Litchfield enquirer., 1865-05-18
GoNTRABAND SONGS.
ErctsoEsier ,EREEpou AND sIAyERY4-sp1Rrriat Al ss HaAsssoE THE SEA IsLANDs-THE AMERICAN x PEAsANTRY. s.s aass.sx. E sssf. < st,s

1 while .eonseerated to the genius of slavery, has d0urished along with cotton, the staple of oul most popular music and the greater part of the original musical idea of America. Strange te Ito say, .sNinstrelsy and Slavery have been old EYokefellows and the. echo Of the, werk-a-das l slave. song has long haunted the ear. of the world, surviving flic rubbish of statesmanshir and other things more easily Forgotten thar | mhsieaamf wrong .sse sss g4sassea gsa4isgs F;, X One, of the, most musical Of these ditties, f Nellie was a Lady, improved by some north ern musician who had caught the idea during bis southern wanderings, has been the favorite Eof ageneration 1t is the dirge of B disconso ] late boatman on the Mississippi; - Way down de Mississippi footing, sa
 Long time 1 Itrabelled on de way g4s l'a All night de cotton wood |. totin', |.
 Sing for my true love allde day.sa i,
 Nelly was lady, '-.
 tsas Last night she died a se lAaT Toll de bell for lovely Nell, sa 3 ft egs H5 My, dark Virginia, bride. taes8 .sst E Every ear is acquainted with this beautiful dirge, as well as with the careless pathos of ss0h, Susannah,' the weary pIaint of The Old Kentucky Home and many other such com positions unnecessary to quote. but represent- ing the old sentimental school of negro min strelsY before the outbreak of the war. Even Dixie Land is an ancient negro song, and the tune of John Browns Body was 4 common one in the African churches South and North, to the old words ls hen my poor body lies a monldering in,y the grave. Transplapted to Kansas the hymn took it's present shnpe, and now it's strains ca De heard ih eyerv camp and in every free plantation Of the Sonth: J.
 John 'Brown's s body lies a a-moulds9fng in the John Brown's body lies a-mouldering in the
 grave,
 John Bfown's body lies a.nouldsri1g in the
 grave, sg8 fa 2 n But his soul is marching on. g bs sss5..z s PLANTATION BALLADS, xc. .ts1 s,3
 Those who doubt that the negro has the sbility to invent some of the sweetest songs which bear his character might he iBaDfnYed by < ~ieitT tv f5outir. CU1lpOserS m quest of themes for popular songs, and not scrnpu- lous to plagiarize, might gather fruitful sog- gestions and some whole ideas from fragments of miscellaneous songs floating about in the native negro minstrelsy of the South. A few who form, unjust notions of the musical gift. will be surprised that some of the best of these are nothing more thap. simple. sweet, unan- bilious ,plaints in. thesm minor key with very small tendency to variety or power, but much more genuine and characteristic than the popu- lar limitations. Others are quite, as wild and tame, alternately, as the negro song can only [admit a distinction which seems to have been made by the pious freedmenoft Sea Islands, who seldom or never sing what they call a fiddle song.' The Mississippi contraband, called Ole Shady Sis calledsa capital jubilee of this class .9Saiz rye got wife and I've got a baby, ss Way up North in Low Canady, Ia6fg8
 Won't dey smile when dey see Ole Shady,
 Comin', comin', ysgsag 2
 stt HaiIL mighty day. aslsaa fl Goodbye Massa' Jef-good bye Missus Ste,
 Ask phen, 4es 7ssiE9sa7'n
 'seuse dis nigger for takiu' hisasayin',
 Guess by-and- bye you'll see Ole Ably,
 Ell Comins, comiD'. aAaB9z VIZ. 5 For another very scampish and subtle ditty which may be denominated The Lady's Gar den," we are indebted te the .pote-book of a journalist ia MsASxafG
 Walk along, walk along. .ssa9ess Walk along, chalk along, h7esEsts Inide ladies' garden. -Rsa9atl o.e' Ben cusick layin' on the grauns. n de ladies' garden, Hasff9
 Oae eye peepin, up an t'other peepin down,
 Insde ladies' garden storr back, storr back, gemmen, lnsde ladies' garden etSaaessa
 stoff back, stofr back. gemnae6a, s?ss
 And Jet de ladies walk. ssssN T. This was common banjo song in, the re- gion, round New Orleans. saSter back it wiIlbe apprehended, is the negro laborer's term l for fall back. saE 1sEso9
 1 The black hrenen of Savannah;are erllineDtiy happy in the nun6ber and spirit of their songs Theyhaye, perhaps, g hundred by heart, which they chorus upon parade days aud at fires, oi
 ~ ss s " z5sssaE
 | eg5 sHEAvE AWAy.1a9 d5TaE ] A Heave aMay-heave awsy!u yi3
 never loved sswhite gal, an hepea never ~Ss Heave ayay-heave away lsadg
 lpd.rather-courta . chambermaids than work for fs Henry Clay, as44gW i Hsave away-ayay! Heavetaway-raway se Yallosgal, want taseasstaa B: Heave avay-heave away De 4captain's oni&de quarter. dect wid de SPY l glass in his hand, De ladies il, de cahiIf, and trouble in de mind,
 Heave away-away- Heave away-away! 3sasaaa sadYaalo,g gA, Iwan'ttoagodi EA Iss.T following steambeat song has the char Iaeter sofan air Hithsa faint stoueh ef sweet 1se eess s ssag gsHosr aalos .g ! S F AaW CYntbey, am bound avay,g uss syf,9 f xt Bound aHay to .Florfdat .s lav5sxa Gynthey,aI an bound awaysilsn x n Elaaa nenlt q a you say dis boat won't go'ii E
 oynthey. Iamsboand aWsyassssa 9ai e,;..a Prsttiest gal in YamacraEiaaS aJ
 Cynthey, am bound away. a,; U .ass lIawnse9 PreSfiest gal Tiessr saW pses'a Ss < ss1 haiasaa aas Bound a aNAys hosnd asaH ete's sa. Es5;G Gqliops assii msy eesm,s thes Savannah hre men have q John Brown song, old as the mar .I tyrdom at Harper's Ferry. From the iudi Ierona juMbfe in which it was disgplsed, here t fA fragment of eafndeesf meaning 4 Old John Brown, come down, sse's' s's4 \ ' Come down. s~r =. <. El come dpwa;to HdfFerss Ferry
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