The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-12-29
ROUSTABOUTS SONGS.
VOCAL MUSIC ON BOAT AND lEvEE
At NEW ORLEANS

Pathetic strains-Ouaint Verse and
Song.
The last bale of cotton having been rolled
On Loard with many n "heave hoi" from the
iarl-y crew, the happicst hour in the inn
pIovident, devil-may-care existence of tho
Mississippi river roustabout is at hand.
Roasting on railing, rope coils and cotton
bales on the rear deck like a convention of
tilapidated scnrecrows, they are waiting to
respond to the farewell songs Of friends :-nd
sweethearts conSregated on the levee-
Farewell, broders, If yo's gwine TO to go,
Wen weep 70 to see yo' face once mo-"
walls out dusly maiden ON the shore, and
ION de hbee by the ribber side
roll the united voices
I've left my girl in New Orleans,
Fo she is young, jes in har teens"
trills n thin tenor from the deck and again
ION de lebee by de riber side
swells the refrain:
Ducks play guards an chickens drinks wine,
An dc monkey grow on de grape vine.
Con sta ch pudding and tapioca pie,
Oh. de- gray cat pick out the brack cats eye"
thrillingly announces the heavy bass, while
the dual crowd breaks into united rhythmi-
cal sway at the rousing refrain:
walk that, Loo, o Miss Loo!
An. all, all hcnh we go.
70 We an sysine 10 10 leabe you, good-by, good
Fo' we an Swine 70 to Ieabe you, gcod-by Liza
Jane"
The echo scarcely dies away when a rival
songster on the shore begins:
Monkey dr-ss' in soldier close;
All cross oocr 10 JordanI
Went out IN de woods To- to drill de crowd.
o! Ja-ruSsl-tcm.
Jay bird Ole hickory limb;
All cross obar To Jordan,
up will rock and hit him on de chin;
%! Ja-rusa-lemr'
And then the excited crowd sweeps with
wild enthusiasm into:
''shinc on, Shine on! All cross ober to Jordan!
Then shine on. Shine on! q Ja-ru "A lem!'
Next n woEan's figure breaks out from the
levee crowd with waving arms and swaying
body and proclaims in Il ringing treble:
''oh, long TO to reach dat heavenly sho'
To meet oil Peter stan'in' ut de do.
He say To me, %! how you dos
Come sit right yonder in tie goren pew
Fo' dc goo'l coiod people do go cah froo
To dip in de goIen sea-"
And the sympathetic brethren swells the
melodious
Den dip me! bave mel
Sisters, you and me-
Come git in de boat fo' we nj gvine TO float
70 TO dip in de goren sea.
This is evidently a favorite air and tsle
throng becomes frantic with enthusiasm a. il
repeats it with many a quaint stanza An
ecstatic sister takes M the burden again with
Good Mr.. Jesus a sitting in de prov,
Come all 20 nil,gahs make yo' bow.
oh! look down ON de world below
An watch dem white trash shubbln snow,
While angel fishes da nip my toe
While dip in de Sol'en seal
Then the responsive chorus swells out, and
again the baSso profundo of the crew deter
mines the sisters shall not have a monopoly
of the solo parts, so he breaks in and crush
ingly refers to the erratic mother of them
Oh, Adam he was fus built man.
OATS jis' what de Good Book say;
And Ebe come mex. den sin began,
OATS js' what lie Good Book say.
Ebe bit de appl, right i'll two,
wicked fling 70 Ebe to do;
Yes. OATS what de Good Book say
But his effort to silence them is futile, for
they join with him iii undated Gusto i'll
OATS is what de Good Book say. it am;
Yes. dat's what de Good Book say;
Jcs' read it froo, yo;i'll lind it true,
Fo dats what de Good Book say.
Another biblical expounder is quick at
hand to continue the song:
Dab wah man, he name wah Lot,
OATS jis' what dc Good Book say;
An he hah q wife an daughter got,
OATS jis' what de Good Book say.
He wife she balk an make u halt,
An de Lord he turn hah into salt;
Oh. dats what de Good Book say,
But the swaying, time beating crowd on
shore is now fast receding from view, and the
boats many voiced crew unites with heart
stirring earnestness III:
! Use gwine rom de cotton fields, Ise f,wine rom
de cane,
de lan,;
De boat am in de riber dat comes to take me of,
An Iss lwine To iiae lie exodus, and strike out
70 de- no'f
And afar over the moonlit waters faint
notes of weird melodies came floating like a
distant echo Of this pathetic strain. Chicago
Herald.