimpungelu. 
 Sala wa men tenge, Cimpungelu. 
 Meme taya wewe, Cimpungelu. 
 Sala wa men tenge, Cimpungelu. 
 
 Translation 
 The dancing owl waves his spread tail feathers. 
 
 I'm the owl. 
 The dancing owl waves his spread tail feathers. 
 
 I'm the owl. 
 
 I now tell you by my dancing, I'm the owl. 
 The dancing owl waves his spread tail feathers. 
 
 I'm the owl. 
 
 SAI BODDEOH SUMPUN KOMO 
 
 OR 
 
 I AM NOT GOING TO MARRY SUMPUN 
 
 1. SAI Sumpun komo. 
 De Sumpun nenah? 
 Sumpun se jello jeppo 
 Boddeoh Sumpun. 
 
 2. Sai Sumpun komo. 
 De Sumpun nenah ? 
 
 Sumpun auch nahn jehn deddoc. 
 Boddeoh Sumpun. 
 218 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 Translation 
 
 1. I am not going to marry Sumpun. 
 What has Sumpun done? 
 Sumpun doesn't live a seafaring life 
 Boddeoh Sumpun. 
 
 2. I am not going to marry Sumpun. 
 What has Sumpun done? 
 Sumpun does not support me. 
 Boddeoh Sumpun. 
 
 BYANSWAHN-BYANSWAHN 
 
 OR 
 
 A BOAT SONG 
 
 O-O BYANSWAHN blay Tanner tee-o-o. 
 
 O Byanswahn jekah jubha. 
 
 De jo Byanswahn se kah jujah dai. 
 
 Byanswahn blay dai Tanner tee-o-o. 
 
 Translation 
 
 Oh boat, come back to me. 
 Since you carried my child away, 
 
 1 have not seen that child. 
 Oh boat come back to me. 
 
 219 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 THE TURKEY BUZZARD 
 
 Dr. C. C. Fuller: a missionary at Chikore Mel- 
 setter, Rhodesia, Africa, was good enough to secure 
 for the compiler this rhyme, written in Chindau, 
 from the Rev. John E. Hatch, also a missionary in 
 South Africa. 
 
 RITI, riti, mwana wa rashika. 
 Ndizo, ndizo kurgya ku wande. 
 Riti, riti, mwana wa oneka. 
 Ndizo, ndizo ti wande issu. 
 
 Translation 
 
 Turkey buzzard, turkey buzzard, your child is lost. 
 That is all right, the food will be more plentiful. 
 Turkey buzzard, turkey buzzard, your child is 
 
 found. 
 That is all right, we will increase in number. 
 
 220 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 THE FROGS 
 
 The following child's play rhyme in Baluba with 
 its translation was contributed by Mrs. L. G. Shep- 
 pard, who was for many years a missionary in 
 Congo, Africa. 
 
 CULA, Cula, Kuya kudi Kunyi? 
 Tuyiya ku cisila wa Baluba. 
 Tun kuata tua kuesa cinyi? 
 Tua kudimuka kua musode. 
 
 Translation 
 
 Frogs, frogs, where are you going? 
 We are going to the market of the Baluba. 
 If they catch you, what will they do? 
 They will turn us all into lizards. 
 
 221 
 
JAMAICA RHYME 
 
 BUSCHER GARDEN 
 
 This Negro rhyme from rural Jamaica was con- 
 tributed by Dr. Cecil B. Roddock, a native of that 
 country. The word Buscher means an overseer or 
 master of a plantation. 
 
 ALL a night, me da watch a brother Wayrum; 
 
 Wayrum ina me Buscher garden. 
 
 Oh, Brother Wayrum! Wha' a you da do, 
 
 To make a me Buscher a catch a you ? 
 
 Oh a me Buscher, in a me Buscher garden; 
 
 Me a beg a me Buscher a pardon ! 
 
 222 
 
VENEZUELAN NEGRO RHYMES 
 
 These Venezuelan rhymes: "A 'Would be* Im- 
 migrant" and "Game Contestant's Song," came to 
 us through the kindness of Mr. J. C. Williams, 
 Caracas, Venezuela, S. A. He is a native of Vene- 
 zuela. 
 
 GAME CONTESTANT'S SONG 
 
 WE'RE going to dig ! 
 
 We're going to dig a sepulcher to bury those regi- 
 ments. 
 
 White Rose Union ! 
 
 Get yourself in readiness to bury those regiments. 
 Oh Grentville! *Cici! Cici! 
 Beat them forever. 
 
 Sa your de vrai ! 
 
 We'll send them a challenge, 
 
 To mardi carnival. 
 
 Sa your de vrai ! ! 
 
 * Cici = a kind of game. 
 
 223 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 A "WOULD BE" IMMIGRANT 
 
 CON jo CELESTINE! Oh 
 
 He was going to Panama. 
 
 Reavay Trinidad ! 
 
 Celestine Revay, la Grenada! 
 
 What d'yoii think bring Celestine back? 
 
 What d'you think bring Celestine back? 
 
 What d'you think bring Celestine to me? 
 
 Twenty cents for a cup of tea. 
 
 224 
 
TRINIDAD NEGRO RHYMES 
 
 We are very grateful to Mr. L. A. Brown for his 
 kindness in giving to us the two Venezuelan rhymes 
 which follow. His home is in Princess Town, 
 Trinidad, B. W. I. 
 
 UN BELLE MARIE COOLIE 
 
 OR 
 
 BEAUTIFUL MARIE, THE EAST INDIAN 
 
 UN belle Marie Coolie! 
 
 Un belle Marie Coolie! 
 
 Un belle Marie Coolie! 
 
 Vous belle dame, vous belle pour moi. 
 
 Papa est un African. 
 
 Mamma est un belle Coolie. 
 
 Un belle Marie Coolie! 
 
 Vous belle dame, vous belle pour moi. 
 
 Translation 
 
 Beautiful Marie, the East Indian! 
 Beautiful Marie, the East Indian! 
 225 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Beautiful Marie, the East Indian! 
 
 You beautiful woman, you're good enough 
 
 for me. 
 
 Papa is an African. 
 Mamma is a beautiful East Indian. 
 Beautiful Marie, the East Indian! 
 You beautiful woman, you're good enough 
 
 for me. 
 
 A TOM CAT 
 
 MY father had a big Tom cat, 
 
 That tried to play a fiddle. 
 
 He struck it here, and he struck it there, 
 
 And he struck it in the middle. 
 
 3*6 
 
PHILIPPINE ISLAND RHYME 
 
 The following rhyme came to me through the 
 kindness of Mr. C. W. Ransom, Grand Chain, 111., 
 U. S. A. Mr. Ransom served three years with the 
 United States Army in the Philippine Islands. 
 
 SEE that Monkey up the cocoanut tree, 
 
 A-jumpin' an' a-throwin' nuts at me? 
 
 El hombre no savoy, 
 
 No like such play. 
 
 All same to Americano, 
 
 No hay dique. 
 
 227 
 
A STUDY IN NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 THE lore of the American Negro is rich in 
 story, in song, and in Folk rhymes. These stories 
 and songs have been partially recorded, but so far as 
 I know there is no collection of the American Negro 
 Folk Rhymes. The collection in Part I is a com- 
 pilation of American Negro Folk Rhymes, and this 
 study primarily concerns them; but it was necessary 
 to have a Foreign Section of Rhymes in order to 
 make our study complete. I have therefore inserted 
 a little Foreign Section of African, Venezuelan, Ja- 
 maican, Trinidad, and Philippine Negro Rhymes; 
 and along with them have placed the names of the 
 contributors to whom we are under great obliga- 
 tions, as well as to the many others who have given 
 valuable assistance and suggestions in the matter of 
 the American Negro Rhymes recorded. 
 
 When critically measured by the laws and usages 
 
 governing the best English poetry, Negro Folk 
 
 Rhymes will probably remind readers of the story of 
 
 the good brother, who arose solemnly in a Christian 
 
 228 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 praise meeting, and thanked God that he had broken 
 all the Commandments, but had kept his religion. 
 
 Though decent rhyme is often wanting, and in 
 the case of the "Song to the Runaway Slave," there 
 is no rhyme at all, the rhythm is found almost per- 
 fect in all of them. 
 
 A few of the Rhymes bear the mark of a some- 
 what recent date in composition. The majority of 
 them, however, were sung by Negro fathers and 
 mothers in the dark days of American slavery to 
 their children who listened with eyes as large as 
 saucers and drank them down with mouths wide 
 open. The little songs were similar in structure to 
 the Jubilee Songs, also of Negro Folk origin. 
 
 If one will but examine the recorded Jubilee 
 songs, he will find that it is common for stanzas, 
 which are apparently most distantly related in 
 structure, to sing along in perfect rhythm in the 
 same tune that carefully counts from measure to 
 measure one, two; or one, two, three, four. Here 
 is an example of two stanzas taken from the Jubilee 
 song, "Wasn't That a Wide River?" 
 
 1. "Old Satan's just like a snake in the grass, 
 He's a-watching for to bite you as you pass. 
 
 2. Shout! Shout! Satan's about. 
 
 Just shut your door, and keep him out." 
 229 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 An examination of stanzas in various Jubilee songs 
 will show in the same song large variations in poetic 
 feet, etc., not only from stanza to stanza; but very 
 often from line to line, and even from phrase to 
 phrase. Notwithstanding all this variation, a well 
 trained band of singers will render the songs with 
 such perfect rhythm that one scarcely realizes that 
 the structure of any one stanza differs materially 
 from that of another. 
 
 A stanza, as it appears in Negro Folk Rhymes, is 
 of the same construction as that found in the Jubilee 
 Songs. A perfect rhythm is there. If while read- 
 ing them you miss it, read yet once again; you will 
 find it in due season if you "faint not" too early. 
 
 As a rule, Negro Folk verse is so written that it 
 fits into measures of music written 4/4 or 2/4 time. 
 You can therefore read Negro Folk Rhymes silently 
 counting: one, two; or, one, two, three, four; and 
 the stanzas fit directly into the imaginary music 
 measures if you are reading in harmony with the 
 intended rhythm. I know of only three Jubilee 
 Songs whose stanzas are transcribed as exceptions. 
 They are 
 
 1 i ) "I'm Going to Live with Jesus," 6/8 time, 
 
 (2) "Gabriel's Trumpet's Going to Blow," % time, 
 and (3) "Lord Make Me More Patient," 6/8 time. 
 
 230 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 It is interesting to note along with these that 
 the "Song of the Great Owl," the "Negro Sol- 
 dier's Civil War Chant," and "Destitute For- 
 mer Slave Owners," are seemingly the only ones in 
 our Folk Rhyme collection which would call for a 
 % or 6/8 measure. Such a measure is rare in all 
 literary Negro Folk productions. 
 
 The Negro, then, repeated or sang his Folk 
 Rhymes, and danced them to 4/4 and 2/4 meas- 
 ures. Thus Negro Folk Rhymes, with very few ex- 
 ceptions, are poetry where a music measure is the 
 unit of measurement for the words rather than the 
 poetic foot. This is true whether the Rhyme is, or is 
 not, sung. Imaginary measures either of two or four 
 beats, with a given number of words to a beat, a 
 number that can be varied limitedly at will, seems 
 to be the philosophy underlying all Negro slave 
 rhyme construction. 
 
 As has just been casually mentioned, the Negro 
 Folk Rhyme was used for the dance. There are 
 Negro Folk Rhyme Dance Songs and Negro Folk 
 Dance Rhymes. An example of the former is found 
 in "The Banjo Picking," and of the latter, "Juba," 
 both found in this collection. The reader may won- 
 der how a Rhyme simply repeated was used in the 
 dance. The procedure was as follows: Usually 
 231 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 one or two individuals "star" danced at time. The 
 others of the crowd (which was usually large) 
 formed a circle about this one or two who were to 
 take their prominent turn at dancing. I use the 
 terms "star" danced and "prominent turn" because 
 in the latter part of our study we shall find that all 
 those present engaged sometimes at intervals in the 
 dance. But those forming the circle, for most of 
 the time, repeated the Rhyme, clapping their hands 
 together, and patting their feet in rhythmic time 
 with the words of the Rhyme being repeated. It 
 was the task of the dancers in the middle of the circle 
 to execute some graceful dance in such a manner 
 that their feet would beat a tattoo upon the ground 
 answering to every word, and sometimes to every 
 syllable of the Rhyme being repeated by those in the 
 circle. There were many such Rhymes. " Tossum 
 Up the Gum Stump," and "Jawbone" are good ex- 
 amples. The stanzas to these Rhymes were not 
 usually limited to two or three, as is generally the 
 case with those recorded in our collection. Each 
 selection usually had many stanzas. Thus as there 
 came variation in the words from stanza to stanza, 
 the skill of the dancers was taxed to its utmost, in or- 
 der to keep up the graceful dance and to beat a 
 changed tattoo upon the ground corresponding to the 
 232 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 changed words. If any find fault with the limited 
 number of stanzas recorded in our treatise, I can in 
 apology only sing the words of a certain little en- 
 core song each of whose two little stanzas ends 
 with the words, "Please don't call us back, because 
 we don't know any more." 
 
 There is a variety of Dance Rhyme to which it is 
 fitting to call attention. This variety is illustrated 
 in our collection by "Jump Jim Crow," and "Juba." 
 In such dances as these, the dancers were required 
 to give such movements of body as would act the 
 sentiment expressed by the words while keeping up 
 the common requirements of beating these same 
 words in a tattoo upon the ground with the feet and 
 executing simultaneously a graceful dance. 
 
 It is of interest also to note that the antebellum 
 Negro while repeating his Rhymes which had no 
 connection with the dance usually accompanied the 
 repeating with the patting of his foot upon the 
 ground. Among other things he was counting off 
 the invisible measures and bars of his Rhymes, things 
 largely unseen by the world but very real to him. 
 Every one who has listened to a well sung Negro 
 Jubilee Song knows that it is almost impossible 
 to hear one sung and not pat the foot. I have 
 seen the feet of the coldest blooded Caucasians 
 233 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 pat right along while Jubilee melodies were being 
 sung. 
 
 All Negro Folk productions, including the Negro 
 Folk Rhymes, seem to call for this patting of the 
 foot. The explanation which follows is offered for 
 consideration. The orchestras of the Native Afri- 
 can were made up largely of crudely constructed 
 drums of one sort or another. Their war songs and 
 so forth were sung to the accompaniment of these 
 drum orchestras. When the Negroes were trans- 
 ported to America, and began to sing songs and to 
 chant words in another tongue, they still sang strains 
 calling, through inheritance, for the accompaniment 
 of their ancestral drum. The Negro's drum having 
 fallen from him as he entered civilization, he unwit- 
 tingly called into service his foot to take its place. 
 This substitution finds a parallelism in the highly 
 cultivated La France rose, which being without sta- 
 mens and pistils must be propagated by cuttings or 
 graftings instead of by seeds. The rose, purposeless, 
 emits its sweet perfume to the breezes and thus it 
 attracts insects for cross fertilization simply because 
 its staminate and pistillate ancestors thus called the 
 insect world for that purpose. The rattle of the 
 crude drum of the Native African was loud by in- 
 heritance in the hearts of his early American de- 
 234 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 scendants and its unseen ghost walks in the midst 
 of all their poetry. 
 
 Many Negro Folk Rhymes were used as banjo 
 and fiddle (violin) songs. It ought to be borne in 
 mind, however, that even these were quite often 
 repeated without singing or playing. It was com- 
 mon in the early days of the public schools of the 
 South to hear Negro children use them as declama- 
 tions. The connection, however, of Negro Folk 
 Rhymes with their secular music productions is well 
 worthy of notice. 
 
 I have often heard those who liked to think 
 and discuss things musical, wonder why little or no 
 music of a secular kind worth while seemed to be 
 found among Negroes while their religious music, 
 the Jubilee Songs, have challenged the admiration 
 of the world. The songs of most native peoples 
 seem to strike "high water mark" in the secular 
 form. Probably numbers of us have heard the ex- 
 planation: "You see, the Negro is deeply emotional; 
 religion appealed to him as did nothing else. The 
 Negro therefore spent his time singing and shouting 
 praises to God, who alone could whisper in his 
 heart and stir up these emotions." There is per- 
 haps much truth in this explanation. It is also such 
 a delicate and high compliment to the Negro race, 
 235 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 that I hesitate to touch ft. One of the very few 
 gratifying things that has come to Negroes is the 
 unreserved recognition of their highly religious char- 
 acter. There is a truth, however, about the rela- 
 tion between the Negro Folk Rhyme and the Negro's 
 banjo and fiddle music which ought to be tcld even 
 though some older, nicer viewpoints might be a little 
 shifted. 
 
 There were quite a few Rhymes sung where the 
 banjo and fiddle formed what is termed in music a 
 simple accompaniment. Examples of these are 
 found in "Run, Nigger, Run," and "I'll Wear Me a 
 Cotton Dress." In such cases the music consisted of 
 simple short tunes unquestionably "born to die." 
 
 There was another class of Rhymes like "Devilish 
 Pigs," that were used with the banjo and fiddle in 
 quite another way. It was the banjo and fiddle pro- 
 ductions of this kind of Rhyme that made the 
 "old time" Negro banjo picker and fiddler famous. 
 It has caused quite a few, who heard them, to declare 
 that, saint or sinner, it was impossible to keep your 
 feet still while they played. The compositions were 
 comparatively long. From one to four lines of a 
 Negro Folk Rhyme were sung to the opening meas- 
 ures of the instrumental composition; then followed 
 the larger and remaining part of the composition, 
 
 236 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 instruments alone. In the Rhyme "Devilish Pigs" 
 four lines were used at a time. Each time that the 
 music theme of the composition was repeated, an- 
 other set of Rhyme lines was repeated; and the 
 variations in the music theme were played in each 
 repeat which recalled the newly repeated words of 
 the Rhyme. The ideal in composition from an in- 
 strumental viewpoint might quite well remind one 
 of the ideal in piano compositions, which consists 
 of a theme with variations. The first movement of 
 Beethoven's Sonata, Opus 26, illustrates the music 
 ideal in composition to which I refer. 
 
 So far as I know no Caucasian instrumental 
 music composer has ever ordered the performers un- 
 der his direction to sing a few of the first measures 
 of his composition while the string division of the 
 orchestra played its opening chords. Only the 
 ignorant Negro composer has done this. Some white 
 composers have made little approaches to it. A fair 
 sample of an approach is found in the Idylls of Ed- 
 ward McDowell, for piano, where every exquisite 
 little tone picture is headed by some gem in verse, 
 reading which the less musically gifted may gain a 
 deeper insight into the philosophical tone discourse 
 set forth in the notes and chords of the composition. 
 
 The Negro Folk Rhyme, then, furnished the ideas 
 237 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 about which the "old time" Negro banjo picker 
 and fiddler clustered his best instrumental music 
 thoughts. It is too bad that this music passed away 
 unrecorded save by the hearts of men. Paul Lau- 
 rence Dunbar depicts its telling effects upon the 
 hearer in his poem "The Party" : 
 
 "Cripple Joe, de ole rheumatic, danced dat flo' frum 
 
 side to middle. 
 Throwed away his crutch an* hopped it, what's 
 
 rheumatics 'gainst a fiddle? 
 Eldah Thompson got so tickled dat he lak to los' his 
 
 grace, 
 Had to take bofe feet an' hold 'em, so's to keep 'em 
 
 in deir place. 
 An' de Christuns an' de sinnahs got so mixed up on 
 
 dat flo', 
 Dat I don't see how dey's pahted ef de trump had 
 
 chonced to blow." 
 
