Negro Folk Rhymes Part 40

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 [49]donkey cain't count ten.

[49] The somewhat less dignified term was more commonly used.

SPEAK SOFTLY

"Wus dat you spoke, Or a fence rail broke?"

Br'er Rabbit say to de Jay [50]W'en you don't speak sof', Yo' baits comes off; An' de fish jes swim away.

[50] The last three lines of the rhyme was a superst.i.tion current among antebellum Negroes.

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.

DON'T TELL ALL YOU KNOW

Keep dis in min', an' all 'll go right; As on yo' way you goes; Be sh.o.r.e you knows 'bout all you tells, But don't tell all you knows.

[51]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 [52]river a-floatin' in a tub.

Dem [53]Patterollers give 'im a mighty close rub.

Dar is ole Uncle Billy, he's a mighty good n.i.g.g.e.r.

He tote all de news to Mosser a little bigger.

When you tells Uncle Billy, you wants free fer a fac'; De nex' day de hide drap off'n yo' back.

[51] 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 surroundings whom the stanza being repeated might represent. Thus this little rhyme was the scientific dividing, on the part of the Negroes themselves, of the members of their race into three general cla.s.ses with respect to the matter of Freedom.

[52] The Ohio River.

[53] White guards who caught and kept slaves at the master's home.

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 contributed by Mr. John H. Zeigler, Monrovia, Liberia, and Mr. C. T. Wardoh of the Ba.s.sa Tribe, Liberia. They are natives and are now in America for collegiate 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.

_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.