The record-union., 1898-03-01
OLD-TIME PLANTATION SONGS
Some Of the Original Melodies Sung
"Befo' De Wah."

/ listening to the quaint songs of an cid
gray headed negro on my grandfather s
| farm, as he would rasp the screeching
/ chords in accompaniment on his banjo.
! When he would sing he would get a
! humminG start with the chords, and
| begin with long drawn out note, rear
way back, pat his feet and shake his
| old gray head. He enjoyed singing and
l enjoyed listening. l would take him
! little pieces of colored paper and all The
colored glass | could find to get him
10 sing for me and to repeat the far
famed verse of alliteration: Did you
ever see a possum in a pawpaw patch,
apickin' up pawpaws and a putin
EN- IN his pocket to make pawpa "
pie for his papa" This was the JOY CT
his life. and it never grew old or tire
some 10 him to repeat il.
Nose was his name, and not lone,
since l concluded to pay him visit and
to hear again the songs l had so On
joyed when a child. l found his cabin,
and he was at home, being unable TO
get about much. / shook hands with
the honest old negro and sat down The
| light which came into his face showed
how welcome / was, and We had a long
talk.
Finally l asked him to take the dusty
banjo from the wall and give me a
few strains of Niger Foot in Ashes
at lively clip. He Gid as l asked, AMI
the old-time vigor came upon nin
again After playing a while, ! asked
him to sing me the corn-shucking song
the ''nisgers' used to sing while they
danced the IRA bbit dance" after the
| corn was all husked and the white
folks" had gone to bed. He was in
fine spirits, and with his head way
back on his chair and his feet extend
ed TO keep time with the banjo, he
sang:
Early one morning on my massa's farm,
cut DAT pigeon wing, Lily Jane
| heard dem chickens a-givin' de alarm,
Shake 20 feet, Miss Lily Jane.
Shake yo' feet ,niggers. it'll soon be day,
Shoot along lively, Miss Lily Jane;
Massa ketch US dancin', therell be - TO
pay,
We got to dig 'taiters and hoe dat corn,
Hit dat double-shuti1e, Lily Jane:
YOU better be a-humpin coz il soon be
morn
Shake dat balmoral, Lily Jane.
After MCse finished singing this song
an eight-nch grin played across his
face from ear to ear. his eyes sparkled
and the old negro was happy again as
If the young folks had gone through
their dancing While he sang He said:
"Massa VIII, de best days oh de old
niggers life am done gone. but when
| think oh de good old times we had
bcfo' de wah, desc bones oh mine gets
young, and / want to git right up and
hit de jig step agen like l used to do
! Then he told me how he was consider
the best dancer in his section and ;nat
there wasn't a buck anywhere around
who could hold him light
| I told him that / was something Of n
| dancer myself, and that il he would cut,
down lively on the old .barnyar
cackle" 1 would show him a few steps
| in jig darcing. This tickled his wrink-
| led face. and he sang and played in
earnest:
Rooster in de chicken coop CROWN fo'
day.
Horses in de stable go nay. nay nay.
Ducks IN ae yard go quack. quack, quack,
And de, geese goes finey-I-fee
| Pigs in de pen a-squealin TO slop.
! Big dogs barkin like dey never will stop:
| Guineas in de tree go pot-rack. pot-rack,
| And the goose goes filley-I-fee.
l stopped him because I was out Of
| breath. and he lay back in his chair.
| and laughed till his sides were aching.
| pulled out a rabbits foot and tossed
| 1t to him. and the effect was magical
| he jumped three feet on rise and six
| feet on the stretch and gave j whoop
which was equal to a Comanche CHIEFS.
After his fright was over he told me.
whatever | did, not to put any more Of
those hoococs on him. l did not intend
to frighten him, but wished to see if the
| superstition he had possessed in his
young days had departed from him. |
gave hin, a shining dollar for soaring
him so. and he was himself again. We
had had a fine time in the few hours /
had stayed with him. and / asked him
/ to pick up his banjo again and play
and sing the tune he used to call Mr..