 Perhaps a new school of orchestral music might 
 be built on the Negro idea that some of the per- 
 formers sing a sentence or so here and there, both 
 to assist the hearers to a clearer musical understand- 
 ing and to heighten the general artistic finish. The 
 old Negro performers generally sang lines of the 
 Folk Rhymes at the opening but occasionally in the 
 
 238 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 midst of their instrumental compositions. I do not 
 recall any case where lines were sung to the closing 
 measures of the compositions. 
 
 It might seem odd to some that the grotesque 
 Folk Rhyme should have given rise to comparatively 
 long instrumental music compositions. I think the 
 explanation is probably very simple. The African 
 on his native heath had his crude ancestral drum as 
 his leading musical instrument. He sang or shouted 
 his war songs consisting of a few words, and of a 
 few notes, then followed them up with the beating 
 of his drum, perhaps for many minutes, or even for 
 hours. In civilization, the banjo, fiddle, "quills," 
 and "triangle" largely took the place of his drum. 
 Thus the singing of opening strains and following 
 them with the main body of the instrumental com- 
 position, is in keeping with the Negro's inherited law 
 for instrumental compositions from his days of 
 savagery. The rattling, distinct tones of the banjo, 
 recalling unconsciously his inherited love for the 
 rattle of the African ancestral drum, is probably the 
 thing which caused that instrument to become a 
 favorite among Negro slaves. 
 
 I would next consider the relation of the Folk 
 Rhymes to Negro child life. They were instilled 
 into children as warnings. In the years closely fol.- 
 239 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 lowing our Civil War, it was common for a young 
 Negro child, about to engage in a doubtful venture, 
 to hear his mother call out to him the Negro Rhyme 
 recorded by Joel Chandler Harris, in the Negro 
 story, "The End of Mr. Bear": 
 
 "Tree stan' high, but honey mighty sweet 
 Watch dem bees wid stingers on der feet." 
 
 These lines commonly served to recall the whole 
 story, it being the Rabbit's song in that story, and 
 the child stopped whatever he was doing. Other 
 and better examples of such Rhymes are "Young 
 Master and Old Master," "The Alabama Way," 
 and "You Had Better Mind Master," found in our 
 collection. 
 
 The warnings were commonly such as would help 
 the slave to escape more successfully the lash, and 
 to live more comfortably under slave conditions. I 
 would not for once intimate that I entertain the 
 thought that the ignorant slave carefully and philo- 
 sophically studied his surroundings, reasoned it to be 
 a fine method to warn children through poetry, 
 composed verse, and like a wise man proceeded to 
 use it. Of course thinking preceded the making of 
 the Rhyme, but a conscious system of making verses 
 240 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 for the purpose did not exist. I have often watched 
 with interest a chicken hen lead forth her brood of 
 young for the first time. While the scratching and 
 feeding are going on, all of a sudden the hen utters 
 a loud shriek, and flaps her wings. The little chicks, 
 although they have never seen a hawk, scurry hither 
 and thither, and so prostrate their little brown and 
 ashen bodies upon the ground as almost to conceal 
 themselves. The Negro Folk Rhymes of warning 
 must be looked upon a little in this same light. They 
 are but the strains of terror given by the promptings 
 of a mother instinct full enough of love to give up 
 life itself for its defenseless own. 
 
 Many Rhymes were used to convey to children 
 the common sense truths of life, hidden beneath their 
 comic, crudely cut coats. Good examples are "Old 
 Man Know-Ail," "Learn to Count," and "Shake 
 the Persimmons Down." All through the Rhymes 
 will be found here and there many stanzas full of 
 common uncommon sense, worthwhile for chil- 
 dren. 
 
 Many Negro Folk Rhymes repeated or sung to 
 children on their parents' knees were enlarged and 
 told to them as stories, when they became older. 
 The Rhyme in our collection on "Judge Buzzard" 
 is one of this kind. In the Negro version of the 
 241 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 race between the hare and the tortoise ("rabbit and 
 terrapin"), the tortoise wins not through the hare's 
 going to sleep, but through a gross deception of all 
 concerned, including even the buzzard who acted 
 as Judge. The Rhyme is a laugh on "Jedge Buz- 
 zard." It was commonly repeated to Negro chil- 
 dren in olden days when they passed erroneous judg- 
 ments. "Buckeyed rabbit! Whoopee!" in our vol- 
 ume belongs with the Negro story recorded by Joel 
 Chandler Harris under the title, "How Mr. Rabbit 
 Lost His Fine Bushy Tail," though for some reason 
 Mr. Harris failed to weave it into the story as was 
 the Negro custom. "The Turtle's Song," in our col- 
 lection, is another, which belongs with the story, 
 "Mr. Terrapin Shows His Strength" ; a Negro story 
 given to the world by the same author, though the 
 Rhyme was not recorded by him. It might be of in- 
 terest to know that the Negroes, when themselves 
 telling the Folk stories, usually sang the Folk Rhyme 
 portions to little "catchy" Negro tunes. I would not 
 under any circumstances intimate that Mr. Harris 
 carelessly left them out. He recorded many little 
 stanzas in the midst of the stories. Examples are : 
 
 (a) "We'll stay at home when you're away 
 'Cause no gold won't pay toll." 
 242 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 (b) "Big bird catch, little bird sing. 
 Bug bee zoom, little bee sting. 
 Little man lead, and the big horse follow, 
 Can you tell what's good for a head in a hol- 
 low?" 
 
 These and many others are fragmentarily recorded 
 among Mr. Harris' Negro stories in "Nights With 
 Uncle Remus." 
 
 Folk Rhymes also formed in many cases the words 
 of Negro Play Songs. "Susie Girl," and "Peep 
 Squirrel," found in our collection, are good illustra- 
 tions of the Rhymes used in this way. The words 
 and the music of such Rhymes were usually of poor 
 quality. When, however, they were sung by chil- 
 dren with the proper accompanying body move- 
 ments, they might quite well remind one of the 
 "Folk Dances" used in the present best up-to-date 
 Primary Schools. They were the little *rays of 
 sunshine in the dark dreary monotonous lives of 
 black slave children. 
 
 Possibly the thing which will impress the reader 
 most in reading Negro Folk Rhymes is their 
 good-natured drollery and sparkling nonsense. I 
 believe this is very important. Many have recounted 
 in our hearing, the descriptions of "backwoods" Ne- 
 243 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 gro picnics. I have witnessed some of them where 
 the good-natured vender of lemonade and cakes cried 
 out: 
 
 "Here's yo' col' ice lemonade, 
 
 It's made in de shade, 
 
 It's stirred wid a spade. 
 
 Come buy my col' ice lemonade. 
 
 It's made in de shade 
 
 An' sol' in de sun. 
 
 Ef you hain't got no -money, 
 
 You cain't git none. 
 
 One glass fer a nickel, 
 
 An' two fer a dime, 
 
 Ef you hain't got de chink, 
 
 You cain't git mine. 
 
 Come right dis way, 
 
 Fer it sho' will pay 
 
 To git candy fer de ladies 
 
 An' cakes fer de babies." 
 
 "Did these venders sell?" Well, all agree that they 
 did. The same principle applied, with much of the 
 nonsense eliminated, will probably make of the 
 Negro a great merchant, as caste gives way enough 
 to allow him a common man's business chance. Of 
 all the races of men, the Negro alone has demon- 
 244 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 strated his ability to come into contact with the 
 white man and neither move on nor be annihilated. 
 I believe this is largely due to his power to muster 
 wit and humor on all occasions, and even to laugh 
 in the face of adversity. He refused during the 
 days of slavery to take the advice of Job's wife, and 
 to "Curse God and die." He repeated and sang 
 his comic Folk Rhymes, danced, lived, and came out 
 of the Night of Bondage comparatively strong. 
 
 The compiler of the Rhymes was quite interested 
 to find that as a rule the country-reared Negro had a 
 larger acquaintance with Folk Rhymes than one 
 brought up in the city. The human mind craves 
 occasional recreation, entertainment, and amuse- 
 ment. In cities where there is an almost continuous 
 passing along the crowded thoroughfares of much 
 that contributes to these ends, the slave Negro 
 needed only to keep his eyes open, his ears attentive, 
 and laugh. He directed his life accordingly. But, 
 in the country districts there was only the monotony 
 of quiet woods and waving fields of cotton. The 
 rural scenes, though beautiful in themselves, refuse 
 to amuse or entertain those who will not hold com- 
 munion with them. The country Negro longing for 
 amusement communed in his crude way, and Nature 
 gave him Folk Rhymes for entertainment. Among 
 245 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 those found to be clearly of this kind may be men- 
 tioned "The Great Owl's Song," "Tails," "Red- 
 head Woodpecker," "The Snail's Reply," "Bob- 
 white's Song," "Chuck Will's Widow Song," and 
 many others. 
 
 The Folk Rhymes were not often repeated as such 
 or as whole compositions by the "grown-ups" among 
 Negroes apart from the Play and the Dance. If, 
 however, you had had an argument with an antebel- 
 lum Negro, had gotten the better of the argument, 
 and he still felt confident that he was right, you 
 probably would have heard him clcse his side of the 
 debate with the words: "Well, 'Ole Man Know- 
 Ail is Dead.' " This is only a short prosaic version 
 of his rhyme "Old Man Know-All," found in our 
 collection. Many of the characteristic sayings of 
 "Uncle Remus" woven into story by Joel Chandler 
 Harris had their origin in these Folk Rhymes. 
 "Dem dat know too much sleep under de ash -hop- 
 per" (Uncle Remus) clearly intimates to all who 
 know about the old-fashioned ash-hopper that such 
 an individual lies. This saying is a part of an- 
 other stanza of "Old Man Know-Ail," but I cannot 
 recall it from my dim memory of the past, and others 
 whom I have asked seem equally unable to do so, 
 though they have once known it. 
 
 As is the case with all things of Folk origin, 
 246 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 there is usually more than one version of each Negro 
 Folk Rhyme. In many cases the exercising of a 
 choice between many versions was difficult. I can 
 only express the hope that my choices have been wise. 
 
 There are two American Negro Folk Rhymes in 
 our collection: "Frog in a Mill" and "Tree Frogs," 
 which are oddities in "language." They are rhymes 
 of a rare type of Negro, which has long since disap- 
 peared. They were called "Ebo" Negroes and 
 "Guinea" Negroes. The so-called "Ebo" Negro 
 used the word "la" very largely for the word "the." 
 This and some other things have caused me to think 
 that the "Ebo" Negro was probably one who was 
 first a slave among the French, Spanish, or Portu- 
 guese, and was afterwards sold to an English-speak- 
 ing owner. Thus his language was a mixture of 
 African, English, and one of these languages. The 
 so-called "Guinea" Negro was simply one who had 
 not been long from Africa; his language being a 
 mixture of his African tongue and English. These 
 rhymes are to the ordinary Negro rhymes what 
 "Jutta Cord la" in "Nights with Uncle Remus," by 
 Joel Chandler Harris, is to the ordinary Negro 
 stories found there. They are probably representa- 
 tive, in language, of the most primitive Negro Folk 
 productions. 
 
 Some of the rhymes are very old indeed. If one 
 247 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 will but read "Master Is Six Feet One Way," found 
 in our collection, he will find in it a description of a 
 slave owner attired in Colonial garb. It clearly be- 
 longs, as to date of composition, either to Colonial 
 days, or to the very earliest years of the American 
 Republic. When we consider it as a slave rhyme, 
 it is far from crudest, notwithstanding the early 
 period of its production. 
 
 If one carefully studies our collection of rhymes, 
 he will probably get a new and interesting picture of 
 the Negro's mental attitude and reactions during the 
 days of his enslavement. One of these mental reac- 
 tions is calculated to give one a surprise. One would 
 naturally expect the Negro under hard, trying, bitter 
 slave conditions, to long to be white. There is a re- 
 markable Negro Folk rhyme which shows that this 
 was not the case. This rhyme is: "I'd Rather Be a 
 Negro Than a Poor White Man." We must bear in 
 mind that a Folk Rhyme from its very nature car- 
 ries in it the crystallized thought of the masses. This 
 rhyme, though a little acidic and though we have 
 recorded the milder version, leaves the unquestioned 
 conclusion that, though the Negro masses may have 
 wished for the exalted station of the rich Southern 
 white man and possibly would have willingly had a 
 white color as a passport to position, there "never 
 
 248 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 was a time when the Negro masses desired to be 
 white for the sake of being white. Of course there 
 is the Negro rhyme, "I Wouldn't Marry a Black 
 Girl," but along with it is another Negro rhyme, "I 
 Wouldn't Marry a White or a Yellow Negro Girl." 
 The two rhymes simply point out together a division 
 of Negro opinion as to the ideal standard of beauty 
 in personal complexion. One part of the Negroes 
 thought white or yellow the more beautiful standard 
 and the other part of the Negroes thought black the 
 more beautiful standard. 
 
 The body of the Rhymes, here and there, carries 
 many facts between the lines, well worth knowing. 
 
 This collection also will shed some light on how 
 the Negro managed to go through so many genera- 
 tions "in slavery and still come out" with a bright, 
 capable mind. There were no colleges or schools 
 for them, but there were Folk Rhymes, stories, Jubi- 
 lee songs, and Nature; they used these and kept 
 mentally fit. 
 
 I now approach the more difficult and probably 
 the most important portion of my discussion in the 
 Study of Negro Folk Rhymes. It is a discussion 
 that I would have willingly omitted, had I not 
 thought that some one owed it to the world. Seeing 
 a dett, as I thought, and not seeing another to pay 
 249 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 it, I have reluctantly undertaken to discharge the 
 obligation. 
 
 If I were so fortunate as to possess a large flower 
 garden with many new and rare genera and species, 
 and wished to acquaint my friends with them, I 
 should first take these friends for a walk through 
 the garden, that they might see the odd tints and 
 hues, might inhale a little of the new fragrance, and 
 might get some idea as to the prospects for the 
 utilization of these new plants in the world. Then, 
 taking these friends back to my study room, I should 
 consider in a friendly manner along with them, the 
 Families and the Species, and the varieties. Finally, 
 I should endeavor to lay before them from whence 
 these new and strange flowers came. I have en- 
 deavored to pursue this method in my discussion of 
 the Negro Folk Rhymes. In the foregoing I have 
 endeavored to take the friendly reader for a walk 
 through this new and strange garden of Rhymes, 
 and I now extend an invitation to him to come into 
 the Study Room for a more critical view of them. 
 
 When one enters upon the slightest contemplation 
 of Negro Folk Rhyme classification, and is kind- 
 hearted enough to dignify them with a claim to kin- 
 ship to real poetry, the word Ballad rolls out with- 
 out the slightest effort, as a term that takes them all 
 250 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 in. Yes, this is very true, but they are of a strange 
 type indeed. They are Nature Ballads, many of 
 them, in the sense as ordinarily used. In quite an- 
 other sense, however, from that in which Nature 
 Ballad is ordinarily used, about all Folk Rhymes are 
 Nature Ballads. 
 
 I do not have reference to the thought content, 
 but have reference to what I term Nature Ballads in 
 form. Permit me to explain by analogy just what 
 I would convey by the term Nature Ballad in form. 
 
 All Nature is one. Though we arbitrarily divide 
 Nature's objects for study, they are indissolubly 
 bound together and every part carries in some part 
 of its constitution some well defined marks which 
 characterize the other parts with which it has no 
 immediate connection. To illustrate: the absolutely 
 pure sapphire, pure aluminic oxide, crystallized, is 
 commonly colorless, but we know that Nature's most 
 beautiful sapphires are not colorless, but are blue, 
 and of other beautiful tints. These color tints are 
 due to minutest traces of other substances, not at all 
 of general common sapphire composition. We call 
 them all sapphires, however, regardless of their little 
 impurities which are present to enhance their charm 
 and beauty. Likewise, all animal life begins with 
 one cell, and though the one cell in one case devel- 
 251 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 ops into a vertebrate, and in another case into an 
 invertebrate the cells persist and so all animal life 
 has cellular structure in common. Yet, each animal 
 branch has predominant traits that distinguish it 
 from all other branches. This same thing is true of 
 plants. 
 
 Nature's method, then, of making things seems 
 to be to put in a large enough amount of one thing 
 to brand the article, and then to mix in, in small 
 amounts, enough of other things to lend charm and 
 beauty without taking the article out of its general 
 class. 
 
 This is that which goes to make Negro Folk 
 Rhymes Nature Ballads in form. They are ballads, 
 but all in the midst of even a Dance Song, by Na- 
 ture an ordinary ballad, there may be interwoven 
 comedy, tragedy, and nearly every kind of imagina- 
 ble thing which goes rather with other general forms 
 of poetry than with the ballad. As an example, in 
 the Dance Song, "Promises of Freedom," we have 
 mustered before our eyes the comic drawing of a de- 
 ceptive ugly old Mistress and then follows the inti- 
 mation of the tragic death of a poisoned slave owner, 
 and as we are tempted to dance along in thought 
 with the rhymer, we cannot escape getting the subtle 
 impression that this slave had at least some "vague" 
 252 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 personal knowledge of how the Master got that 
 poison. It is a common easy-going ballad, but it is 
 tinted with tragedy and comedy. This general prin- 
 ciple will be found to run very largely through the 
 highest types of Negro Folk Rhymes. It is the 
 Nature method of construction, and thus we call 
 them Nature Ballads in structure, or form. 
 
 Other good examples of rhymes, Nature Ballads 
 in structure, are "Frog Went a-Courting," "Sheep 
 Shell Corn," "Jack and Dinah Want Freedom." 
 
 I now direct attention further to the classification 
 of Negro Rhymes as Ballads. My earnest desire 
 was to classify Negro Rhymes under ordinary head- 
 ings such as are used by literary men and women 
 everywhere in their general classification of Ballads. 
 I considered this very important because it would 
 enable students of comparative Literature to com- 
 pare easily the Negro Folk Rhymes with the Folk 
 Rhymes of all peoples. I was much disappointed 
 when I found that the Negro Folk Rhymes, when 
 invited, refused to take their places whole-heartedly 
 in the ordinary classification. As an example of 
 many may be mentioned the little Rhyme "Jaybird." 
 It is a Dance Song, and thus comes under the Dance 
 Song Division, commonly used for Ballads. But, 
 it also belongs under Nature Lore heading, because 
 253 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 the Negroes many years ago often told a story, in 
 conjunction with song, of the great misfortunes 
 which overtook a Negro who tried to get his living 
 by hunting Jaybirds. Finally it also belongs under 
 the heading Superstitions, for its last stanza very 
 plainly alludes to the old Negro superstition of 
 slavery days which declared that it was almost im- 
 possible to find Jaybirds on Friday because they went 
 to Hades on that day to carry sand to the Devil. 
 
