Negro Folk Rhymes Part 24

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 yo' gal' an' say "Good-night."

If she don't kiss you, jes go on 'way; Hain't no need a-stayin' ontel nex' day.

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 b.u.t.ter 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 s.h.i.+ne, an' lakwise do tin.

De way I loves Vinie, it mus' be a sin.

Well, de cedar is green, an' so is de pine.

G.o.d bless you, Vinie! I wish you 'us mine.

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!"

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.

W'at 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' I'se got a heart, An' dat's de way dat big fuss start.

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 n.i.g.g.e.rs 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 n.i.g.g.e.r shouldn' git my gal W'en 'is time come to bake.

REJECTED BY ELIZA JANE

W'en 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.