Negro Folk Rhymes (1922) ("lemonade" rhyme)

[Wilson Gray]

On Mar 31, 2005, at 12:38 AM, bapopik at AOL.COM wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       bapopik at AOL.COM
> Subject:      Negro Folk Rhymes (1922) ("lemonade" rhyme)
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>
> NEGRO FOLK RHYMES
> Wise and Otherwise
> with a study
> by Thomas W. Talley
> New York: The MacMillan COmpany
> 1922
>
> Pg. 10:
> STAND BACK< BLACK MAN
> Oh!
> STAN' back, black man,
> You cain't shine;
> Yo' lips is too thick,
> An' you hain't my kin'.
>
> Pg. 63:
> DON'T ASK ME QUESTIONS
> DON'T ax me no questions,
> An' I won't tell you no lies;
> But bring me dem apples,
> An' I'll make you some pies.
>
> Pg. 113:
> DOES MONEY TALK?
> DEM whitefolks say sat money talk.
> If it tak lak dey tell,
> Den ev'ry time it come to Sam,
> It up an' say: "Farewell!"
>
> Pg. 114:
> I'LL EAT WHEN I'M HUNGRY
> I'LL eat when I's hungry
> An' I'll drink when I'se dry;
> An' if de whitefolks don't kill me,
> I'll live till I die.
>
> In my liddle log cabin,
> Ever since I'se been born;
> Dere hain't been no nothin'
> 'Cept dat hard salt parch corn.
>
> But I knows what's a henhouse,
> An' de tucky he charve;
> An' if ole Mosser don't kill me,
> I cain't never starve.
>
> Pg. 153:
> HERE I STAND
> HERE I stan', raggity an' dirty;
> If you don't come kiss me, I'll run lak a tucky.
>
> Here I stan' on two liddle chips,
> Pray, come kiss my sweet liddle lips.
>
> Here I stan' crooked lak a horn;
> I hain't had no kiss since I'se been born.
>
> Pg. 159:
> ASPIRATION
> IF I wus de President
> Of dese United States,
> I'd eat good 'lasses candy,
> An' swing on all de gates.
>
> Pg. 163:
> THE END OF TEN LITTLE NEGROES
> TEN liddle Niggers, a-eatin', fat an' fine;
> One choke hisse'f an' date lef' nine...
>
> Pg. 171:
> DEEDLE, DUMPLING
> DEEDLE, deedle, dumplin'! My boy, Pete!
> He went to bed wid his dirty feet.
> Mammy laid a switch down on dat sheet!
> Deedle, deedle, dumplin'! My boy, Pete!
>

Diddle, diddle, dumpling
My son John
He went to bed with his stockings on
Diddle, diddle, dumpiing
My son John

> Pg. 186:
> DON'T SING BEFORE BREAKFAST
> DON'T sing out 'fore Breakfast,
> Don't sing 'fore you eat,
> Or you'll cry out 'fore midnight,
> You'll cry 'fore you sleep.
>
> Pg. 207:
> LEARN TO COUNT
> NAUGHT'S a naught,
> Five's a figger.
> All fer de white man.
> None fer de Nigger.
>
> Ten's a ten,
> But it's mighty funny;
> When you cain't count good,
> You hain't got no money.
>
> Pg. 209:
> INDEPENDENCE
> I'se jes as innnerpenunt as a pig on ice.

Didn't someone once publish a book with the title, "A Hog On Ice"? I've
never heard either version used in real life.

> Gwineter git up ag'in if I slips down twice.
> If I cain't git up, I can jes lie down.
> I don't want no Niggers to be he'pin' me 'roun'.
>
> Pg. 211:
> DRINKING RAZOR SOUP
> HE'S been drinkin' razzer soup;

I once heard someone telling a "preacher" joke say, "Neebuck took a
[raz@] an' stahted slewin' them Jews." At the time, I thought he had
simply made up that pronunciation of "razor" to make the joke funnier.
Now, I guess that "razzer/rozzer" or something like them are/were
actually used, like "stab/stob," etc.

> Dat sharp Nigger, black lak ink.
> If he don't watch dat tongue o' his,
> Somebody'll hurt 'im 'for' he think.
>
> He cain't drive de pigeons t' roost,
> Dough he talk so big an' smart.
> Hain't got de sense to tole 'em in.
> Cain't more an' drive dat ole mule chyart.
>
> Pg. 244:
> "Here's yo' col' ice lemonade,
> It's made in de shade,
> It's stirred wid a spade.
> Come buy my col' ice lemonade.
> It's made in de shade
> An sol' in de sun.
> Ef you hain't got no money,
> You cain't git none.
> One glass fer a nickel,
> An' two fer a dime,
> Ef you hain't got de chink,
> You cain't git mine.
> Come right way,
> Fer it sho' will pay
> To git candy fer de ladies
> An' cakes fer de babies."
>