 But so important do I think of comparative study 
 that I have taken the ordinary headings used for 
 Ballads and, after adding that omnibus heading 
 "Miscellaneous," have done my best. The majority 
 of the Rhymes can be placed under headings ordi- 
 narily used. This was to be expected. It is in 
 obedience to Natural Law. We see it in the Music 
 World. The Caucasian music has eight funda- 
 mental tones, the Japanese music has five, while, 
 according to some authorities, Ncr^ro Jubilee-mu- 
 sic has nine; yet all these music scales have five 
 tones in common. In the Periodic System of Ele- 
 ments there are two periods; a short period and a 
 long period, but both periods embrace, in common, 
 elements belonging to the same family. So with the 
 Ballads, certain classification headings will very well 
 take in both the Negro and all others. The Negro 
 254 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Ballad, however, does not entirely properly fit in. 
 I have therefore resorted to the following expedient : 
 I have taken the headings ordinarily used, and have 
 listed under each heading the Negro Rhymes which 
 belong with it, as nearly as possible. I have placed 
 this classified list at the end of the book, under the 
 title "Comparative Study Index." By using this In- 
 dex one can locate and compare Negro Folk produc- 
 tions with the corresponding Folk productions of 
 other peoples. 
 
 The headings found in this Comparative Study 
 Index are as follows : 
 
 1. Love Songs. 
 
 2. Dance Songs. 
 
 3. Animal and Nature Lore. 
 
 4. Nursery Rhymes. 
 
 5. Charms and Superstitions. 
 
 6. Hunting Songs. 
 
 7. Drinking Songs. 
 
 8. Wise and Gnomic Sayings. 
 
 9. Harvest Songs. 
 
 10. Biblical and Religious Themes. 
 
 11. Play Songs. 
 
 12. Miscellaneous. 
 
 With the way paved for others to make such com- 
 parative study as they would like, I now feel free 
 255 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 to use a classification which lends itself more easily 
 to a discussion of the origin and evolution of Negro 
 Rhyme. The basic principle used in this classifica- 
 tion is Origin and under each source of origin is 
 placed the various classes of Rhymes produced. It 
 has seemed to the writer, who is himself a Negro, 
 and has spent his early years in the midst of the 
 Rhymes and witnessed their making, that there are 
 three great divisions derived from three great main- 
 springs or sources. 
 
 The Divisions are as follows: 
 
 I. Rhymes derived from the Social Instinct. 
 
 II. Rhymes derived from the Homing Instinct. 
 
 III. Rhymes of Psycho-composite origin. 
 
 The terms Social and Homing Instincts are familiar 
 to every one, but the term Psycho-composite was 
 coined by the writer after much hesitation and with 
 much regret because he seemed unable to find a word 
 which would express what he had in mind. 
 
 To make clear : the classes of Rhymes falling un- 
 der Divisions I and II owe their crudest initial be- 
 ginnings to instinct, while those under Division 
 III owe their crudest beginnings partly to instinct, 
 but partly also to intelligent thinking processes. To 
 illustrate Courtship Rhymes come under Division 
 II, because courtship primarily arises from the horn- 
 
 256 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 ing instinct, but when we come to "quasi" wise say- 
 ings directed largely to criticism or toward im- 
 provement, there is very much more than instinct 
 concerned. In Division III the Rhymes are directed 
 largely to improvement. In explanation of why 
 they are in Division III, I would say, the desire to 
 better one's condition is instinctive, but the slightest 
 attainment of the desire comes through thought pure 
 and simple. I have invented the term Psycho-com- 
 posite to include all this. 
 
 In reading the Rhymes under Division III, one 
 finds comparatively large, abstract, general conclu- 
 sions, such as General loquaciousness is unwise: 
 Assuming to know everything is foolish : Self-control 
 is a great virtue. Proper preparation must be made 
 before presuming to give instruction, etc. Such gen- 
 eralizations involve something not necessarily present 
 in the crudest initiations of such Rhymes as those 
 found under Divisions I and II. Below is a tabular 
 view of my proposed classification of Negro Folk 
 Rhymes : 
 
 DIVISION CLASS 
 
 I. Dance Rhymes 
 
 T n . . T , 2. Dance Rhyme Songs 
 
 I. Social Instinct Rhymes-^ 
 
 1 3. Play Songs 
 
 4. Pastime Rhymes 
 257 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 DIVISION CLASS 
 
 i. Love Rhymes 
 
 II. Homing Instinct 
 Rhymes 
 
 2. Courtship Rhymes 
 
 3. Marriage Rhymes 
 
 4. Married Life Rhymes 
 
 ii. Criticism and 
 Improvement 
 Rhymes 
 
 Under this tabulation, let us now proceed to discuss 
 the Origin and Evolution of Negro Folk Rhymes. 
 
 Early in my discussion the reader will recall that 
 I explained in considerable detail how the Dance 
 Rhyme words were used in the dance. I am now 
 ready to announce that the Dance Rhyme was de- 
 rived from the dance, and to explain how the Dance 
 Rhyme became an evolved product of the dance. 
 
 I witnessed in my early childhood the making of 
 a few Dance Rhymes. I have forgotten the words 
 of most of those whose individual making I wit- 
 nessed but the "Jonah's Band Party" found in our 
 collection is one whose making I distinctly recall. 
 I shall tell in some detail of its origin because it 
 serves in a measure to illustrate how the Dance 
 Rhymes probably had their beginnings. First of all 
 be it known that there was a "step" in dancing, orig- 
 
 258 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 inated by some Negro somewhere, called "Jonah's 
 Band" step. There is no need that I should try to 
 describe that step which, though of the plain dance 
 type, was accompanied from the beginning to the 
 end by indescribable "frills" of foot motion. I 
 can't describe it, but if one will take a stick and 
 cause it to tap so as to knock the words: "Setch 
 a kickin' up san'! Jonah's band," while he re- 
 peats the words in the time of 2/4 music measure, 
 the taps will reproduce the tattoo beaten upon the 
 ground by the feet of the dancers, when they danced 
 the "Jonah's Band" step. The dancers formed a 
 circle placing two or more of their skilled dancers in 
 the middle of it. Now when I first witnessed this 
 dance, there were no words said at all. There was 
 simply patting with the hands and dancing, making 
 a tattoo which might be well represented by the 
 words supplied later on in its existence. Later, I 
 witnessed the same dance, where the patting and 
 dancing were as usual, but one man, apparently the 
 leader, was simply crying out the words, "Setch a 
 kickin' up san'!" and the crowd answered with the 
 words, "Jonah's Band!" the words all being re- 
 peated in rhythmic harmony with the patting and 
 dancing. Thus was born the line, "Setch a kickin' 
 up san' ! Jonah's Band !" In some places it was the 
 259 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 custom to call on the dancers to join with those of 
 the circle, at intervals in the midst of the dance, in 
 dancing other steps than the Jonah's Band step. 
 Some dance leaders, for example, simply called in 
 plain prose "Dance the Mobile Buck," others call- 
 ing for another step would rhyme their call. Thus 
 arose the last lines to each stanza, such as 
 
 "Raise yo' right foot, kick it up high ! 
 Knock dat 'Mobile Buck' in de eye!" 
 
 This is the genesis of the "Jonah's Band Party," 
 found in our collection. The complete rhyme be- 
 comes a fine description of an old-time Negro party. 
 It is probable that much Dance Rhyme making 
 originated in this or a similar way. 
 
 Let us assume that Negro customs in Slavery 
 days were what they were in my childhood days, 
 then it would come about that such an ocasional 
 Rhyme making in a crowd would naturally stimu- 
 late individual Rhyme makers, and from these in- 
 dividuals would naturally grow up "crops" of Dance 
 Rhymes. Of course I cannot absolutely know, but 
 I think when I witnessed the making of the "Jonah's 
 Band Party," that I witnessed the stimulus which 
 had produced the Dance Rhyme through the decades 
 of preceding years. I realize, however, that this does 
 260 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 not account for the finished Rhyme products. It 
 simply gives one source of origin. How the Rhyme 
 grew to its complex structure will be discussed later, 
 because that discussion belongs not to the Dance 
 Rhyme alone, but to all the Rhymes. 
 
 There was a final phase of development of 
 "Jonah's Band Party" witnessed by the writer; 
 namely, the singing of the lines, "Setch a kickin' up 
 san' ! Jonah's Band !" The last lines of the stanzas, 
 the lines calling for another step on the part of both 
 the circle and the dancers, were never sung to my 
 knowledge. The little tune to the first lines con- 
 sisted of only four notes, and is inserted below. 
 
 Setch a kick -in' u san'! Jon - ah's bandl 
 
 Setch a kick -in' up san'! Jon - ah's bandl 
 
 I give this as of interest because it marks a partial 
 transition from a Dance Rhyme to a Dance Rhyme 
 Song. In days of long ago I occasionally saw a 
 Dance Rhyme Song "patted and danced" instead 
 of sung or played and danced. This coupled with 
 the transition stage of the "Jonah's Band Dance" 
 261 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 just given has caused me to believe that Dance 
 Rhyme Songs were probably evolved from Dance 
 Rhymes pure and simple, through individuals put- 
 ting melodies to these Dance Rhymes. 
 
 As Dance Rhymes came from the dance, so like- 
 wise Play Rhymes came from plays. I shall now 
 discuss the one found in our collection under the 
 caption "Goosie-gander." Since the Play has prob- 
 ably passed from the memory of most persons, I shall 
 tell how it was played. The children (and some- 
 times those in their teens) sat in a circle. One in- 
 dividual, the leader, walked inside the circle, from 
 child to child, and said to each in turn, "Goosie- 
 gander." If the child answered "Goose," the leader 
 said, "I turn your ears loose," and went on to the 
 next child. If he answered "Gander," the leader 
 said, "I pull yo' years 'way yander." Then ensued 
 a scuffle between the two children; each trying to 
 pull the other's ears. The fun for the circle came 
 from watching the scuffle. Finally the child who got 
 his ears pulled took his place in the circle, leaving the 
 victor as master of ceremonies to call out the chal- 
 lenge "Goosie-gander!" The whole idea of the play 
 is borrowed from the fighting of the ganders of a 
 flock of geese for their mates. Many other plays 
 were likewise borrowed from Nature. Examples are 
 262 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 found in "Hawk and Chickens Play," and "Fox 
 and Geese Play." "Caught by a Witch Play" is 
 borrowed from superstition. But to return to 
 "Goosie-gander" most children of our childhood 
 days played it, using common prose in the calls, and 
 answers just as we have here described it. A few 
 children here and there so gave their calls and re- 
 sponses as to rhyme them into a kind of a little poem 
 as it is recorded in our collection. Without further 
 argument, I think it can hardly be doubted that the 
 whole thing began as a simple prose call, and re- 
 sponse, and that some child inclined to rhyming 
 things, started "to do the rest," and was assisted in 
 accomplishing the task by other children equally or 
 more gifted. This reasonably accounts for the 
 origin of the Play Rhyme. 
 
 Now what of the Play Rhyme Songs? There 
 were many more Play Rhyme Songs than Play 
 Rhymes. There were some of the Play Rhyme 
 Songs sung in prose version by some children and 
 the same Play Song would be sung in rhymed ver- 
 sion by other children. Likewise the identical 
 Play Song would not be sung at all by other chil- 
 dren; they would simply repeat the words as in the 
 case of the Rhyme "Goosie-gander," just discussed. 
 The little Play Song found in our collection under 
 
 263 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 the caption, "Did You Feed My Cow?" is one which 
 was current in my childhood in the many versions 
 as just indicated. The general thought in the story 
 of the Rhyme was the same in all versions whether 
 prose or rhyme, or song. In cases where children 
 repeated it instead of singing it, it was generally in 
 prose and the questions were so framed by the leader 
 that all the general responses by the crowd were 
 "Yes, Ma'am!" Where it was sung, it was invari- 
 ably rhymed; and the version found in this collec- 
 tion was about the usual one. 
 
 The main point in the discussion at this juncture 
 is that there were large numbers of Play Songs 
 like this one found in the transition stage from plain 
 prose to repeated rhyme, and to sung rhyme. Such 
 a status leaves little doubt that the Play Song trav- 
 elled this general road in its process of evolution. 
 
 I might take up the Courtship Rhymes, and show 
 that they are derivatives of Courtship, and so on to 
 the end of all the classes given in my outline, but 
 since the evidences and arguments in all the cases are 
 essentially the same I deem it unnecessary. 
 
 I now turn attention to a peculiar general ideal in 
 Form found in Negro Folk Rhymes. It probably is 
 not generally known that the Negroes, who emerged 
 from the House of Bondage in the 6o's of the last 
 
 264 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 century, had themselves given a name to their own 
 peculiar form of verse. If it be known I am rather 
 confident that it has never been written. They 
 named the parts of their verse "Call," and (Re) 
 "Sponse." After explaining what is meant by "call" 
 and "sponse," I shall submit an evidence on the mat- 
 ter. In its simplest form "call" and "sponse" were 
 what we would call in Caucasian music, solo and 
 chorus. As an example, in the little Play Song used 
 in our illustration of Play Songs, "Did You Feed 
 My Cow ?" was sung as a solo and was known as the 
 "Call," while the chorus that answered "Yes, 
 Ma'am" was known as the "Sponse." 
 
 I now beg to offer testimony in corroboration of 
 my assertion that Negroes had named their Rhyme 
 parts "Call" and "Sponse." So well were these 
 established parts of a Negro Rhyme recognized 
 among Negroes that the whole turning point of one 
 of their best stories was based upon it. I have ref- 
 erence to the Negro story recorded by Mr. Joel 
 Chandler Harris in his "Nights with Uncle Remus," 
 under the caption, "Brother Fox, Brother Rabbit, 
 and King Deer's Daughter." Those who would 
 enjoy the story, as the writel did in his childhood 
 days, as it fell from the lips of Irs dear little friends 
 and dusky playmates, will read the story in Mr. 
 
 265 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Harris' book. The gist of the story is as follows: 
 The fox and the rabbit fall in love with King Deer's 
 daughter. The fox has just about become the suc- 
 cessful suitor, when the rabbit goes through King 
 Deer's lot and kills some of King Deer's goats. He 
 then goes to King Deer, and tells him that the fox 
 killed the goats, and offers to make the fox admit 
 the deed in King Deer's hearing. This being agreed 
 to, the rabbit goes to find the fox, and proposes that 
 they serenade the King Deer family. The fox 
 agreed. Then the rabbit proposes that he sing the 
 "Call" and that the fox sing the "Sponse" (or, as 
 Mr. Harris records the story, the "answer"), and 
 this too was agreed upon. We now quote from Mr. 
 Harris: 
 
 "Ole Br'er Rabbit, he make up de song he own 
 se'f en' he fix it so that he sing de Call lak de Cap- 
 tain er de co'n-pile, en ole Br'er Fox, he hatter sing 
 de answer" . . . "Ole Br'er Rabbit, he got de call 
 en he open up lak dis : 
 
 ;< 'Some folks pile up mo'n dey kin tote, 
 
 En dat w'at de matter wid King Deer's goat.' 
 
 en den Br'er Fox, he make answer, 'Dat's so, dat's 
 
 so, en I'm glad dat it's so.' Den de quills, and de 
 
 266 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 tr 'angle, dey come in, en den Br'er Rabbit pursue on 
 wid de call 
 
 " 'Some kill sheep, en some kill shote, 
 But Br'er Fox kill King Deer goat,' 
 
 en den Br'er Fox, he jine in wid de answer, 'I did, I 
 did, en I'm glad dat I did.' " 
 
 The writer would add that the story ends with a 
 statement that King Deer came out with his walking 
 cane, and beat the fox, and then invited the rabbit in 
 to eat chicken pie. 
 
 From the foregoing one will recognize the nam- 
 ing, by the Negroes themselves, of the parts of their 
 rhymed song, as "call," and "answer." Now just a 
 word concerning the term "answer," instead of 
 "sponse," as used by the writer. You will notice 
 that Mr. Harris records, incidentally, of Br'er Rab- 
 bit "dat he sing de call, lak de Captain er de co'n 
 pile." This has reference to the singing of the 
 Negroes at corn huskings where the leader sings a 
 kind of solo part, and the others by way of response, 
 sing a kind of chorus. At corn huskings, at plays, 
 and elsewhere, when Negroes sang secular songs, 
 some one was chosen to lead. As a little boy, I wit- 
 nessed secular singing in all these places. When a 
 leader was chosen, the invariable words of his com- 
 
 267 
 
ttEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 mission were: "You sing the 'call' and we'll sing 
 the 'sponse.' ''' Of course the sentence was not quite 
 so well constructed grammatically, but "call" and 
 "sponse" were the terms always used. This being 
 true, I have felt that I ought to use these terms, 
 though I recognize the probability of there being 
 communities where the word answer would be used. 
 All folk terms and writings have different versions. 
 
 The "sponses" in most of the Negro Folk Rhymes 
 in our collection are wanting, and the Rhymes them- 
 selves, in most cases, consist of calls only. As ex- 
 amples of those with "sponses" left, may be men- 
 tioned "Juba" with its sponse "Juba" ; "Frog Went 
 A-courting," with its sponse "Uh-huh !" ; "Did You 
 Feed My Cow?" with its sponse "Yes, Ma'am," etc., 
 and "The Old Black Gnats," where the sponses are 
 "I cain't git out'n here, etc." 
 
 I shall now endeavor to show why the Negro 
 Folk Rhymes consist in most cases of "calls" only, 
 and how and why the "sponses" have disappeared 
 from the finished product. I record here the notes 
 of two common Negro Play Songs along with sam- 
 ple stanzas used in the singing of them. I hope 
 through a little study of these, to make clear the 
 matter of Folk Rhyme development, to the point of 
 dropping the "sponse." 
 
 268 
 
P 
 
 NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 CALL.. .. 11 SPONSE. 
 
 (a) 1. Oh now swing yo' pard - nerl Hoi - ly Dunk I 
 2. Oh now ring round, ring round! Hoi ly*Dink! 
 
 * * * 
 
 (6) 1. I sho loves Miss Don - ie, Hoi ly Dink! 
 
 CALL II SPONSE. 
 
 ^> ~r~ J J J ! \~~r F* T 
 
 *? -^ ' * **. w .J.. 
 
 Oh now swing yo' pard nerl Hoi - ly Dink! 
 
 Oh now ring round, ring round! Hoi - ly DinkI 
 
 * * * 
 
 Yes, I do, Hoi - ly Dink! 
 
 (o) 1. Hail storm, frost-y night, 'Tain'tgwineter rain no mo! 
 
 2. You gw ing here, 'an I'll swing dere, ' Tain 't gwineter rain no mo 1 
 
 * * * 
 
 (6) 1. My ole Mistess promised me ! ' Tain ' t gwineter ram no mo 1 
 
 * * * 
 
 (c) 1. Hawk an' buzzard, went to law! 'Tain't gwineter rain no mo! 
 etc. etc. etc. 
 
 *' 
 
 Hail storm, frost - y night, 'Tain't gwineter rain no mo! 
 You swing here, 'an I'll swing dere, 'Tain't gwineter rain no mo! 
 
 * * * 
 
 When she died, she'd set me free, 'Tain't gwineter rain no mo! 
 
 * * * 
 
 Hawk come back , wid a broken jaw, 'Tain't gwineter rain no mol 
 etc. etc. etc. 
 
 269 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 These simple little songs, the first made up of 
 five notes, and the second of seven, are typical 
 Negro Play songs. I shall not describe the simple 
 play which accompanied them because that descrip- 
 tion would not add to the knowledge of the evolu- 
 tion under consideration. 
 
