Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1886-05-08
The Sweet Melodies Of the Past.

Oars no more wurk ter poor old Ned;
He's gone whar de good darkies go.
And then there's that happy old negro
minstrel song which we first heard as
boy, sung by the amateur minstrel corps
OF cambridge, led by that genial soul,
now Postmaster and .editor of the Balm.
bridge Democrat, Belf Russell
About all the words to the song
were:
Pickyune err Butler am er comm and Ell
comm;
Pickyune er Butler am er comm to dc
town.
The melody was quick and spirited
and before every chorus, Ben, who
was the leader, delivered spoken
part.
And at the clog rollin'" we heard the
happy negroes sing:A
Oh, stump Tony,
Down below,
l knowed yer raisin,
Down below,
Yer daddy name Tony,
Down below
Yer mamma named Indy,
Down below,
Yer raised in de backwoods,
Down below,
Yer raised on literd knots,
Down below.
And so on, and so on, the leader sing
Ing the lines and the balance of the crowd
joining in the chorus.
But ah what a sweet old song is that
we heard many time float up to the big
house from the "quarters after supper
and frequently after we went to bed:
Down in dat cornfield,
Yer hear that mornful SCUM,
All de darkies AM er weepin,
Old Massa's in dc cold cold groun'.
Massa dubbed dem darkies dearly,
And de darkics dubbed him,
Now he's gone away and left dem,
Dell neber see his smilin face agin.
Down in dat cornfcld etc.
And there was another sweet and plain
tive song, "Old Jesse" 1t was sung by
a now sainted sister, with whom it was
a great favorite.
Ono Of the verses ran thus:
Old Jesses hair was gray and long,
Like de moss upon the tree;
His tooiIie5 would drop out er de old
jawbone,
But soon he will be free.
CHORUS:
Den pity poor old jesse an wipe dat teal
drop from your eye.
Old Jessc's goin' ter leeb us now,
An in der groun' ter lie.
Among the songs that has never grown
| old with us is that of my Dear Old
Cabin Home" We have heard It since
| childhood but more then than we do
now. 1t was once great favorite with
vocal Serenaders:
am going far away, far away ter leeh
you now,
To the Mississippi Riber am goin'.
I'll take the old banjo an I'll sing yer Ell
little song,
Way down in my old cabin home.
CHORUS:
Here lies my old cabin home,
Here lies my sister an my brudder
Here lies my wife, she's the Joy Of my
life
An de child in de grave wild its
mother.
Old age am comm on and my hair an
tur ing gray,
And I'll hang up de banjo all along,
And Wen sit by dc fire an we'll pass dc
time away,
Way down in IN" old cabin home.
CHORUS:
Here lies me oI6 cabin home, etc.
There is nothing better in music thar
a full chorus ofvoices singing this CRANE
old song.
And that song the negro banjois
used to sing:
Eff had scoldin' wife,
Whip 'er shores yer born,
TEX or down to New Orleans,
Trade 'er off fer corn,
Trade 'er off fer corn,
Trade 'er off fer corn.
Wish I was in Alabam,
Sittin' in a big arm cheer,
Great big boka by my side,
An er whoopin' ter my dear,
Err whoopin' ter my dear,
En- whoopin' ter my dear,
En- whoopin' ter my dear.
And that jump son.
of the little negro before the cabil
door:
Wheel about, turn about,
Do jess so;
Ebery time l wheel about
jump jim crow.
These melodious reflections carry u
back to the good old days of childhood
when we felt as free as bird and a.
, happy as a sunshiny disqualification
(Ga.) Era.
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