Poems |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
a-fishin acrost afore ag'in ain't alluz aroun arter banjo behin berry blessin bout boys Brudder CHRISTMAS-NIGHT cotch cotton dance Dar's dat's debbil deir Dere dey's ebery ebry feller fiddle folks fotch fust gemmen GRAVES IN EDINBRO half-way doin's heah heap heerd heered I's a-gwine IRWIN RUSSELL Jarsey kyarts jine Jones keep LARRY'S leetle lookin Mahsr Henry Mahsr John Marster mighty nebber NEBUCHADNEZZAR nigger night NINE GRAVES Noah nuffin ooman pardners Patrick de Wachtamrhein play POLYPHONE Profissorr MacShane QUARTERS rattle ribber roun runnin s'pose Scroggs sexton singin Sir Mortimer skacely skeered somefin soul spect spile talkin tell thee thim Thomas Green thou tic'lar toime troo tune UNCLE Untel Virginny we's whar what's whut widout wuz comin you's gwine Young Patrick
Popular passages
Page 5 - Mahsr! let dis gath'rin' fin' a blessin' in yo' sight! Don't jedge us hard fur what we does — you knows it's Chrismus night ; An' all de balance ob de yeah we does as right's we kin. Ef dancin's wrong, O Mahsr! let de time excuse de sin! We labors in de vineya'd, wukin...
Page 13 - An' soon he had a banjo made — de fust dat wuz invented. He wet de ledder, stretched it on; made bridge an...
Page 14 - Nebber min' de wedder," — She soun' like forty-lebben bands a-playin' all togedder; Some went to pattin'; some to dancin': Noah called de figgers; An' Ham he sot an' knocked de tune, de happiest ob niggers! Now, sence dat time — it's mighty strange — dere's not de slightes' showin' Ob any ha'r at all upon de 'possum's tail a-growin'; An' curi's, too, dat nigger's ways: his people nebber los' 'em — Fur whar you finds de nigger — dar's de banjo an
Page 16 - I's a-holdin' ob de lines. You better stop dat prancin', You's paw'ful fond ob dancin', But I'll bet my yeah's advancin' Dat I'll cure you ob yo' shines. Look heah, mule! Better min' out; Fus' t'ing you know you'll fin' out How quick I'll wear dis line out On your ugly, stubbo'n back. You needn't try to steal up; An' lif ' dat precious heel up ; You's got to plough dis fiel' up, You has, sah, fur a fac'.
Page 44 - twas a caution, when he went to take a ride, To see him in de kerridge, wid ol' Mistis by his side — Mulatter Bill a-dribin', an' a nigger on behin', An' two Kaintucky hosses tuk 'em tearin
Page 3 - De pollytishners haulin' — Sh'u'd be a well-bruk ox, To foller dat ar callin' — An' sometimes nuffin won't do dem steers, But what dey mus' be stallin' ! Woo bahgh! Buck-kannon! Yes, sah, Sometimes dey will be stickin': An' den, fus' thing dey knows, Dey takes a rale good lickin'. De folks gits down an' den watch out For hommerin' an
Page 10 - ... and hounds; Dance after dance succeeding fast, Till supper is announced at last. That scene — but why attempt to show it? The most inventive modern poet, In fine new words whose hope and trust is, Could form no phrase to do it justice ! When supper ends — that is not soon — The...
Page 84 - ... Attorney made a thrilling speech, in which he told the jury that if they didn't find for the State he reckoned he'd have to "walk their logs;
Page 6 - pendin' 'pon de sperrit what we goes an' does it in; An' in a righchis frame ob min' we's gwine to dance an' sing, A-feelin' like King David, when he cut de pigeon-wing. It seems to me — indeed it do — I mebbe mout be wrong — That people raly ought to dance, when Chrismus comes along; Des dance bekase dey's happy — like de birds hops in de trees, 267 American Negro Slavery De pine-top fiddle soundin' to de blowin' ob de breeze. We has no ark to dance afore, like Isrul's prophet king; We has...
Page 7 - cordin' to de gif's we has we does de bes' we knows, An' folks don't 'spise de vi'let-flower bekase it ain't de rose. You bless us, please, sah, eben ef we's doin' wrong to-night; Kase den we'll need de blessin' more'n ef we's doin' right; An' let de blessin' stay wid us, untel we comes to die, An' goes to keep our Chrismus wid dem sheriffs in de sky!