 At a Negro Evening Entertainment several such 
 songs would be sung and played, and some indi- 
 vidual would be chosen to lead or sing the "calls" of 
 each of the songs. The 'sponses in some cases were 
 meaningless utterances, like "Holly Dink," given 
 in the first song recorded, while others were made up 
 of some sentence like " 'Tain't Gwineter Rain No 
 Mo'!" found in the second song given. The 
 "sponses" were not expected to bear a special con- 
 tinuous relation in thought to the "calls." Indeed 
 no one ever thought of the 'sponses as conveyers of 
 thought, whether jumbled syllables or sentences. 
 The songs went under the names of the various 
 sponses. Thus the first Play Song recorded was 
 known as "Holly Dink," and the second as " 'Tain't 
 Gwineter Rain No Mo'." 
 
 The playing and singing of each of these songs 
 
 commonly went on continuously for a quarter of 
 
 an hour or more. This being the case, we scarcely 
 
 need add that the leader of the Play Song had both 
 
 270 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 his memory and ingenuity taxed to their utmost, in 
 devising enough "calls" to last through so long a 
 period of time of continuous playing and singing. 
 The reader will notice under both of the Play Songs 
 recorded, that I have written under "(a)" two 
 stanzas of prose "calls." I would convey the thought 
 to the reader, by these illustrations, that the one 
 singing the "calls" was at liberty to use, and did 
 use any prose sentence that would fit in with the 
 "call" measures of the song. 
 
 Of course these prose "calls" had to be rhythmic 
 to fit into the measures, but much freedom was al- 
 lowed in respacing the time allotted to notes, and 
 in the redivision of the notes in the "fitting in" 
 process. Even these prose stanzas bore the mark 
 of Rhyme to the Negro fancy. The reader will no- 
 tice that, where the "call" is in prose, it is always 
 repeated, and thus the line in fancy rhymed with 
 itself. Examples as found in our Second Play Song : 
 
 "Hail storm, frosty night. 
 Hail storm, frosty night." 
 
 Now, it was considered by Negroes, in the days gone 
 by, something of an accomplishment for a leader to 
 be able to sing "calls," for so long a time, when they 
 bore some meaning, and still a greater accomplish- 
 271 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 ment to sing the calls both in rhyme and with mean- 
 ing. This led each individual to rhyme his calls as 
 far as possible because leaders were invited to lead 
 songs during an evening's entertainment, largely in 
 accordance with their ability, and thus those desiring 
 to lead were compelled to make attainment in both 
 rhyme and meaning. Now, the reader will notice 
 under "Holly Dink," heading "(b)," "I sho' loves 
 Miss Donie." This is a part of the opening line of 
 our Negro Rhyme, "Likes and Dislikes." I would 
 convey the thought to the reader that this whole 
 Rhyme, and any other Negro Rhyme which would 
 fit into a 2/4 music measure, could be, and was used 
 by the Play Song leader in singing the calls of 
 "Holly Dink." Thus a leader would lead such a 
 song; and by using one whole Rhyme after 
 another, succeed in rhyming the calls for a 
 quarter of an hour. If his Rhymes "gave 
 out," he used rhythmic prose calls; and since 
 these did not need to have meaning, his store was un- 
 limited. Just as any Rhyme \vhich could be fitted 
 into a 2/4 music measure would be used with "Holly 
 Dink," so any Rhyme which could be fitted into a 
 4/4 measure would be used with the " 'Tain't 
 Gwineter Rain No Mo'." Illustrations given under 
 "(b)" and "(c)" under the last mentioned song are 
 272 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 "Promises of Freedom," and "Hawk and Buz- 
 zard." 
 
 Since all Negro Songs with a few exceptions 
 were written in 4/4 measures and 2/4 measures, and 
 Negro rhymed "calls" were also written in the same 
 way, the rhymed "calls" which may have originated 
 with one song were transferred to, and used with 
 other songs. Thus the rhymed "calls' becoming 
 detached for use with any and all songs into which 
 they could be fitted, gave rise to the multitude of 
 Negro Folk Rhymes, a small fragment of which 
 multitude is recorded in our collection. Negro 
 Dances and Dance Rhymes were both constructed in 
 2/4 and 4/4 measures, and the Rhymes were propa- 
 gated for that same reason. Rhymes, once detached 
 from their original song or dance, were learned, and 
 often repeated for mere pastime, and thus they were 
 transmitted to others as unit compositions. 
 
 We have now seen how detached rhymed "calls" 
 made our Negro Folk Rhymes. Next let us con- 
 sider how and why whole little "poems" arose in a 
 Play Song. One will notice in reading Negro Folk 
 Rhymes that the larger number of them tell a little 
 story or give some little comic description, or some 
 little striking thought. Since all the Rhymes had to 
 be memorized to insure their continued existence, 
 273 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 and since Memory works largely through Associa- 
 tion ; one readily sees that the putting of the Rhymes 
 into a story, descriptive, or striking thought form, 
 was the only thing that could cause their being kept 
 alive. It was only through their being composed 
 thus that Association was able to assist Memory 
 in recalling them. Those carrying another form 
 carried their death warrant. 
 
 Now let us look a little more intimately into how 
 the Rhymes were probably composed. In collecting 
 them, I often had the same Rhyme given to me 
 over and over again by different individuals. Most 
 of the Rhymes were given by different individuals 
 in fragmentary form. In case of all the Rhymes 
 thus received, there would always be a half stanza, 
 or a whole stanza which all contributors' versions 
 held in common. As examples: in "Promises of 
 Freedom," all contributors gave the lines 
 
 "My ole Mistiss promise me 
 Wen she died, she'd set me free." 
 
 In "She Hugged Me and Kissed Me," the second 
 stanza was given by all. In "Old Man Know-All," 
 the first two lines of the last stanza came from all 
 who gave the Rhyme. The writer terms these parts 
 of the individual Rhymes, seemingly known to all 
 274 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 who know the "poems," key verses. The very fact 
 that the key verses, only, are known to all, seems to 
 me to warrant the conclusion that these were prob- 
 ably the first verses made in each individual Rhyme. 
 Now when an individual made such a key verse, one 
 can easily see that various singers of "calls" using 
 it would attempt to associate other verses of their 
 own making with it in order to remember them all 
 for their long "singing Bees." The story, the de- 
 scription, and the striking thought furnished con- 
 venient vehicles for this association of verses, so 
 as to make them easy to keep in memory. This is 
 why the verses of many singers of "Calls" finally 
 became blended into little poem-like Rhymes. 
 
 I have pointed out "call" and "sponse," in 
 Rhymes, and have shown how, through them, in 
 song, the form of the Negro Rhyme came into ex- 
 istence. But many of the Pastime Rhymes ap- 
 parently had no connection with the Play or the 
 Dance. I must now endeavor to account for such 
 Rhymes as these. 
 
 In order to do this, I must enter upon the task of 
 trying to show how "call" and "sponse" originated. 
 
 The origin of "call" and "sponse" is plainly writ- 
 ten on the faces of the rhymes of the Social Instinct 
 type. Read once again the following rhyme re- 
 275 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 corded in our collection under the caption of "Ante- 
 bellum Courtship Inquiry" 
 
 (He) "Is you a flyin' lark, or a settin' dove?" 
 (She) "Fse a flyin' lark, my Honey Love." 
 (He) "Is you a bird o' one fedder, or a bird o' 
 
 two?" 
 (She) "I'se a bird o' one fedder, w'en it comes to 
 
 you." 
 (He) "Den Mam: 
 
 "I has desire an' quick temptation 
 To jine my fence to yo' plantation." 
 
 This is primitive courtship ; direct, quick, conclusive. 
 It is the crude call of one heart, and the crude 
 response of another heart. The two answering and 
 blending into one, in the primitive days, made a 
 rhymed couplet one. It is "call" and "sponse," 
 born to vibrate in complementary unison with two 
 hearts that beat as one. "Did all Negroes carry on 
 courtship in this manner in olden days?" No, not 
 by any means. Only the more primitive by custom, 
 and otherwise used such forms of courtship. The 
 more intelligent of those who came out of slavery 
 had made the white man's customs their own, and 
 laughed at such crudities, quite as much as we of 
 the present day. The writer thinks his ability to 
 276 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 recall from childhood days a clear remembrance of 
 many of these crude things is due to the fact that he 
 belonged to a Negro family that laughed much, 
 early and late, at such things. But the simple forms! 
 of "call" and "sponse" were used much in courtship 
 by the more primitive. This points out something of 
 the general origin of "call" and "sponse" in Social 
 Instinct Rhymes, but does not account for their 
 origin in other types of Rhymes. I now turn atten- 
 tion to those. 
 
 About eighteen years ago I was making a So- 
 ciological investigation for Tuskegee Institute, 
 which carried me into a remote rural district in the 
 Black Belt of Alabama. In the afternoon, when 
 the Negro laborers were going home from the fields 
 and occasionally during the day, these laborers on 
 one plantation would utter loud musical "calls" 
 and the "calls" would be answered by musical re- 
 sponses from the laborers on other plantations. 
 These calls and responses had no peculiar signifi- 
 cance. They were only for whatever pleasure these 
 Negroes found in the cries and apparently might be 
 placed in a parallel column alongside of the call of a 
 song bird in the woods being answered by another. 
 Dr. William H. Sheppard, many years a missionary 
 in Congo, Africa, upon inquiry, tells me that similar 
 277 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 calls and responses obtain there, though not so 
 musical. He also tells me that the calls have a mean- 
 ing there. There are calls and responses for those 
 lost in the forest, for fire, for the approach of ene- 
 mies, etc. These Alabama Negro calls, however, 
 had no meaning, and yet the calls and responses so 
 fitted into each other as to make a little complete 
 tune. 
 
 Now, I had heard "field" calls all during my 
 early childhood in Tennessee, and these also were 
 answered by men in adjoining fields. But the Ten- 
 nessee calls and responses which I remembered had 
 no kinship which would combine them into a kind 
 of little completed song as was the case with the 
 Alabama calls and responses. 
 
 Again, in Tennessee when a musical call was ut- 
 tered by the laborers in one field, those in the other 
 fields around would often use identically the same 
 call as a response. The Alabama calls and responses 
 were short, while those of Tennessee were long. 
 
 I am listing an Alabama "call" and "response." 
 I regret that I cannot recall more of them. I am 
 also recording three Tennessee calls or responses 
 (for they may be called either). Then I am record- 
 ing a fourth one from Tennessee, not exactly a call, 
 but partly call and partly song. The reason for 
 
 278 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 this will appear later. By a study of these I think 
 we can pretty reasonably make a final interesting 
 deduction as to the general origin of "call" and 
 "sponse" in the form of the types of Rhyme not 
 already discussed. 
 
 In the Alabama Field Call and response one can- 
 not help seeing a counterpart in music of the "call" 
 and "sponse" in the words of the types of Rhymes 
 already discussed. 
 
 ALABAMA FIELD CALL AND RESPONSE 
 CALL.. 
 
 Ah ah ! 
 
 1. 
 
 TENNESSEE FIELD CALLS OR RESPONSES 
 CALL(?) 
 
 iii"T ^^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 Hoo wee hoo wee hoo wee hool 
 
 Hoo wee 
 
 wee hoo wee 
 279 
 
 hoo! 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 CALL(?) n 
 
 Ah ah.... ah ah ah! 
 
 RESPONSE(?) 
 
 rgizHTj-*-- {ii-jJTj i T~n=*u * /rrf = f = il 
 : f - *=*= **^^^=*-^\^ 
 
 Ah ah ah ah... ah., ah ah ah ah... ah!.. 
 CALL(?) n 
 
 Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah 
 
 (Sometimes) I wants a piece a hoecake I wants a piece o' bread. 
 
 EESPONSE(?) 
 
 I^T i kj r t= iEjT7^fc^^UJ-=a 
 
 Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah! 
 
 Well Ise so tired an' hongry dat Ise almos' dead. 
 
 1. Ole Bil - ly Baw - lie "Eh hoo hoo wee!" 
 
 2. I hears you hoi - ler "Eh hoo hoo wee!" 
 
 Ole Bil-ly Baw-lie "Eh hoo wee hoo!" 
 I bears you hoi - ler "Eh hoo wee hoo!" 
 
 280 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 If one looks at Number i under the Tennessee 
 calls or responses, there is nothing to indicate espe- 
 cially that it was ever other than the whole as it is 
 here written. But when he looks at Number 2 un- 
 der Tennessee calls or responses he is struck with 
 the remarkable fact that it changes right in the 
 midst from the rhythm of the 9/8 measure to that of 
 the 6/8 measure. Now if there be any one char- 
 acteristic which is constant in Negro music it is that 
 the rhythm remains the same throughout a given 
 production. In a very, very few long Negro produc- 
 tions I have known an occasional change in the time, 
 but never in a musical production consisting of a 
 few measures. The only reasonable explanation to 
 be offered for the break in the time of Number 2, as 
 a Negro production, is that it was originally a "call" 
 and "response"; the "call" being in a 9/8 measure 
 and the "response" being in a 6/8 measure. Here 
 then we have "call" and "sponse." It would look as 
 if the Negroes in Tennessee had combined the 
 "calls" and "sponses" into one and had used them as 
 a whole. When we accept this view all the differ- 
 ences, between the Alabama and Tennessee produc- 
 tions, before mentioned are accounted for. Then 
 looking again at Number i under Tennessee calls 
 or responses, one sees that it would conveniently 
 281 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 divide right in the middle to make a "call" and 
 "sponse." Now look at Number 3 under Tennessee 
 calls. It was usually cried off with the syllable ah 
 and would easily divide in the middle. I remember 
 this "call" very distinctly from my childhood because 
 the men giving it placed the thumb upon the larynx 
 and made it vibrate longitudinally while uttering the 
 cry. The thumb thus used produced a peculiar 
 screeching and rattling tone that hardly sounded 
 human. But the words "I want a piece of hoecake, 
 etc.," as recorded under the "call," were often 
 rhymed off in song with it. Thus we trace the 
 form of "call" and "sponse" from the friendly mu- 
 sical greeting between laborers at a distance to the 
 place of the formation of a crude Rhyme to go with 
 it. I would have the reader notice that these words 
 finally supplied were in "call" and "sponse" form. 
 The idea is that one individual says: "I want a 
 piece of hoecake, I want a piece o' bread," and an- 
 other chimes in by way of response: "Well, I'se so 
 tired and hongry dat I'se almos' dead." 
 
 "Ole Billie Bawlie" found as Number 4 was a 
 little song which was used to deride men who had 
 little ability musically to intonate "calls" and 
 "sponses." The name "Bawlie" was applied to em- 
 phasize that the individual bawled instead of sound- 
 282 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 ing pleasant notes. It is of interest to us because it 
 is a mixture of Rhyme and Field "call" and com- 
 pletes the connecting links along the line of Evolu- 
 tion between the "call" and "sponse" and the 
 Rhyme. 
 
 Wherever one thing is derived from another by 
 process of Evolution, there is the well known biologi- 
 cal law that there ought to be every grade of con- 
 necting link between the original and the last evolved 
 product. The law holds good here in our Rhymes. 
 If this last statement holds good then the law must 
 be universal. May we be permitted to digress 
 enough to show that the law is universal because, 
 though it is a law whose biological phase has been 
 long recognized, not much attention has been paid to 
 it in other fields. 
 
 It holds good in the world of inanimate matter. 
 There are three general classes of chemical com- 
 pounds: Acids, bases, and salts. But along with 
 these three general classes are found all kinds of 
 connecting links: Acid salts, basic salts, hydroxy 
 acids, etc. 
 
 It holds good in the animal and plant worlds. 
 Looking at the ancestors of the horse in geological 
 history we find that the first kind of horse to ap- 
 pear upon the earth was the CEohippus. He had 
 
 23.? 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 four toes on the hind foot and three on the front 
 one. Through a long period of development, the 
 present day one-toed horse descended from this 
 many-toed primitive horse. There is certainty of the 
 line of descent of the horse because all the connect- 
 ing links have been discovered in fossil form, be- 
 tween the primitive horse and the present day horse. 
 Plants in like manner show all kinds of connecting 
 links. 
 
 The law holds sway in the world of language; 
 and that is the world with which we are concerned 
 here. The state of Louisiana once belonged to the 
 French; now it belongs to an English-speaking peo- 
 ple. If one goes among the Creoles in Louisiana he 
 will find a very few who speak almost Parisian 
 French and very poor English. Then he will find a 
 very large number who speak a pure English and a 
 very poor French. Between these classes he will 
 find those speaking all grades of French and English. 
 These last mentioned are the connecting links, and 
 the connecting links bespeak a line of evolution 
 where those of French descent are gradually passing 
 over to a class which will finally speak the English 
 language exclusively. 
 
 Now let us turn our attention again directly to 
 the discussion of the evolution of Negro Folk 
 284 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Rhymes. One can judge whether or not he has dis- 
 covered the correct line of descent of the Rhymes 
 by seeing whether or not he has all the connecting 
 links requisite to the line of evolution. I think it 
 must be agreed that I have given every type of con- 
 necting link between common Field "calls" and 
 "sponses," and incipient crude Negro Rhymes. They 
 set the mold for the other general Negro Rhymes 
 not hitherto discussed. 
 
 If the reader will be kind enough to apply the 
 test of connecting links to the Play and other 
 Rhymes already discussed, he will find that the reac- 
 tions will indicate that we have traced their correct 
 lines of origin and descent. 
 
 The spirit of "call" and "sponse" hovers ghost- 
 like over the very thought of many Negro Rhymes. 
 In "Jaybird," the first two lines of each stanza are a 
 call in thought, while the last two lines are a 
 "sponse" in thought to it. The same is true of 
 "He Is My Horse," "Stand Back, Black Man," 
 "Bob-White's Song," "Promises of Freedom," "The 
 Town and the Country Bird," and many others. 
 
 Then "call" and "sponse" looms up in the midst 
 
 in thought between stanza and stanza in many 
 
 Rhymes. Good examples are found in "The Great 
 
 Owl's Song," "Sheep and Goat," "The Snail's Re- 
 
 285 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 ply," "Let's Marry Courtship," "Shoo! Shoo!" 
 "When I Go to Marry," and many others. 
 
 "Call" and "sponse" even runs, at least in one 
 case, between whole Rhymes. "I Wouldn't Marry a 
 Black Girl" as a "call" has for its "sponse": "I 
 Wouldn't Marry a Yellow or a White Negro Girl." 
 The Rhyme "I'd Rather Be a Negro Than a Poor 
 White Man" is a "sponse" to an imaginary "call" 
 that the Negro is inferior by nature. 
 
 After some consideration, as compiler of the Ne- 
 gro Rhymes, I thought I ought to say something 
 of their rhyming system, but before doing this I 
 want to consider for a little the general structure 
 of a stanza in Negro Rhymes. 
 
 Of course there is no law, but the number of 
 lines in a stanza of English poetry is commonly a 
 multiple of two. The large majority of Negro 
 Rhymes follows this same rule, but, even in case of 
 these, the lines are so unsymmetrical that they make 
 but the faintest approach to the commonly accepted 
 standards. Then there are Rhymes with stanzas of 
 three lines and there are those with five, six, and 
 seven lines. This is because the imaginary music 
 measure is the unit of measurement instead of feet, 
 and the stanzas are all right so long as they run in 
 consonance with the laws governing music measures 
 286 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 and rhythm. In a tune like "Old Hundred" com- 
 monly used in churches as a Doxology, there are 
 four divisions in the music corresponding with the 
 four lines of the stanza. Each division is called, in 
 music, a Phrase. Two of these Phrases make a 
 Phrase Group and two Phrase Groups make a 
 Period. Now when one moves musically through a 
 Phrase Group his sense of rhythm is partially satis- 
 fled and when he has moved through a Period the 
 sense of Rhythm is entirely satisfied. 
 
