The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-12-08
1.-The land OF flowere, e~opg-birds and


the land OF Howere, sopg-birds and
sunshine.
Just how q river, a narrow little
sand bottomed, blue-watered river,
that plays so small a part In the map
OF the United States as does the
Suwanee, could ever have become So
famous ia this wide world, does seem
strange when one ome to think OF it,
all because OF u mere song, save q
writer In Leslie's Weekly. But, after
all, 1t has q charm all it's own, and the
average visitor will fad, when he once
falls under its spell, that it will Iipger
with him with surprising tenacity,
grow upon him like The shadow OF
some mysterious fascination. No doubt
there was some such inspiration be
hind the lines:
Way down upon de S'wanee ribber,
Far, Tar away,
Oars whar my heart am turnin' ebber,
Oars wharde old folks stay.
Be that as it may, no such ideal pic
ture book songs as this are ever heard
On the Suwanee river In real life, un-
less 1t be, now and then, when some
resident OF this section chooses to hum
a few lines of this same song in q spirit
much the anne as that of the deacon
In church who says Amen" when the
preacher has flushed the morning
praycr-simply agreeing to what the
author of this immortal song has writ
ten.
But there are songs along the Su-
vance river that are characteristic
and unique in all their plaintive me-
lody, pathos and humor. The negroes
who are found at work along the river,
either on the little boats that haul
timber up and down from the mills or
phosphate from the mines, or out In the
lumber camps and fields along the
river bank, seem to be all given TO
song. They go about their work in
h morning with a song and sing all
the livelong day, grooming some plain
tive air in a monotonous fashion, or
else joining in a chorus where there
are several OF them, and making tho
woods around fairly r~everberate with
tho echoes Of their camp-meeting
hymns, such as this:
"Jes' look over yonder what l sec
Angels bid me ter come
See two angles calm at me-
Angels bid me ter come.
Rise an shine, mourner,
Rise an shine, mourner,
Rise an shine, mourner.
Fur de angels bid 'er me ter GOMEZ
How their rich, mellow voices do
melt away in the distance as they join
in this sweet old air, Ii how toe
plaintive strain seems to die away upon
the signing waters Of tho famed river
And when they get to the hOrus how
they swing around ct their work and
Dear down on the loud pedal of their
voices and throw the genuine old
jubilee vigor of camp-meeting times
into the song. If they are cutting logs
for the saw-mill nigh at hand they are
apt to swing their axes in full time
with the measure of the song, and this
gives it all the more interest and pecu'
liar charm.
One of the lively Jig songs" that
are often heard in the lumber and
phosphate camps along the Suwanee
river runs something like this:
"Jay-bird up de sugar tree,
Sparrow on de groun,'
Jay-bird shake de sugar down,
Sparrow pass hit eroun
Shoe, ladies, shoe,
Shoe, lodies, shoe,
Shoe, ladies, shoe my gal,
Pm boun' for Sugar Hill.
Five cents is my pocket change,
Ten cents is my bill;
Iftimes don git no bettah heah
I'm boun' for Sugar Hill"
Etc, etc.
The music to this song is much il
the fashion of the common Negro
songs, lively, yet full of pathos aut
p~laintive melody. There is that in al
negro songs that is plaintive, ever
their most cXasperating f~Oot-shakin.
and substituting Jig songs"
True, typical negro songs rarely V
show any particular effort at prepare
ton. They seem to just boil right on
of the darkies' heart and soul, ana i
by chance they manage to get a fairi,
good rhyme or jingle to them, it is b.
no special poetical painstaking on tn
part of the author, and, in fact, is o
but little consequence TO him.
Such are the sON2s that one hears Of
the Suwanee river, in these modern
days Of progress aud material develop
ment. Florida is a great field for tn,
promoter Of new enterprises now, am
the world of song among the darkie
Is pretty closely aligned with the ney
industrial world of de, elopment which
such men as Mr.. III. b. Plant, the rail
road and steamship magnatc, adorn
Under the touch Of such mems wand
Florida is rapidly becoming Il State @
railroads, manufactures and agricul
tural industries, and the old luxuriou
atmosphere Of sentiment and sons i
rising like mist from the region of tn
Suwanee river in the sunshine Of
BRIGHTER daY,