 When one reads the three line stanzas of Negro 
 Folk Rhymes he passes through a music Period and 
 thus the stanza satisfies in its rhythm. Example : 
 
 "Bridle up er rat, 
 Saddle up er cat, 
 An' han' me down my big straw hat." 
 
 Here the first two lines are a Phrase each and 
 constitute together a Phrase Group. The third line 
 is made up of two Phrases, or a Phrase Group in 
 itself. Thus this third line along with the first two 
 makes a Music Period and the whole satisfies our 
 rhythmic sense though the lines are apparently odd. 
 In all Negro Rhymes, however odd in number and 
 however ragged may seem the lines, the music 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Phrases and Periods are there in such symmetry as to 
 satisfy our sense of rhythm. 
 
 I now turn attention to the rhyming of the lines 
 in Negro verse. The ordinary systems of rhyming as 
 set forth by our best authors will take in most Negro 
 Rhymes. Most of them are Adjacent and Inter- 
 woven Rhymes. There are five systems of rhyming 
 commonly used in the white man's poetry but the 
 Negro Rhyme has nine systems. Here again we find 
 a parallelism, as in case of music scales, etc. Five 
 in each system are the same. The ordinary com- 
 monly accepted systems are : 
 
 a] Where the adjacent lines rhyme by twos. We 
 a J call it "Adjacent rhymes" or a "Couplet." 
 
 Where the alternating lines rhyme we 
 call it "Alternate" or "Interwoven Rhyme." 
 
 Where lines I and 4, and 2 and 3 rhyme 
 [- respectively with each other. This is called 
 "Close Rhyme." 
 
 288 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Where in a stanza of four lines, lines 2 and 
 4 only rhyme. This is sometimes also called 
 "Alternate Rhyme." 
 
 a I Where in a stanza of four lines I, 2 and 4 
 b I" rhyme. This is called "Interrupted Rhyme." 
 aj 
 
 I now beg to offer a system of classification in 
 rhyming which will include all Negro Rhymes. I 
 shall insert the ordinary names in parenthesis along 
 with the new names wherever the system coin- 
 cides with the ordinary system for white men's 
 Rhymes. The only reason for not using the old 
 names exclusively in these places is that nomencla- 
 ture should be kept consistent in any proposed clas- 
 sification, so far as that is possible. 
 
 In classifying the rhyming of the lines or verses 
 I have borrowed terms from the gem world, 
 partly because the Negro hails from Africa, a land 
 of gems; and partly because the verses bear what- 
 ever beauty there might have been in his crude 
 crystalized thoughts in the dark days of his enslave- 
 ment. 
 
 289 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 I present herewith the outline and follow it with 
 explanations : 
 
 Class Systems 
 
 I Rhythmic Solitaire, (a) Rhythmic measured 
 
 lines 
 
 II Rhymed Doublet 
 
 III Rhyming Doublet 
 
 IV Rhymed Cluster 
 
 (a) Regular (Adjacent 
 
 Rhyme) 
 
 (b) Divided (Includes 
 
 Close Rhyme) 
 
 (c) Supplemented. 
 
 "(a) Regular (Includes 
 Alternate Rhyme) 
 (b) Inverted (Close 
 Rhyme) 
 
 (a) Regular 
 
 (b) Divided (Inter- 
 
 rupted Rhyme) 
 
 (c) Supplemented 
 
 / a Rhythmic Solitaire, Rhythmic measured 
 lines. In many Rhymes there is a rhythmic line 
 dropped in here and there that doesn't rhyme with 
 290 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 any other line. They are rhythmic like the other 
 lines and serve equally to fill out the music Phrases 
 and Periods. These are the Rhythmic Solitaires 
 and because of their solitaire nature it follows that 
 there is only one system. Examples are found in 
 the first line of each stanza of "Likes and Dislikes" ; 
 in the second line of each stanza of "Old Aunt 
 Kate;" in lines five and six of each stanza of "I'll 
 Wear Me a Cotton Dress," in lines three and four 
 of the "Sweet Pinks Kissing Song," etc. The 
 Rhythmic Solitaires do not seem to have been 
 largely used by Negroes for whole compositions. 
 Only one whole Rhyme in our collection is writ- 
 ten with Rhythmic Solitaires. That Rhyme is: 
 "Song to the Runaway Slave." This Rhyme is made 
 up of blank verse as measured by the white man's 
 standard. 
 
 // a. The Regular Rhymed Doublet. This is 
 the same as our common Adjacent Rhyme. There 
 are large numbers of Negro Rhymes which belong 
 to this system. The "Jaybird" is a good example. 
 
 // b. The Divided Rhymed Doublet. It in- 
 cludes Close Rhyme and there are many of this 
 system. In ordinary Close Rhyme one set of rhym- 
 ing lines (two in number) is separated by two inter- 
 vening lines, but this "Rhyming Couplet" in Ne- 
 291 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 gro Rhymes may be separated by three lines as in 
 "Bought Me a Wife," where the divided doublet 
 consists of lines 3 and 7. Then the Divided Rhymed 
 Doublet may be separated by only one line, as in 
 "Good-by, Wife," where the Doublet is found in 
 lines 5 and 7. 
 
 // c. The Supplemented Rhymed Doublet. It 
 is illustrated by "Juba" found in our collection. The 
 words "Juba! Juba!" found following the second 
 line of each stanza, are the supplement. I shall 
 take up the explanation of Supplemented Rhyme la- 
 ter, since the explanation goes with all Supplemented 
 Rhyme and not with the Doublet only. I consider 
 the Supplement one of the things peculiarly charac- 
 teristic of Negro Rhyme. The following stanza il- 
 lustrates such a Supplemented Doublet: 
 
 "Juba jump ! Juba sing ! 
 
 Juba cut dat Pidgeon's Wing! Juba! Juba" 
 Representing such a rhyming by letters we have 
 
 (a 
 
 (a-x 
 
 ///. The Rhyming Doublet. It is generally made 
 up of two consecutive lines not rhyming with each 
 other but so constructed that one of the lines will 
 rhyme with one line of another Doublet similarly 
 constructed and found in the same stanza. 
 292 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 /// a. The Regular Rhyming Doublet. It is the 
 same as our common interwoven rhyme and is very 
 common among Negro Rhymes. There is one pe- 
 culiar Interwoven Rhyme found in our collection ; it 
 is "Watermelon Preferred." In it the second Rhym- 
 ing Doublet is divided by a kind of parenthetic 
 Rhythmic Solitaire. 
 
 /// b. The Inverted Rhyming Doublet. It is the 
 same as our ordinary Close Rhyme. 
 
 The writer had expected to find the Supplemented 
 Rhyming Doublet among Negro Rhymes but pe- 
 culiarly enough it does not seem to exist. 
 
 IV a. The Regular Rhymed Cluster. It con- 
 sists of three consecutive lines in the same stanza 
 which rhyme. An example is found in "Bridle Up 
 a Rat," one of whose stanzas we have already 
 quoted. It is represented by the lettering (a 
 
 (a 
 (a 
 
 IV. b. The Divided Rhymed Cluster. It in- 
 cludes ordinary Interrupted Rhyme with the let- 
 tering (a An example is found in the Ebo or 
 (a Guinea Rhyme "Tree Frogs." 
 (b 
 (a 
 But in Negro Folk Rhymes two lines may divide the 
 
 293 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Rhymed Cluster instead of one. An example of this 
 is found in "Animal Fair," whose rhyming may 
 
 (a 
 
 be represented by the lettering (a 
 
 (b 
 (b 
 (a 
 
 IV c. The Supplemented Rhymed Clusters. They 
 are well represented in Negro Rhymes. Some have 
 a single supplement as in "Negroes Never Die," 
 
 (a 
 whose rhyming is lettered (a 
 
 (a-x 
 Some have double supplements as in "Frog Went a- 
 
 (a-x 
 Courting" whose rhyming is lettered (a 
 
 (a-x 
 
 Now Negroes did not retain, permanently, mean- 
 ingless words in their Rhymes. The Rhymes them- 
 selves were "calls" and had meaning. The 
 "sponses," such as "Holly Dink," "Jing-Jang," "Oh, 
 fare you well," " 'Tain't gwineter rain no more," 
 etc., that had no meaning, died year after year and 
 new "sponses" and songs came into existence. 
 
 Let us see what these permanently retained seem- 
 ingly senseless Supplements mean. 
 294 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 In "Frog Went a-Courting" we see the Sup- 
 plement "uh-huh! uh-huh!" It is placed in the 
 midst to keep vividly before the mind of the listener 
 the ardent singing of the frog in Spring during his 
 courtship season, while we hear a recounting of 
 his adventures. It is to this Simple Rhyme what 
 stage scenery is to the Shakespearian play or the 
 Wagnerian opera. It seems to me (however crude 
 his verse) that the Negro has here suggested some- 
 thing new to the field of poetry. He suggests that, 
 while one recounts a story or what not, he could to 
 advantage use words at the same time having no 
 bearing on the story to depict the surroundings 
 or settings of the production. The gifted Negro 
 poet, Paul Laurence Dunbar, has used the supple- 
 ment in this way in one of his poems. The poem is 
 called "A Negro Love Song." The little sentence, 
 "Jump back, Honey, jump back," is thrown in, in 
 the midst and at the end of each stanza. Explain- 
 ing it, the following is written by a friend, at the 
 heading of this poem : 
 
 "During the World's Fair he (Mr. Dunbar) 
 served for a short time as a hotel waiter. When the 
 Negroes were not busy they had a custom of con- 
 gregating and talking about their sweethearts. Then 
 a man with a tray would come along and, as the 
 295 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 dining-room was frequently crowded, he would say 
 when in need of passing room, 'Jump back, Honey, 
 jump back.' Out of the commonplace confidences, 
 he wove the musical little composition 'A Negro 
 Love Song.' " 
 
 Now, this line, "Jump back, Honey, jump back," 
 was used by Mr. Dunbar to recall and picture before 
 the mind the scurrying hotel waiter as he bragged 
 to his fellows of his sweetheart and told his tales 
 of adventure. It is the "stage scenery" method used 
 by the slave Negro verse maker. Mr. Dunbar uses 
 this style also in "A Lullaby," "Discovered," "Lil' 
 Gal" and "A Plea." Whether he used it knowingly 
 in all cases, or whether he instinctively sang in the 
 measured strains of his benighted ancestors, I do 
 not know. 
 
 The Supplement was used in another way in Ne- 
 gro Folk Dance Rhymes. I have already explained 
 how the Rhymes were used in a general way in 
 the Dance. Let us glance at the Dance Rhyme 
 "Juba" with its Supplement, "Juba! Juba!" to il- 
 lustrate this special use of the Supplement. "Juba" 
 itself was a kind of dance step. Now let us imag- 
 ine two dancers in a circle of men to be dancing 
 while the following lines are being patted and re- 
 peated : 
 
 296 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 "Juba Circle, raise de latch, 
 
 Juba dance dat Long Dog Scratch, Juba ! Juba!" 
 
 While this was being patted and repeated, the 
 dancers within the circle described a circle with 
 raised foot and ended doing a dance step called "Dog 
 Scratch." Then when the Supplement "Juba! 
 Juba!" was said the whole circle of men joined in 
 the dance step "Juba" for a few moments. Then 
 the next stanza would be repeated and patted with 
 the same general order of procedure. 
 
 The Supplement, then, in the Dance Rhyme was 
 used as the signal for all to join in the dance for a 
 while at intervals after they had witnessed the fin- 
 ished foot movements of their most skilled dancers. 
 
 The Supplement was used in a third way in Ne- 
 gro Rhymes. This is illustrated by the Rhyme, 
 "Anchor Line" where the Supplement is "Dinah." 
 This was a Play Song and was commonly used as 
 such, but the Negro boy often sang such a song to 
 his sweetheart, the Negro father to his child, etc. 
 When such songs were sung on other occasions than 
 the Play, the name of the person to whom it was 
 being sung was often substituted for the name Dinah. 
 Thus it would be sung 
 
 297 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 "Fse gwine out on de Anchor Line Mary," etc. 
 
 The Supplement then seems to have been used in 
 some cases to broaden the scope of direct application 
 of the Rhyme. 
 
 The last use of the Supplement to be mentioned 
 is closely related in its nature to the "stage scenery" 
 use already mentioned. This kind of Supplement 
 is used to depict the mental condition or attitude of 
 an individual passing through the experiences being 
 related. Good examples are found in "My First 
 and My Second Wife" where we have the Supple- 
 ments, "Now wusn't I sorrowful in mind," etc. ; and 
 in "Stinky Slave Owners" with its Supplements 
 "Eh-Eh!" "Sho-sho!" etc. 
 
 The Negro Rhymes here and there also have some 
 kind of little introductory word or line to each 
 stanza. I consider this also something peculiar to 
 Negro Rhyme. I have named these little introduc- 
 tory words or sentences the "Verse Crown." The 
 are receivers into which verses are set and serve as 
 dividing lines in the production. As the reader 
 knows, the portion of the ring which receives the 
 gems and sets them into a harmonious whole is 
 called the "Crown." Having borrowed the terms 
 Solitaire, Doublet, etc., for the verses, the name for 
 298 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 these introductory words and lines automatically be- 
 came "Verse Crown." 
 
 Just as I have figuratively termed the Supplements 
 in one place "stage scenery," so I may with equal 
 propriety term the "Verse Crown" the "rise" or the 
 "fall" of the stage curtain. They separate the lit- 
 tle Acts of the Rhymes into scenes. As an example 
 read the comic little Rhyme "I Walked the Roads." 
 The word "Well" to the first stanza marks the rais- 
 ing of the curtain and we see the ardent Negro boy 
 lover nonsensically prattling to the one of his fancy 
 about everything in creation until he is so tired that 
 he can scarcely stand erect. The curtain drops and 
 rises with the word "Den." In this, the second 
 scene, he finally gets around to the point where 
 he makes all manner of awkward protestations of 
 love. The hearer of the Rhyme is left laughing, 
 with a sort of satisfactory feeling that possibly he 
 succeeded in his suit and possibly he didn't. Among 
 the many examples of Rhymes where verse crowns 
 serve as curtains to divide the Acts into scenes may 
 be mentioned "I Wish I Was an Apple," "Rejected 
 by Eliza Jane," "Courtship," "Plaster," "The 
 Newly Weds," and "Four Runaway Negroes." 
 
 Though the stanzas in Negro Rhymes commonly 
 have just one kind of rhyming, in some cases as many 
 299 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 as three of the systems of rhyming are found in one 
 stanza. I venture to suggest the calling of those with 
 one system "Simple Rhymed Stanzas;" those with 
 two, "Complex Rhymed Stanzas;" those with more 
 than two "Complicated Complex Rhymed Stanzas." 
 
 I next call attention to the seeming parodies found 
 occasionally among Negro Rhymes. The words of 
 most Negro parodies are such that they are not fit 
 for print. We have recorded three: "He Paid 
 Me Seven," Parody on "Now I Lay Me Down to 
 Sleep," and Parody on "Reign, Master Jesus, 
 Reign." We can best explain the nature of the Ne- 
 gro Parody by taking that beautiful and touching 
 well-known Jubilee song, "Steal Away to Jesus" and 
 briefly recounting the story of its origin. Its his- 
 tory is well known. We hope the reader will not be 
 disappointed when we say that this song is a parody 
 in the sense in which Negroes composed and used 
 parodies. 
 
 The words around which the whole song ranges 
 itself are "Steal away to Jesus, I hain't got long to 
 stay here." Now the slave Negroes on the far away 
 plantations of the South occasionally met in the dead 
 of night in some secluded lonely spot for a religious 
 meeting even when they had been forbidden to do 
 so by their masters. So they made up this song, 
 300 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 "Steal away to Jesus, I hain't^ot long to stay here." 
 Late in the afternoons when the slaves on any plan- 
 tation sang it, it served as a notice to slaves on other 
 plantations that a secret religious meeting was to be 
 held that night at the place formerly mutually agreed 
 upon for meetings. 
 
 Now here is where the parody comes in under the 
 Negro standard: To the slave master the words 
 meant that his good, obedient slaves were only study- 
 ing how to be good and to get along peaceably, be- 
 cause they considered, after all, that their time upon 
 earth was short and not of much consequence; but 
 to the listening Negro it meant both a notification 
 of a meeting and slaves disobedient enough to go 
 where they wanted to go. To the listening master 
 it meant that the Negro was thinking of what a short 
 time it would be before he would die and leave the 
 earth, but to the listening slaves it meant that he 
 was thinking of how short a time it would be before 
 he left the cotton field for a pleasant religious meet- 
 ing. All these meanings were truly literally present 
 but the meaning apparent depended upon the view- 
 point of the listener. It was composed thus, so that 
 if the master suspected the viewpoint of the slave 
 hearers, the other viewpoint, intended for him,, might 
 be held out in strong relief. 
 301 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Now let us consider the parodies recorded in our 
 Collection. The Parody on the beautiful little child 
 prayer, "Now I lay me down to sleep" is but the 
 bitter protest from the heart of the woman who, 
 after putting the little white children piously re- 
 peating this child prayer, "Now I lay me down to 
 sleep," in their immaculate beds, herself retired to a 
 vermin infested cabin with no time left for cleaning 
 it. It was a tirade against the oppressor but the 
 comic, good-natured "It means nothing" was there 
 to be held up to those calling the one repeating it to 
 task. The parody on "Reign, Master Jesus, 
 Reign!" when heard by the Master meant only a 
 good natured jocular appeal to him for plenty 
 of meat and bread, but with the Negro it was a 
 scathing indictment of a Christian earthly master 
 who muzzled those who produced the food. "He 
 Paid Me Seven" is a mock at the white man for fail- 
 ing to practice his own religion but the clown mask 
 is there to be held up for safety to any who may see 
 the real side and take offense. 
 
 Slave parodies, then, are little Rhymes capable of 
 two distinct interpretations, both of which are true. 
 They were so composed that if a slave were accused 
 through one interpretation, he could and would 
 truthfully point out the other meaning to the accuser 
 and thus escape serious trouble. 
 302 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Under all the classes of Negro Rhymes, with the 
 exception of the one Marriage Ceremony Rhyme, 
 there were those which were sung and played on in- 
 struments. Since instrumental music called into ex- 
 istence some of the very best among Negro Rhymes 
 it seems as if a little ought to be said concerning the 
 Negro's instruments. Banjos and fiddles (violins) 
 were owned only limitedly by antebellum Negroes. 
 Those who owned them mastered them to such a de- 
 gree that the memory of their skill will long linger, 
 These instruments are familiar and need no discus- 
 sion. 
 
 Probably the Negro's most primitive instrument, 
 which he could call his very own, was "Quills." It 
 is mentioned in the story, "Brother Fox, Brother 
 Rabbit, and King Deer's Daughter" which I have al- 
 ready quoted at some length. If the reader will no- 
 tice in this story he will see, after the singing of 
 the first stanza by the rabbit and fox, a description 
 in these words, "Den de quills and de tr'angle, dey 
 come in, an' den Br'er Rabbit pursue on wid de call." 
 Here we have described in the Negro's own way the 
 long form of instrumental music composition which 
 we have hitherto discussed, and "quills" and 
 "tr 'angles" are given as the instruments. 
 
 In my early childhood I saw many sets of 
 "Quills." They were short reed pipes, closed at one 
 303 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 end, made from cane found in our Southern cane- 
 brakes. The reed pipes were made closed at one end 
 by being so cut that the bottom of each was a node of 
 the cane. These pipes were "whittled" square with 
 a jack knife and were then wedged into a wooden 
 frame, and the player blew them with his mouth. 
 The "quills," or reed pipes, were cut of such gradu- 
 ated lengths that they constituted the Negro's pe- 
 culiar music Scale. The music intervals though ap- 
 proximating those of the Caucasian scale were not 
 the same. At times, when in a reminiscent humor, 
 I hum to myself some little songs of my childhood. 
 On occasions, afterwards, I have "picked out" some 
 of the same tunes on the piano. When I have done 
 this I have always felt like giving its production on 
 the piano the same greeting that I gave a friend who 
 had once worn a full beard but had shaved. My 
 greeting was "Hello, friend A; I came near not 
 knowing you." 
 
 "Quills" were made in two sets. They were 
 known as a "Little Set of Quills" and a "Big Set 
 of Quills." There were five reeds in the Little 
 Set but I do not know how many there were in a 
 Big Set. I think there were more than twice as 
 many as in a Little Set. I have inserted a cut of a 
 Little Set of "Quills." (Figure I.) The fact that I 
 304 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 was in the class of "The Little Boy Who Couldn't 
 Count Seven" when I saw and handled quills makes 
 it necessary to explain how it comes that I am sure 
 of the number of "Quills" in a "Little Set." I re- 
 call the intricate tune that could be played only by 
 
 A LITTLE SET OF QUILLS 
 
 FIGURE I 
 
 the performer's putting in the lowest pitched note 
 with his voice. I am herewith presenting that tune, 
 and "blocking out" the voice note there are only five 
 notes left, thus I know there were five "Quills" in 
 the set. I thought a tune played on a "Big Set" 
 305 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 might be of interest and so I am giving one of those 
 also. If there be those who would laugh at the 
 crudity of "Quills" it might not be amiss to remem- 
 ber in justice to the inventors that "Quills" consti- 
 tute a pipe organ in its most rudimentary form. 
 
 TUNE PLAYED ON A LITTLE SET OF QUILLS 
 
 TUNE PLAYED ON A BIG SET OF QUILLS 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 
 
 
 gg 
 
 K - 
 
 L^n IS 
 
 *4^ 
 
 
 
 / 1 pj i 
 
 
 i 
 
 D.C.toft 
 
 J J I J ^=B 
 
 The "tr'angle" or triangle mentioned as the pther 
 primitive instrument used by the rabbit and fox in 
 serenading King Deer's family was only the U- 
 shaped iron clives which with its pin was used for 
 hitching horses to a plow. The ante-bellum Negro 
 often suspended this U-shaped clives by a string and 
 beat it with its pin along with the playing on 
 "Quills" much after the order that a drum is beaten. 
 These crude instruments produced music not of ua- 
 307 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 pleasant strain and inspired the production of some 
 of the best Negro Rhymes. 
 
 I would next consider for a little the origin of 
 the subject matter found in Negro Rhymes. When 
 the Negro sings "Master Is Six Feet One Way" or 
 "The Alabama Way" there is no question where the 
 subject matter came from. But when he sings of 
 animals, calling them all "Brother" or "Sister," and 
 "Bought Me a Wife," etc., the origin of the con- 
 ception and subject matter is not so clear. I now 
 come to the question: From whence came such 
 subject matter? 
 
 First of all, Mr. Joel Chandler Harris, in his 
 introduction to "Nights with Uncle Remus," has 
 shown that the Negro stories of our country have 
 counterparts in the Kaffir Tales of Africa. He 
 therefore leaves strong grounds for inference that 
 the American Negroes probably brought the dim out- 
 lines of their Br'er Rabbit stories along with them 
 when they came from Africa. I have already pointed 
 out that some of the Folk Rhymes belong to these 
 Br'er Rabbit stories. Since the origin of the sub- 
 ject mattei of one is the origin of the subject mat- 
 ter of the other, it follows that we are reason- 
 ably sure of the origin of such Folk Rhymes because 
 of the "counterpart" data presented by Mr. Harris. 
 
 308 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 But I have been fortunate enough recently to secure 
 direct evidence that one of the American Negro 
 stories recorded by Mr. Harris came from Africa. 
 
 While collecting our Rhymes, I asked Dr. C. C. 
 Fuller of the South African Mission, at Chikore, 
 Melsetter, Rhodesia, Africa, for an African Rhyme 
 in Chindau. I might add parenthetically: I have 
 never seen pictures of a cruder or more primitive 
 people than these people who speak Chindau. He 
 obtained and sent me the Rhyme "The Turkey 
 Buzzard" found in our Foreign Section. It was 
 given to him by the Reverend J. E. Hatch of the 
 South African General Mission. Along with this 
 rhyme came the following in his kind and obliging 
 letter: "We thought the story of how the Croco- 
 dile got its scaly skin might be of interest also" : 
 "Why the Crocodile Has a Hard, Scaly Skin." 
 "Long ago the Crocodile had a soft skin like that 
 of the other animals. He used to go far from the 
 rivers and catch animals and children and by so do- 
 ing annoyed the people very much. So one day when 
 he was far away from water, they surrounded him 
 and set the grass on fire on every side, so that he 
 could not escape to the river without passing 
 through the fire. The fire overtook him and 
 scorched and seared his back, so that from that day 
 309 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 his skin has been hard and scaly, and he no longer 
 goes far from the rivers." 
 
 This is about as literal an outline of the Ameri- 
 can Negro story "Why the Alligator's Back is 
 Rough" as one could have. The slight difference is 
 that the direct African version mixes people in with 
 the plot. This along with Mr. Harris's evidences 
 practically establishes the fact that the Negro ani- 
 mal story outlines came with the Negroes them- 
 selves from Africa and would also render it practi- 
 cally certain that many animal rhymes came in the 
 same way since these Rhymes in many cases accom- 
 pany the stories. 
 
 Then there are Rhymes, not animal Rhymes, 
 which seem to carry plainly in their thought con- 
 tent a probable African origin. In the Rhyme, 
 "Bought Me a Wife," there is not only the men- 
 tioning of buying a wife, but there is the setting 
 forth of feeding her along with guineas, chickens, 
 etc., out under a tree. Such a conception does not 
 fit in with American slave life but does fit into 
 widely prevailing conditions found in Africa. 
 
 Read the last stanza of "Ration Day," where the 
 
 slave sings of going after death to a land where there 
 
 are trees that bear fritters and where there are ponds 
 
 of honey. Surely there is nothing in America to 
 
 310 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 suggest such thoughts, but such thoughts might have 
 come from Africa where natives gather their fruit 
 from the bread tree and dip it into honey gathered 
 from the forests. 
 
 Read "When My Wife Dies." This is a Dance 
 Rhyme Song. When the Rhymer chants in seem- 
 ingly light vein in our hearing that he will simply 
 get another wife when his wife dies, we turn away 
 our faces in disgust, but we turn back almost 
 amazed when he announces in the immediately suc- 
 ceeding lines that his heart will sorrow when she is 
 gone because none better has been created among 
 women. The dance goes on and we almost see grim 
 Death himself smile as the Rhymer closes his Dance 
 Song with directions not to bury him deep, and to 
 put bread in his hand and molasses at his feet that 
 he may eat on the way to the "Promised Land." 
 
 If you had asked a Negro boy in the days gone by 
 what this Dance Rhyme Song meant, he would have 
 told you that he didn't know, that it was simply an 
 old song he had picked up from somewhere. Thus 
 he would go right along thoughtlessly singing or re- 
 peating and passing the Rhyme to others. The danc- 
 ing over the dead and the song which accompanied 
 it certainly had no place in American life. But do 
 you ask where there was such a place? Get Dr. 
 311 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 William H. Sheppard's "Presbyterian Pioneers in 
 Congo" and read on page 136 the author's descrip- 
 tion of the behavior of the Africans in Lukenga's 
 Land on the day following the death of one of their 
 fellow tribesmen. It reads in part as follows: "The 
 next day friends from neighboring villages joined 
 with these and in their best clothes danced all day. 
 These dances are to cheer up the bereaved family 
 and to run away evil spirits." Dr. Sheppard also 
 tells us that in one of the tribes in Africa where 
 he labored, a kind of funnel was pushed down into 
 the grave and down this funnel food was dropped 
 for the deceased to feed upon. I have heard from 
 other missionaries to other parts of Africa similar 
 accounts. The minute you suppose the Rhyme 
 "When My Wife Dies" to have had its origin in 
 Africa, the whole thought content is explained. Of 
 course the stanza concerning the pickling of the 
 bones in alcohol is probably of American origin but 
 I doubt not that the thought of the "key verses" 
 came from Africa. 
 
 These Rhymes whose thought content I have just 
 discussed I consider only illustrative of the many 
 Rhymes whose thought drift came from Africa. 
 
 Many of the Folk Rhymes fall under the heading 
 commonly denominated "Nature Rhymes." By ac- 
 312 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 tual count more than a hundred and fifty recorded 
 by the writer have something in their stanzas con- 
 cerning some animal. I do not think the makers of 
 these Rhymes were makers of Nature Rhymes in the 
 ordinary sense of the term. It would really be 
 more to the point to call them "Animal Rhymes" 
 instead of "Nature Rhymes." With the exception of 
 about a half dozen Rhymes which mention some kind 
 of tree or plant, all the other Rhymes with Nature 
 allusions pertain to animals. The Uncle Remus 
 stories recorded by Joel Chandler Harris are prac- 
 tically all animal stories. I have said in my fore- 
 going discussion that the Negro communed with Na- 
 ture and she gave him Rhymes for amusement. This 
 is true, but when we say "communed" we simply ex- 
 press a vague intangible something the existence of 
 which lives somewhere in a kind of mental fiction. 
 
 Though I was brought up with the Rhymes I 
 make no pretensions that I really know why so many 
 of them were made concerning the animal world. I 
 have heard no Negro tradition on this point. I have 
 thought much on it and I now beg the reader to 
 walk with me over the peculiar paths along which 
 my mind has swept in its search for the truth of 
 this mystery of Animal Rhyme. 
 
 Before the great American Civil War the Negro 
 313 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 slave preachers could not, as a class, read and they 
 were taught their Bible texts by white men, com- 
 monly their owners. The texts taught them em- 
 braced most of the central truths of our Bible. The 
 subjects upon which the ante-bellum Negro preached, 
 however, were comparatively few. Of course a very 
 few ante-bellum Negro preachers could read. In 
 case of these individuals their texts and subjects were 
 scarcely limited by the "lids" of the Bible. I heard 
 scores of these men preach in my childhood days. 
 
 The following subjects embrace about all those 
 known to the average of these slave preachers. 
 i. Joshua. 2. Samson. 3. The Ark. 4. Jacob. 5. 
 Pharaoh and Moses. 6. Daniel. 7. Ezekiel vision 
 of the valley of dry bones. 8. Judgment Day. 9. 
 Paul and Silas in jail. 10. Peter, n. John's vision 
 on the Isle of Patmos. 12. Jesus Christ his love 
 and his miracles. 13. "Servants, obey your Mas- 
 ters." 
 
 Now it is strange enough that the ignorant slave, 
 while adopting his Master's religious topics, refused 
 to adopt his hymns and proceeded to make his own 
 songs and to cluster all these songs in thought around 
 the Bible subjects with which he was acquainted. If 
 the reader will get nearly any copy of Jubilee Songs 
 he will find that the larger number group themselves 
 314 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 about Jesus Christ and the others cluster about 
 Moses, Daniel, Judgment Day, etc., subjects par- 
 tially known and handled by the preachers in their 
 sermons. There is just one exception. There is no 
 Jubilee Song on "Servants, obey your Masters." 
 We shall leave for the "feeble" imagination of the 
 reader the reason why. The Negroes practically left 
 out of their Jubilee Songs, Jeremiah, Job, Abraham, 
 Isaac, Solomon, Samuel, Ezra, Mark, Luke, John, 
 James, The Psalms, The Proverbs, etc., simply be- 
 cause these subjects did not fall among those taught 
 them as preaching subjects. 
 
 Now let us consider for a while the Negro's re- 
 ligion in Africa. Turning to Bettanny's "The 
 World's Religions" we learn the following facts 
 about aboriginal African worship. 
 
 The Bushmen worshiped a Caddis worm and an 
 antelope (a species of deer). The Damaras believed 
 tkat they and all living creatures descended from a 
 kind of tree and they worshiped that tree. The 
 Mulungu worshiped alligators and lion-shaped 
 idols. The Fantis considered snakes and many other 
 animals messengers of spirits-. The Dahomans wor- 
 shiped snakes, a silk tree, a poison tree and a kind 
 of ocean god whom they called Hu. 
 
 Now turning our attention to Negro Folk 
 315 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Rhymes we find them clustering around the animals 
 of aboriginal African Folk worship. The Negro 
 stories recorded by Mr. Harris center around these 
 animals also. In the Folk Rhyme "Walk Tom Wil- 
 son" our hero steps on an alligator. In "The Ark" 
 the lion almost breaks out of his enclosure of palings. 
 In one rhyme the snake is described as descended 
 from the Devil and then the Devil figures promi- 
 nently in many Rhymes. Then we have "Green 
 Oak Tree Rocky-o" answering to the tree worship. 
 
 I have placed in our collection of Rhymes a small 
 foreign section including African Rhymes. I have 
 recorded precious few but those few are enough 
 to show two things. ( i ) That the Negro of savage 
 Africa has the rhyme-making habit and probably 
 has always had it, and thus the American Negro 
 brought this habit with him to America. (2) That 
 a small handful from darkest Africa contains stanzas 
 on the owl, the frog, and the turkey buzzard just 
 like the American rhymes. 
 
 Knowing that the Negro made rhymes in Africa, 
 and knowing that he centered his Jubilee Song 
 words around his American Christian religion, is it 
 not reasonable to suppose that he centered his sec- 
 ular or African Rhymes around his African re- 
 ligion? He must have done so unless he changed 
 
 316 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 all his rhyme-making habits after coming to Amer- 
 ica, for he certainly clustered his American verse 
 largely around his religion. Assuming this to be 
 true the large amount of animal lore in Negro 
 rhyme and story is at once explained. 
 
 Possibly the greatest hindrance to one's coming 
 to this conclusion is the fact that the Rabbit and 
 some other animals- found in Negro rhyme and story 
 do not appear in the records among those wor- 
 shiped by aboriginal Africans. The known record 
 of the Africans' early religion covers only a very few 
 pages. Christians have not been willing to spend any 
 time to speak of in investigating the religions of the 
 primitive and the lowly. Thus if these animals were 
 widely worshiped it would not be strange if we 
 should never have heard of it. Let us consider 
 what is known, however. 
 
 Taking up the matter of the rabbit Mr. John 
 McBride, Jr., had a very fine and lengthy discus- 
 sion on "Br'er Rabbit in the Folk Tales of the Negro 
 and other Races" in The Sewanee Review, April, 
 1911. On page 201 of that journal's issue we find 
 these words: "Among the Hottentots, for example, 
 there is a story in which the hare appears in the 
 moon and of which several versions are extant. The 
 story goes that the moon sent the hare to the earth 
 317 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 to inform men that, as she died away and rose again, 
 so should all men die and again come to life," etc. 
 I drop the story here because so much of it suffices 
 my purpose. It brings out the fact that the Afri- 
 can here had probably truly considered the Rab- 
 bit as a messenger of the moon. Now the fact that 
 the Hottentots were thus talking in lore of receiv- 
 ing messages concerning immortality from the moon 
 means there must have been at least a time in their 
 history when they considered the Moon a kind of 
 super-being, a kind of god. 
 
 I quote again from Dr. Sheppard's "Presby- 
 terian Pioneers in Congo," page 113. "King Lu- 
 kenga offers up a sacrifice of a goat or lamb on 
 every new moon. The blood is sprinkled on a large 
 idol in his own fetich house, in the presence of all his 
 counselors. This sacrifice is for the healthfulness of 
 all the King's country, for the crops," etc. 
 
 I think after considering the foregoing one will see 
 that there are those of Africa who connect their wor- 
 ship with the moon. We learn also that there are 
 those who claim the rabbit to be the moon's mes- 
 senger. From this, if we should accept the theory 
 for Animal Rhymes advanced, we would easily see 
 why the rabbit as a messenger of a god or gods 
 would figure so largely in Rhyme and in story. We 
 
 318 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 also would easily see how and why as a messenger 
 of a god he would become "Brother Rabbit." If 
 one will read the little Rhyme "Jaybird" he will 
 notice that the rhymer places the intelligence of the 
 rabbit above his own. Our theory accounts for this. 
 
 I would next consider the frog, but I imagine I 
 hear the reader saying: "That is not a beginning. 
 How about your bear, terrapin, wolf, squirrel, etc. ?" 
 
 Seeing that I am faced by so large an array of 
 animals, I beg the reader to walk with me through 
 just one more little path of thought and with his 
 consent I shall leave the matter there. 
 
 We see, in two of our African Rhymes, lines on a 
 buzzard and an owl; yet these African natives do 
 not worship these birds. The American Negro chil- 
 dren of my childhood repeated Folk Rhymes con- 
 cerning the rabbit, the fox, etc., without any thought 
 whatever of worshiping them. These American 
 children had received the whole through dim tradi- 
 tional rhymes and stories and engaged in passing 
 them on to others without any special thought. The 
 uncivilized and the unlettered hand down everything 
 by word of mouth. Religion, trades, superstition, 
 medicine, sense, and nonsense all flow in the same 
 stream and from this stream all is drunk down with- 
 out question. If therefore the Negro's rhyme-clus- 
 319 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 tering habit in America was the same as it had ever 
 been and the centering of rhymes about animals is 
 due to a former worship of them in Africa, the 
 verses would include not only the animals worshiped 
 in modern Africa but in ancient Africa. The verses 
 would take in animals included in any accepted 
 African religion antedating the comparatively recent 
 religions found there. 
 
 The Bakuba tribe have a tradition of their origin. 
 Quoting from Dr. Sheppard's book again, page 114, 
 we have the following: "From all the information 
 I can gather, they (the Bakuba) migrated from the 
 far North, crossed rivers and settled on the high 
 table land." Here is one tradition, standing as a 
 guide post, with its hand pointing toward Egypt. A 
 one fact premise practically never forms a safe basis 
 for a conclusion, but when we couple this tradition 
 with the fact that, so far as we know, men origi- 
 nated in Southwest Asia and therefore probably 
 came into Africa by way of the Isthmus of Suez, I 
 think the case of the Bakuba hand pointing toward 
 a near Egyptian residence a strong one. Now turn 
 to your Encyclopedia Britannica, Vol. X, ninth edi- 
 tion, with American revisions and additions, to the 
 article on "Glass," page 647. Near the bottom of 
 the second column on that page we read: "The 
 320 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 Phoenicians probably derived this knowledge of the 
 art (of glass making) from Egypt. * * * It seems 
 probable that the earliest products of the industry of 
 Phoenicia in the art of glass making are the colored 
 beads which have been found in almost all parts 
 of Europe, in India, and other parts of Asia, and in 
 Africa. The "aggry" beads so much valued by the 
 Ashantees and other natives of that part of Africa 
 which lies near the Gold Coast, have probably the 
 same origin. * * * Their wide dispersion may be 
 referred with much probability to their having been 
 objects of barter between the Phoenician merchants 
 and the barbarous inhabitants of the various coun- 
 tries with which they traded." Here are evidences, 
 then, that the African in his prehistoric days traded 
 with somebody who bartered in beads of Phoenician 
 or Egyptian make. I say Egyptian or Phoenician 
 because if the Phoenicians got this art from the 
 Egyptians I think it would be very difficult for those 
 who lived thousands of years afterward to be sure in 
 which country a specific bead was made, the art as 
 practiced by one country being a kind of copy of the 
 art as practiced in the other country. With the his- 
 toric record that the Phoenicians were the great 
 traders of the Ancient World our writers attributed 
 the carrying of the beads into Africa, among the na- 
 321 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 tives, to the Phoenicians. Without questioning these 
 time-honored conclusions, we do know that Egyp- 
 tian caravans still make journeys into the interior of 
 Africa for the purpose of trade. Shall we think this 
 trading practice on the part of Egypt in Africa one 
 of recent origin or probably one that runs back 
 through the centuries? I see no reason for believ- 
 ing this trading custom to be other than an ancient 
 one. If the ancient Egyptians traded with the sur- 
 rounding Africans and these Africans gradually mi- 
 grated South, as is stated in the Bakuba tradition, 
 the whole matter of how all kinds of animals got 
 mixed into Negro Folk Rhymes by custom becomes 
 clear. It also will explain how animal worship got 
 scattered throughout Africa, for it is the unbroken 
 history of the world that traders of a race superior 
 in attainment always somehow manage to carry- 
 along their religion to the race inferior in attain- 
 ment. The religious emissaries generally follow 
 along in the wake of the traders. If w r e make the 
 assumption, on the foregoing grounds, that the very 
 ancient African Negro got in touch with the re- 
 ligion of Ancient Egypt, then the appearance of the 
 frog, birds, etc., in Negro Rhyme is explained, for if 
 we read the lists of animal gods of Ancient Egypt 
 and the animal states through which spirits were 
 322 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 supposed to pass, we have no trouble finding the list 
 of animals extolled in Negro rhyme and story. 
 
 If Negro Rhyme has always centered about Ne- 
 gro religion, then when the Negro was brought to 
 America and began changing his religion, he should 
 have had some songs or rhymes on the dividing line 
 between the old and the new. In other words, there 
 ought to be connecting links between "secular" Folk 
 Rhymes and Jubilee Songs, songs that by nature par- 
 take of both types. This must happen in order to be 
 in accord with the law of the presence of connecting 
 links where evolution produces a new type from an 
 old one. By using the procedure under Mendel's 
 law of mating like descendants from a cross between 
 two and by eliminating those who do not reproduce 
 constant to the type which we are trying to produce, 
 we can produce a new and constant type in the third 
 succeeding generation of descendants. 
 
 Now the Negro slave turned quickly in America 
 from heathenism to Christianity. This was accom- 
 plished through white Christians correcting and 
 criminating all thoughts and productions which 
 hovered on the border line between heathen ideals 
 and Christianity. They used the Mendelian proce- 
 dure of eliminating all crosses that did not give a 
 product with Christian characteristics and thui nec- 
 323 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 essarfly eliminated Rhymes or songs of the connect- 
 ing link type. They did a good thorough job but 
 the writer believes he sees two connecting links that 
 escaped their sensitive ears and sharp eyes. They 
 are Jubilee songs; one is "Keep inching along like a 
 poor inch worm, Jesus will come by-and-by," the 
 other is "Go chain the lion down before the Heaven 
 doors close." 
 
 The reader will recall that I have already shown 
 that the worm and the lion were connected with na- 
 tive African worship. Of course we all know quite 
 well that a "Caddis worm" is not an "Inch worm," 
 but for a man trying to turn from the old to the 
 new, from idolatry to Christianity, a closer relation 
 than this might not be very comfortable neutral 
 ground. 
 
 The following Folk Rhymes found in our collec- 
 tion might also pass for connecting links: "Jaw- 
 bone," "Outrunning the Devil," "How to Get to 
 Glory Land," "The Ark," "Destinies of Good and 
 Bad Children," "How to Keep or Kill the Devil," 
 "Ration Day," and "When My Wife Dies." The 
 superstitions of the Negro Rhymes are possibly only 
 fossils left in one way or another by ancient native 
 African worship. 
 
 In a few Rhymes the vice of stealing is either 
 324 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 laughed at, or apparently laughed at. Such Rhymes 
 carry on their face a strictly American slave origin. 
 An example is found in "Christmas Turkey." If 
 one asks how I know its origin to be American, the 
 answer is that the native African had no such thing 
 as Christmas and turkeys are indigenous to America. 
 In explanation of the origin of these "stealing" 
 Rhymes I would say that it was never the Negro 
 slave's viewpoint that his hard-earned productions 
 righteously belonged to another. His whole view- 
 point in all such cases, where he sang in this kind of 
 verse, is well summed up in the last two lines of this 
 little Rhyme itself : 
 
 "I tuck mysef to my tucky roos', 
 An' I brung my tucky home." 
 
 To the Negro it was his turkey. This was the 
 Negro slave view and accounts for the origin and 
 evolution of such verse. We leave to others a fair 
 discussion of the ethics and a righteous conclusion; 
 only asking them in fairness to conduct the discus- 
 sion in the light of slave conditions and slave sur- 
 roundings. 
 
 In a few of the Folk Rhymes one stanza will be 
 
 found to be longer than any of the others. Now as 
 
 to the origin of this, in the case of those sung whose 
 
 tunes I happen to know, the long stanza was used 
 
 325 
 
NEGRO FOLK RHYMES 
 
 as a kind of chorus, while the other stanzas were 
 used as song "verses." I therefore think this is 
 prohably true in all cases. The reader will note that 
 the long stanza is written first in many cases. This 
 is because the Negro habitually begins his song with 
 the Chorus, which is just the opposite to the cus- 
 tom of the Caucasian who begins his ordinary songs 
 with the verse. This appears then to be the possible 
 genesis of stanzas of unequal length. 
 
 I have written this little treatise on the use, origin, 
 and evolution of the Negro Rhyme with much hesi- 
 tation. I finally decided to do it only because I 
 thought a truthful statement of fact concerning 
 Negro Folk Rhymes might prove a help to those who 
 are expert investigators in the field of literature and 
 who are in search of the origin of all Folk literature 
 and finally of all literature. The Negro being the 
 last to come to the bright light of civilization has 
 given or probably will give the last crop of Folk 
 Rhymes. Human processes being largely the same, 
 I hope that my little personal knowledge of the 
 Negro Rhymes may help others in the other larger 
 literary fields. 
 
 I am hoping that it may help and I am penning 
 the last strokes to record my sincere desire that it 
 may in no way hinder. 
 
 326 
 
GENERAL INDEX 
 
 PART I 
 
 PAGE 
 
 A. B. C 154 
 
 Alabama Way, The 164 
 
 Anchor Line 87 
 
 Animal Attire 158 
 
 Animal Fair 159 
 
 Animal Persecutors 205 
 
 Ante-bellum Courtship Inquiry 135 
 
 Ante-bellum Marriage Proposal 137 
 
 Are You Careful 203 
 
 Ark, The 44 
 
 As I Went to Shiloh 13 
 
 Aspiration 159 
 
 Aunt Dinah Drunk 53 
 
 Aunt Jemima 107 
 
 Awful Harbingers 149 
 
 Baa! Baa! Black Sheep 27 
 
 Baby Wants Cherries 181 
 
 Bad Features 100 
 
 Banjo Picking, The 21 
 
 Bat ! Bat ! 202 
 
 Bed-bug 96 
 
 Bitter Lovers' Quarrel, A 127 
 
 Black-eyed Peas For Luck 200 
 
 Blessings 204 
 
 Blindfold Play Chant 73 
 
 Bob-White's Song 155 
 
 Bought Me a Wife 145 
 
 Brag and Boast 213 
 
 327 
 
GENERAL INDEX 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Bridle up a Rat 157 
 
 Bring on your Hot Corn 29 
 
 Brother Ben and Sister Sal 46 
 
 Buck and Berry 172 
 
 Buck-eyed Rabbit! Whoopee! 175 
 
 Budget, A 79 
 
 Bull Frog Put on the Soldier Clothes 20 
 
 Butterfly 182 
 
 Captain Coon 176 
 
 Captain Dime 5 
 
 Care in Bread-making 112 
 
 Caught by the Witch Play 74 
 
 Chicken in the Bread Tray 7 
 
 Chicken Pie 69 
 
 Children's Seating Rhyme 179 
 
 Christmas Turkey 98 
 
 Chuck Will's Widow Song 156 
 
 Clandestine Letter, A 136 
 
 Coffee Grows on White Folks' Trees 107 
 
 College Ox, The 112 
 
 Cooking Dinner 156 
 
 Cotton-eyed Joe 32 
 
 Courting Boy, The 141 
 
 Courtship 138 
 
 Cow Needs a Tail in Fly-time, The 35 
 
 Crooked Nose Jane 99 
 
 Crossing a Footlog 109 
 
 Crossing the River 6 
 
 Day's Happenings, A 125 
 
 Deedle Dumpling 171 
 
 Devilish Pigs 24 
 
 Destinies of Good and Bad Children 200 
 
 Destitute Former Slave Owners 97 
 
 Did You Feed My Cow? 78 
 
 Die in the Pig Pen Fighting 39 
 
 Dinah's Dinner Horn 18 
 
 Do I Love You ? 129 
 
 328 
 
GENERAL INDEX 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Does Money Talk? 113 
 
 Don't Ask Me Questions 63 
 
 Doodle Bug 174 
 
 Don't Sing before Breakfast 186 
 
 Don't Tell All You Know 214 
 
 Down in the Lonesome Garden 89 
 
 Drinking Razor Soup 211 
 
 Elephant, The 116 
 
 End of Ten Little Negroes, The 163 
 
 Fattening Frogs for Snakes 97 
 
 Fed From the Tree of Knowledge 212 
 
 Few Negroes by States, A 117 
 
 Fine Plaster, A 124 
 
 Fishing Simon 177 
 
 Flap-jacks 196 
 
 Forty-four 71 
 
 Four Runaway Negroes; Whence They Came 205 
 
 Fox and Geese 40 
 
 Fox and Geese Play 73 
 
 Fox and Rabbit Drinking Propositions in 
 
 Frightened Away from a Chicken Roost 95 
 
 Frog in a Mill (Guinea or Ebo Rhyme) 167 
 
 Frog Went a-Courting 190 
 
 From Slavery 162 
 
 Full Pocketbook, A 99 
 
 Getting Ten Negro Boys Together 184 
 
 Go to Bed 175 
 
 Going To Be Good Slaves 101 
 
 Goodbye Ring 171 
 
 Goodbye Wife 148 
 
 Gooseberry Wine 41 
 
 Goosie Gander Play Rhyme 75 
 
 Grasshopper Sense 169 
 
 Grasshopper Sitting on a Sweet Potato Vine 173 
 
 Gray and Black Horses 45 
 
 Great Owl's Song, The 151 
 
 329 
 
GENERAL INDEX 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Green Oak Tree! Rocky-o!.. 81 
 
 Guinea Gall 17 6 
 
 Half-way Doings 12 o 
 
 Ham Beats all Meat .* . . . 67 
 
 Harvest Song ^ 
 
 Hated Blackbird and Crow, The 183 
 
 Hawk and Chickens 185 
 
 Hawk and Chickens Play 74 
 
 Hawk and Buzzard 75 
 
 He Is My Horse 16 
 
 He Loves Sugar and Tea 84 
 
 He Paid Me Seven (Parody) 122 
 
 He Will Get Mr. Coon 28 
 
 Hearsay 114 
 
 Here Comes a Young Man Courting 85 
 
 Here I Stand 153 
 
 'Hoe Cake 49 
 
 How to Please a Preacher 117 
 
 How to Plant and Cultivate Seeds 208 
 
 How to Get to Glory Land <. 96 
 
 How to Keep or Kill The Devil 104 
 
 How to Make it Rain 101 
 
 Hunting Camp, The 43 
 
 am not Going to Hobo Any More 70 
 
 Am a 'Round Town Gentleman 108 
 
 Love Somebody 51 
 
 Walked the Roads 139 
 
 Went down the Road 50 
 
 Wish I Was an Appl*. 133 
 
 Would not Marry a Black Girl 56 
 
 Would not Marry A Yellow Or A White Negro 
 
 Girl 63 
 
 I'd rather Be a Negro than a Poor White Man 42 
 
 If You Frown 137 
 
 I'll Eat When I'm Hungry ,. . 114 
 
 I'll Get You, Rabbit 116 
 
 I'll Wear Me a Cotton Dress 118 
 
 330 
 
GENERAL INDEX 
 
 PAGE 
 
 In a Mulberry Tree 158 
 
 In a Rush , 183 
 
 In Seventy-six 178 
 
 Independent 209 
 
 Indian Flea 12 
 
 Invited to Take the Escort's Arm 135 
 
 It Is Hard to Love 132 
 
 Jack and Dinah Want Freedom 215 
 
 Jackson Put the Kettle On 17 
 
 Jawbone 12 
 
 Jaybird 14 
 
 Jaybird Died with the Whooping Cough 36 
 
 Joe and Malinda Jane 4 
 
 John Henry 105 
 
 Johnny Big-foot 93 
 
 Jonah's Band Party i 
 
 Judge Buzzard 16 
 
 Juba 9 
 
 Jump Jim Crow 13 
 
 Kept Busy 109 
 
 Kissing Song 82 
 
 Kneel on This Carpet 82 
 
 Last of Jack, The 149 
 
 Learn to Count 207 
 
 "Let's Marry" Courtship 138 
 
 Likes and Dislikes 76 
 
 Little Boy Who Couldn't Count Seven 160 
 
 Little Dogs 150 
 
 Little Negro Fly, The 199 
 
 Little Pickaninny, A 186 
 
 Little Red Hen 37 
 
 Little Rooster, The 29 
 
 Little Sister, Won't You Marry Me? 90 
 
 Little Sleeping Negroes 187 
 
 Looking for a Fight 118 
 
 331 
 
GENERAL INDEX 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Love Is Just a Thing of Fancy 2 
 
 Lovers' Goodnight 129 
 
 Mamma's Darling 188 
 
 Man of Words, A 208 
 
 Master is Six Feet One Way 40 
 
 Master Killed a Big Bull 126 
 
 Master's "Stolen" Coat, The 62 
 
 Me and my Lover 132 
 
 Miss Blodger 199 
 
 Miss Slippy Sloppy 100 
 
 Miss Terrapin and Miss Toad 162 
 
 Molly Cottontail 8 
 
 Mother Says I am Six Years Old 164 
 
 Mourning Slave Fiancees 129 
 
 Mudlog Pond 185 
 
 Mule's Kick, The 98 
 
 Mule, My 19 
 
 Mule's Nature, The 108 
 
 My Baby 180 
 
 My Dog, Cuff 150 
 
 My Fiddle 39 
 
 My First and my Second Wife 147 
 
 My Folks and your Folks 187 
 
 My Little Pig 157 
 
 My Speckled Hen 170 
 
 My Wonderful Travel 55 
 
 Mysterious Face-washing 174 
 
 Nashville Ladies, The 106 
 
 Negro and the Policeman, The 66 
 
 Negro Baker Man 154 
 
 Negroes Never Die 1 1 
 
 Negro Soldiers' Civil War Chant 115 
 
 Nesting 180 
 
 "Newly Weds," The 144 
 
 Nobody Looking 48 
 
 No Room to Poke Fun 99 
 
 332 
 
GENERAL INDEX 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Off from Richmond 15 
 
 Old Aunt Kate 179 
 
 Old Black Gnats, The 80 
 
 Old Gray Mink 33 
 
 Old Hen Cackled, The 50 
 
 Old Man Know-all 211 
 
 Old Molly Hare 22 
 
 Old Section Boss, The 64 
 
 Old Woman in the Hills, The 54 
 
 On Top of the Pot 10 
 
 Opossum Hunt, An 23 
 
 Our Old Mule 112 
 
 Outrunning the Devil 103 
 
 Origin of the Snake, The 165 
 
 Page's Geese 102 
 
 Parody He Paid Me Seven 122 
 
 Parody on "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep" 115 
 
 Parody on "Reign, Master Jesus! Reign!" 122 
 
 Paying Debts with Kicks 184 
 
 Peep Squirrel 78 
 
 Periwinkle 201 
 
 Pigtail 153 
 
 Plaster 60 
 
 'Possum up the Gum Stump 3 
 
 Precious Things 84 
 
 Presenting a Hat to Phoebe 140 
 
 Pretty Little Girl 172 
 
 Pretty Little Pink 127 
 
 Pretty Pair of Chickens, A 181 
 
 Pretty Polly Ann 142 
 
 Promises of Freedom 25 
 
 Push the Hog's Feet under the Bed 
 
 Rabbit Hash 203 
 
 Rabbit Soup 33 
 
 Raccoon and Opossum Fight 31 
 
 Race-starter's Rhyme, A 180 
 
 Raise a "Rucus" Tonight 90 
 
 333 
 
GENERAL INDEX 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Randsome Tantsome 202 
 
 Rascal, The 106 
 
 Ration Day 38 
 
 Rattler 46 
 
 Raw Head and Bloody Bones 174 
 
 Red-head Woodpecker 178 
 
 Rejected by Eliza Jane 134 
 
 Request to Sell, A 123 
 
 Roses Red 128 
 
 Run, Nigger ! Run ! 34 
 
 Sallie 87 
 
 Sam Is a Clever Fellow 15' 
 
 Sail Away, Ladies ! 20 
 
 Salt-rising Bread 83 
 
 Satan 93 
 
 Self-control 213 
 
 Sex Laugh 102 
 
 Shake the Persimmons Down 34 
 
 Sheep and Goat 17 
 
 Sheep Shell Corn 59 
 
 She Hugged Me and Kissed Me 131 
 
 Shoo! Shoo! i9 6 
 
 Short Letter, A 113 
 
 Sick Wife, A 55 
 
 Simon Slick's Mule 47 
 
 Slave Marriage Ceremony Supplement 143 
 
 Snail's Reply, The 170 
 
 Song to the Runaway Slave 88 
 
 Sparking or Courting 136 
 
 Speak Softly 214 
 
 Stand Back, Black Man 10 
 
 Stealing a Ride 188 
 
 Stick-a-ma-stew * 55 
 
 Still Water Runs Deep 214 
 
 Still Water Creek 2 
 
 Strange Brood, A 166 
 
 Strange Family, A 17* 
 
 Strange Old Woman, A 178 
 
 334 
 
GENERAL INDEX 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Strong Hands 167 
 
 Sugar Loaf Tea 81 
 
 Sugar in Coffee 30 
 
 Suze Ann 68 
 
 Susan Jane 77 
 
 Susie Girl 76 
 
 Sweet Pinks and Roses 92 
 
 Tails 5 
 
 Taking a Walk 183 
 
 Teaching Table Manners 197 
 
 Temperance Rhyme 209 
 
 That Hypocrite 210 
 
 "They Steal" Gossip no 
 
 This Sun is Hot IO 8 
 
 Thrifty Slave, The 94 
 
 Tongue, The 212 
 
 Too Much Watermelon 182 
 
 To Win a Yellow Girl 102 
 
 Town Bird and the Country Bird, The 166 
 
 Training the Boy 201 
 
 Tree Frogs (Guinea or Ebo Rhyme) 168 
 
 Turkey Funeral, A in 
 
 T-U-Turkey 6 
 
 Turtle's Song, The 30 
 
 Two Sick Negro Boys 173 
 
 Two Times One 121 
 
 Uncle Jerry Fants 109 
 
 Uncle Ned 61 
 
 Vinie 130 
 
 Walk, Talk, Chicken with your Head Pecked 4 
 
 Walk, Tom Wilson 68 
 
 Wanted : Cornbread and Coon 37 
 
 War is On, The 207 
 
 Washing Mamma's Dishes 189 
 
 Watermelon Preferred no 
 
 We'll Stick to the Hoe 123 
 
 We're "All the Go" 52 
 
 335 
 
GENERAL INDEX 
 
 PAGE 
 
 What Will We Do for Bacon? 185 
 
 When I Go to Marry 144 
 
 When I Was a Roustabout 145 
 
 When I Was a Little Boy 168 
 
 When My Wife Dies 26 
 
 Why Look at Me? 113 
 
 Why the Woodpecker's Head Is Red 203 
 
 Wild Hog Hunt 165 
 
 Wild Negro Bill 94 
 
 Willie Wee 189 
 
 Wind Bag, A 101 
 
 Wooing 140 
 
 Year of Jubilee 58 
 
 You Had Better Mind Master 126 
 
 You Have Made Me Weep 128 
 
 You Love your Girl ." 95 
 
 Young Master and Old Master 169 
 
 FOREIGN SECTION INDEX 
 
 African Rhymes 
 
 Byanswahn-Byanswahn 219 
 
 Near Waldo Teedo o mah nah mejai 216 
 
 Sai Boddeoh Sumpun Komo 218 
 
 The Frogs 220 
 
 The Turkey Buzzard 220 
 
 The Owl 217 
 
 Tuba Blay 217 
 
 A Philippine Island Rhyme 227 
 
 Trinidad Rhymes 
 
 A Tom Cat 226 
 
 Unbelle Marie Coolie 225 
 
 Jamaica Rhyme 
 
 Buscher Garden 222 
 
 Venezuelan Rhymes 
 
 A "Would-be" Immigrant 224 
 
 Game Contestants' Song 223 
 
 336 
 
GENERAL INDEX 
 PART II 
 
 PAGE 
 
 A Study in Negro Folk Rhymes 228 
 
 COMPARATIVE STUDY INDEX 
 Love Songs 
 
 Bitter Lovers' Quarrel ; One Side 127 
 
 Courting Boy, The 141 
 
 It Is Hard to Love 133 
 
 I Wish I Was an Apple 133 
 
 Lover's Good-night 129 
 
 Me and my Lover 132 
 
 Mourning Slave Fiancees 129 
 
 Pretty Polly Ann 142 
 
 Rejected by Eliza Jane 134 
 
 Roses Red 128 
 
 She Hugged Me and She Kissed Me 131 
 
 Vinie 130 
 
 Wooing 140 
 
 You Have Made Me Weep 128 
 
 You Love your Girl 95 
 
 Dance Songs 
 
 Ark, The 44 
 
 Aunt Dinah Drunk 53 
 
 Baa! Baa! Black Sheep 27 
 
 Banjo Picking 21 
 
 Brother Ben and Sister Sal 46 
 
 Bull Frog Put on the Soldier Clothes 20 
 
 Chicken Pie 69 
 
 Cotton-eyed Joe 32 
 
 Cow Needs a Tail in Fly-time, The 35 
 
 Devilish Pigs 24 
 
 Die in the Pig Pen Fighting 39 
 
 Dinah's Dinner Horn 18 
 
 Don't Ask Me Questions 63 
 
 337 
 
COMPARATIVE STUDY INDEX 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Forty-four 71 
 
 Fox and Geese 40 
 
 Gooseberry Wine 41 
 
 Gray and Black Horses 45 
 
 Ham Beats All Meat 67 
 
 He Is my Horse 16 
 
 Hoe Cake 49 
 
 am not Going to Hobo Any More 70 
 
 Love Somebody 51 
 
 Went down the Road 50 
 
 Would not Marry a Black Girl 56 
 
 Would not Marry a Yellow qr a White Negro Girl 63 
 
 Would rather Be a Negro than a Poor White Man 42 
 
 Jack and Dinah Want Freedom 215 
 
 Jaybird 14 
 
 Jaybird Died with the Whooping Cough 36 
 
 Little Red Hen 37 
 
 Little Rooster, The 29 
 
 Master is Six Feet One Way 40 
 
 Master's "Stolen Coat," The 62 
 
 My Fiddle 39 
 
 My Mule 19 
 
 My Wonderful Travel 55 
 
 Nobody Looking 48 
 
 Negro and the Policeman, The 66 
 
 Off from Richmond 15 
 
 Old Gray Mink 33 
 
 Old Hen Cackled, The 50 
 
 Old Molly Hare 22 
 
 Old Section Boss, The 64 
 
 Old Woman in the Hills, The 54 
 
 Opossum Hunt, An 23 
 
 Plaster 60 
 
 Promises of Freedom 25 
 
 'Possum up the Gum Stump 3 
 
 338 
 
COMPARATIVE STUDY INDEX 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Rabbit Soup 33 
 
 Raccoon and Opossum Fight 31 
 
 Ration Day 38 
 
 Rattler , 46 
 
 Run, Nigger ! Run ! 34 
 
 Sail Away, Ladies ! 20 
 
 Shake the Persimmons Down 34 
 
 Sheep Shell Corn 59 
 
 Sheep and Goat X7 
 
 Sick Wife, A 55 
 
 Simon Slick's Mule 47 
 
 Sugar in Coffee 30 
 
 Suze Ann 8 
 
 Uncle Ned 6x 
 
 Walk, Tom Wilson 68 
 
 Wanted : Cornbread and Coon 37 
 
 We Are "All the Go" 
 
 When My Wife Dies 26 
 
 Year of Jubilee ^ 58 
 
 Animal and Nature Lore 
 
 Animal Attire 158 
 
 Animal Fair 159 
 
 Animal Persecutors 205 
 
 Awful Harbingers 149 
 
 Bob- White's Song 155 
 
 Bridle Up a Rat 157 
 
 Buck and Berry 172 
 
 Buck-eyed Rabbit ! Whoopee ! 175 
 
 Chuck Will's Widow Song 156 
 
 Frog in a Mill 167 
 
 Frog Went a-Courting 190 
 
 Full Pocketbook, A 99 
 
 Great Owl's Song * 151 
 
 339 
 
COMPARATIVE STUDY INDEX 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Jaybird 14 
 
 Judge Buzzard 16 
 
 Last of Jack, The 149 
 
 Little Dogs 1 50 
 
 Man of Words, A 208 
 
 Miss Terrapin and Miss Toad 162 
 
 My Dog, Cuff 150 
 
 My Speckled Hen 170 
 
 Molly Cottontail 8 
 
 Old Molly Hare 22 
 
 Origin of the Snake, The 165 
 
 Snail's Reply, The 170 
 
 Strange Brood, A 166 
 
 Tails 5 
 
 Town Bird and the Country Bird, The 166 
 
 Turtle's Song, The 30 
 
 Why the Woodpecker's Head is Red 203 
 
 Nursery Rhymes 
 
 A. B. C 154 
 
 Alabama Way, The 164 
 
 Animal Fair 159 
 
 Are You Careful ? 203 
 
 Aspiration 159 
 
 Awful Harbingers 149 
 
 Baby Wants Cherries 181 
 
 Bat! Bat! 202 
 
 Black-eyed Peas for Luck 200 
 
 Blessings 204 
 
 Bob-White's Song 155 
 
 Bridle Up a Rat 157 
 
 Buck-eyed Rabbit! Whoopee! 175 
 
 Butterfly 182 
 
 Captain Coon 176 
 
 Children's Seating Rhyme 179 
 
 340 
 
COMPARATIVE STUDY INDEX 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Chuck Will's Widow Song 156 
 
 Cooking Dinner 1 5 6 
 
 Crossing the River 6 
 
 Deeddle Dumpling 171 
 
 Destinies of Good and Bad Children 200 
 
 Did You Feed My Cow ? 7 8 
 
 Doodle Bug 174 
 
 Don't Sing before Breakfast 186 
 
 End of Ten Little Negroes, The 163 
 
 Fishing Simon 177 
 
 Flap-jacks 196 
 
 Four Runaway Negroes; Whence They Came 205 
 
 From Slavery 162 
 
 Frog Went a-Courting 190 
 
 Getting Ten Negro Boys Together 184 
 
 Go to Bed 175 
 
 Goodbye Ring 171 
 
 Grasshopper Sitting on a Sweet Potato Vine 173 
 
 Grasshopper-Sense 169 
 
 Great Owl's Song, The 151 
 
 Guinea Gall 176 
 
 Hated Blackbird and Crow, The 183 
 
 Hawk and Chickens 185 
 
 Here I Stand 153 
 
 In a Mulberry Tree 158 
 
 In a Rush 183 
 
 In '76 178 
 
 Judge Buzzard 16 
 
 Little Boy Who Couldn't Count Seven 160 
 
 Little Dogs 150 
 
 Little Negro Fly, The 199 
 
 Little Pickaninny, A 186 
 
 Little Sleeping Negroes 187 
 
 Mamma's Darling 188 
 
 Miss Blodger , 199 
 
 341 
 
COMPARATIVE STUDY INDEX 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Miss Terrapin and Miss Toad 162 
 
 Mother Says I am Six Years Old 164 
 
 Mudlog Pond 185 
 
 My Baby 180 
 
 My Dog, Cuff 150 
 
 My Folks and your Folks 187 
 
 My Little Pig 157 
 
 My Speckled Hen 170 
 
 Mysterious Face-washing 174 
 
 Nesting 180 
 
 Negro Baker Man 154 
 
 Old Aunt Kate 179 
 
 Origin of the Snake, The 165 
 
 Paying Debts with Kicks 184 
 
 Periwinkle 201 
 
 Pig-tail 153 
 
 'Possum up the Gum Stump 3 
 
 Pretty Little Girl 172 
 
 Pretty Pair of Chickens, A 181 
 
 Rabbit Hash 203 
 
 Rabbit Soup 33 
 
 Race-Starter's Rhyme, A 1 80 
 
 Randsome Tantsome 202 
 
 Raw Head and Bloody Bones 174 
 
 Redhead Woodpecker 178 
 
 Sam is a Clever Fellow 151 
 
 Shoo ! Shoo ! 196 
 
 Stealing a Ride 188 
 
 Stick-a-ma-stew 155 
 
 Strange Family, A 171 
 
 Strange Old Woman, A 178 
 
 Strong Hands 167 
 
 Tails 5 
 
 Taking a Walk 183 
 
 Teaching Table Manners 197 
 
 Turtle's Song, The 30 
 
 342 
 
COMPARATIVE STUDY INDEX 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Too Much Watermelon 182 
 
 Training the Boy 201 
 
 Tree Frogs 168 
 
 Two Sick Negro Boys 173 
 
 Washing Mamma's Dishes 189 
 
 What Will We Do for Bacon? 185 
 
 Willie Wee 189 
 
 Wild Hog Hunt 165 
 
 You Had Better Mind Master 126 
 
 Young Master and Old Master 169 
 
 Charms and Superstitions 
 
 Bat! Bat! 202 
 
 Black-eyed Peas for Luck 200 
 
 Don't Sing before Breakfast 186 
 
 How to Make it Rain 101 
 
 Jaybird 14 
 
 My Speckled Hen 170 
 
 Molly Cottontail, or Graveyard Rabbit 8 
 
 Periwinkle 201 
 
 Speak Softly 214 
 
 Hunting Songs 
 
 Fox and Geese 40 
 
 He will Get Mr. Coon 28 
 
 Hunting Camp, The 43 
 
 Miss Slippy Sloppy 100 
 
 Opossum Hunt, An 23 
 
 Rattler 46 
 
 Drinking Songs 
 
 Aunt Dinah Drunk 53 
 
 Bring on your Hot Corn 29 
 
 Little Red Hen 37 
 
 Wise and Gnomic Sayings 
 
 Brag and Boast 213 
 
 Don't Tell All You Know 214 
 
 343 
 
COMPARATIVE STUDY INDEX 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Drinking Razor Soup 211 
 
 Fed from the Tree of Knowledge 212 
 
 How to Plant and Cultivate Seeds 208 
 
 Independent 209 
 
 Learn to Count 207 
 
 Man of Words, A 208 
 
 Old Man Know-all 211 
 
 Self-control 213 
 
 Speak Softly 214 
 
 Still Water Runs Deep 214 
 
 Temperance Rhyme 209 
 
 That Hypocrite 210 
 
 Tongue, The 212 
 
 War is On, The 207 
 
 Harvest Songs 
 Harvest Song 57 
 
 Biblical and Religious Themes 
 
 Ark, The 44 
 
 How to Keep or Kill the Devil 104 
 
 Jawbone 12 
 
 Jonah's Band i 
 
 Satan 93 
 
 Play Songs 
 
 Budget, A 79 
 
 Anchor Line 87 
 
 Did You Feed my Cow ? 78 
 
 Down in the Lonesome Garden 89 
 
 Green Oak Tree ! Rocky-o ! 81 
 
 Hawk and Buzzard 75 
 
 He Loves Sugar and Tea 84 
 
 Here Comes a Young Man Courting 85 
 
 Kissing Song 82 
 
 Kneel on This Carpet 82 
 
 Likes and Dislikes 76 
 
 Little Sister, Won't You Marry Me ? 90 
 
 Old Black Gnats, The 80 
 
 344 
 
COMPARATIVE STUDY INDEX 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Peep Squirrel 78 
 
 Precious Things 84 
 
 Raise a "Rucus" Tonight 90 
 
 Sallie 87 
 
 Salt-rising Bread 83 
 
 Song to the Runaway Slave 88 
 
 Sugar Loaf Tea 81 
 
 Susan Jane 77 
 
 Susie Girl 76 
 
 Sweet Pinks and Roses 92 
 
 Miscellaneous 
 
 Ante-bellum Courtship Inquiry 135 
 
 Ante-bellum Marriage Proposal 137 
 
 As I Went to Shiloh 13 
 
 Aunt Jemima 107 
 
 Bad Features 100 
 
 Bed-bug ; 96 
 
 Blindfold Play Chant 73 
 
 Bought Me a Wife 145 
 
 Captain Dime 5 
 
 Care in Bread-making 112 
 
 Caught by the Witch Play 74 
 
 Christmas Turkey 98 
 
 Clandestine Letter, A 136 
 
 Coffee Grows on White Folks' Trees 107 
 
 College Ox, The 112 
 
 Courtship 138 
 
 Crooked Nose Jane 99 
 
 Crossing a Footlog 109 
 
 Day's Happenings, A 125 
 
 Destitute Former Slave Owners 97 
 
 Do I Love You ? 129 
 
 Does Money Talk? 113 
 
 Elephant, The 116 
 
 Fattening Frogs for Snakes 97 
 
 Few Negroes by States, A 117 
 
 345 
 
COMPARATIVE STUDY INDEX 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Fine Plaster, A 124 
 
 Fox and Geese Play 73 
 
 Fox and Rabbit Drinking Proposition m 
 
 Frightened Away from a Chicken Roost 95 
 
 Going to be Good Slaves 101 
 
 Goodbye, Wife 148 
 
 Goosie Gander Play Rhyme 75 
 
 Half-way Doings 120 
 
 Hawk and Chickens Play 74 
 
 He Paid Me Seven (Parody) 122 
 
 Hearsay 114 
 
 How to Get to Glory Land 96 
 
 How to Please a Preacher 117 
 
 If You Frown 137 
 
 I'll Eat when I'm Hungry 114 
 
 I'll Get You, Rabbit 116 
 
 I'll Wear Me a Cotton Dress 118 
 
 I Am a 'Round Town Gentleman 108 
 
 Indian Flea 12 
 
 Invited to Take the Escort's Arm 135 
 
 I Walked the Road 139 
 
 Joe and Malinda Jane 4 
 
 John Henry 105 
 
 Johnny Big-foot 93 
 
 Juba 9 
 
 Jump Jim Crow 13 
 
 Kept Busy 109 
 
 Let's Marry Courtship 138 
 
 Looking for a Fight 118 
 
 Love is Just a Thing of Fancy 2 
 
 Mule's Kick, The 98 
 
 Mule's Nature, The 108 
 
 Negroes Never Die 1 1 
 
 Negro Soldier's Civil War Chant 115 
 
 346 
 
COMPARATIVE STUDY INDEX 
 
 PAGE 
 
 "Newly Weds," The 144 
 
 No Room to Poke Fun 99 
 
 On Top of the Pot 10 
 
 Our Old Mule 112 
 
 Outrunning the Devil 103 
 
 Page's Geese 102 
 
 Parody He Paid Me Seven 122 
 
 Parody on "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep" 115 
 
 Parody on "Reign, Master Jesus! Reign!" 122 
 
 Presenting a Hat to Phoebe 140 
 
 Pretty Little Pink 127 
 
 Rascal, The 106 
 
 Request to Sell, A 123 
 
 Sex Laugh 102 
 
 Short Letter, A 113 
 
 Slave Marriage Ceremony Supplement 143 
 
 Sparking or Courting 136 
 
 Stand Back, Black Man 10 
 
 Still Water Creek 2 
 
 "They Steal" Gossip no 
 
 This Sun is Hot 108 
 
 Thrifty Slave, The 94 
 
 To Win a Yellow Girl 102 
 
 Turkey Funeral m 
 
 T-U-Turkey 6 
 
 Two Times One , 121 
 
 Uncle Jerry Fants 109 
 
 Walk, Talk, Chicken With your Head Pecked.. 4 
 
 We'll Stick to the Hoe 123 
 
 When I Go to Marry 144 
 
 When I Was a Roustabout 145 
 
 Why Look at Me? 113 
 
 Wild Negro Bill 94 
 
 Wind Bag, A 101 
 
 347 
 
THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ 
 
 This book is due on the last DATE stamped below. 
 
 JAN 26 1972 
 JAN 2 4 RECT5 
 
 JAN 2 7 72 -7 PM -V 
 M 2 & 72 -5 PH 
 
 
 JAV 
 
 2 9 71 -2 PM 
 
 3 o 71 -4 P;I 
 
 50m-6, 
 
 a- 
 
 
 
 iOv T 8 u:73 
 
 APR 4 '85 
 
 MAY 1 1985 REC'D 
 
 DEC/ 
 
 APR 1 ft 1992 ' 
 
 : 30 1991 
 
 MAY06l99HtC'0 
 
PS595.N3T3 1922a 
 
 3 2106 00205 7302