Hyeah come Caesar Higgins,Don’t he think he ‘s fine?Look at dem new riggin’sAin’t he tryin’ to shine?Got a standin’ collarAn’ a stove-pipe hat,I ‘ll jes’ bet a dollarSome one gin him dat. Don’t one o’ you mention,Nothin’ ’bout his cloes,Don’t pay no attention,Er let on you knowsDat he ‘s got ’em on him,Why, ‘t ‘ll […]

De breeze is blowin’ ‘cross de bay.My lady, my lady;De ship hit teks me far away,My lady, my lady;Ole Mas’ done sol’ me down de stream;Dey tell me ‘t ain’t so bad ‘s hit seem,My lady, my lady. O’ co’se I knows dat you ‘ll be true,My lady, my lady;But den I do’ know whut […]

I has hyeahd o’ people dancin’ an’ I ‘s hyeahd o’ people singin’.An’ I ‘s been ‘roun’ lots of othahs dat could keep de banjo ringin’;But of all de whistlin’ da’kies dat have lived an’ died since Ham,De whistlin’est I evah seed was ol’ Ike Bates’s Sam.In de kitchen er de stable, in de fiel’ […]

De times is mighty stirrin’ ‘mong de people up ouah way,Dey ‘sputin’ an’ dey argyin’ an’ fussin’ night an’ day;An’ all dis monst’ous trouble dat hit meks me tiahed to tellIs ’bout dat Lucy Jackson dat was sich a mighty belle. She was de preachah’s favoured, an’ he tol’ de chu’ch one nightDat she travelled […]

THE YOUNG MASTER ASKS FOR A STORY Whut you say, dah? huh, uh! chile,You ‘s enough to dribe me wile.Want a sto’y; jes’ hyeah dat!Whah’ ‘ll I git a sto’y at?Di’n’ I tell you th’ee las’ night?Go ‘way, honey, you ain’t right.I got somep’n’ else to do,‘Cides jes’ tellin’ tales to you.Tell you jes’ one? […]

When I come in f’om de co’n-fiel’ aftah wo’kin’ ha’d all day,It ‘s amazin’ nice to fin’ my suppah all erpon de way;An’ it ‘s nice to smell de coffee bubblin’ ovah in de pot,An’ it ‘s fine to see de meat a-sizzlin’ teasin’-lak an’ hot. But when suppah-time is ovah, an’ de t’ings is […]

Tek a cool night, good an’ cleah,Skiff o’ snow upon de groun’;Jes’ ’bout fall-time o’ de yeahW’en de leaves is dry an brown;Tek a dog an’ tek a axe,Tek a lantu’n in yo’ han’,Step light whah de switches cracks,Fu’ dey ‘s huntin’ in de lan’.Down thoo de valleys an’ ovah de hills,Into de woods whah […]

Bones a-gittin’ achy,Back a-feelin’ col’,Han’s a-growin’ shaky,Jes’ lak I was ol’.Fros’ erpon de meddahLookin’ mighty white;Snowdraps lak a feddahSlippin’ down at night.Jes’ keep t’ings a-hummin’Spite o’ fros’ an’ showahs,Chrismus is a-comin’An’ all de week is ouahs. Little mas’ a-axin’,“Who is Santy Claus?”Meks it kin’ o’ taxin’Not to brek de laws.Chillun ‘s pow’ful tryin’To a pusson’s […]

What dreams we have and how they flyLike rosy clouds across the sky;Of wealth, of fame, of sure success,Of love that comes to cheer and bless;And how they wither, how they fade,The waning wealth, the jilting jade–The fame that for a moment gleams,Then flies forever,–dreams, ah–dreams! O burning doubt and long regret,O tears with which […]

De night creep down erlong de lan’,De shadders rise an’ shake,De frog is sta’tin’ up his ban’,De cricket is awake;My wo’k is mos’ nigh done, Celes’,To-night I won’t be late,I ‘s hu’yin’ thoo my level bes’,Wait fu’ me by de gate. De mockin’-bird ‘ll sen’ his gleeA-thrillin’ thoo and thoo,I know dat ol’ magnolia-treeIs smellin’ […]

De da’kest hour, dey allus say,Is des’ befo’ de dawn,But it’s moughty ha’d a-waitin’W’ere de night goes frownin’ on;An’ it’s moughty ha’d a-hopin’W’en de clouds is big an’ black,An’ all de t’ings you ‘s waited fu’Has failed, er gone to wrack–But des’ keep on a-joggin’ wid a little bit o’ song,De mo’n is allus brightah […]

Oh to have you in May,To talk with you under the trees,Dreaming throughout the day,Drinking the wine-like breeze, Oh it were sweet to thinkThat May should be ours again,Hoping it not, I shrink,Out of the sight of men. May brings the flowers to bloom,It brings the green leaves to the tree,And the fatally sweet perfume,Of […]

Cool is the wind, for the summer is waning,Who ‘s for the road?Sun-flecked and soft, where the dead leaves are raining,Who ‘s for the road?Knapsack and alpenstock press hand and shoulder,Prick of the brier and roll of the boulder;This be your lot till the season grow older;Who ‘s for the road? Up and away in […]

Come on walkin’ wid me, Lucy; ‘t ain’t no time to mope erroun’Wen de sunshine ‘s shoutin’ glory in de sky,An’ de little Johnny-Jump-Ups ‘s jes’ a-springin’ f’om de groun’,Den a-lookin’ roun’ to ax each othah w’y.Don’ you hyeah dem cows a-mooin’? Dat ‘s dey howdy to de spring;Ain’ dey lookin’ most oncommon satisfied?Hit ‘s […]

Oh, de clouds is mighty heavyAn’ de rain is mighty thick;Keep a song up on de way.An’ de waters is a rumblin’On de boulders in de crick,Keep a song up on de way.Fu’ a bird ercross de roadIs a-singin’ lak he knowedDat we people did n’t daihFu’ to try de rainy aihWid a song up […]

Woman’s sho’ a cur’ous critter, an’ dey ain’t no doubtin’ dat.She’s a mess o’ funny capahs f’om huh slippahs to huh hat.Ef you tries to un’erstan’ huh, an’ you fails, des’ up an’ say:“D’ ain’t a bit o’ use to try to un’erstan’ a woman’s way.” I don’ mean to be complainin’, but I ‘s […]

Two little boots all rough an’ wo’,Two little boots!Law, I ‘s kissed ’em times befo’,Dese little boots!Seems de toes a-peepin’ thooDis hyeah hole an’ sayin’ “Boo!”Evah time dey looks at you–Dese little boots. Membah de time he put ’em on,Dese little boots;Riz an’ called fu’ ’em by dawn,Dese little boots;Den he tromped de livelong day,Laffin’ […]

“Sunshine on de medders,Greenness on de way;Dat ‘s de blessed reasonI sing all de day.”Look hyeah! Whut you axin’?Whut meks me so merry?‘Spect to see me sighin’W’en hit’s wa’m in Febawary? ‘Long de stake an’ riderSeen a robin set;W’y hit ‘mence a-thawin’,Groun’ is monst’ous wet.Den you stan’ dah wond’rin’,Lookin’ skeert an’ stary;I’s a right to […]

Dey is snow upon de meddahs, dey is snow upon de hill,An’ de little branch’s watahs is all glistenin’ an’ still;De win’ goes roun’ de cabin lak a sperrit wan’erin’ ‘roun’.An’ de chillen shakes an’ shivahs as dey listen to de soun’.Dey is hick’ry in de fiahplace, whah de blaze is risin’ high,But de heat […]

Out of the sunshine and out of the heat,Out of the dust of the grimy street,A song fluttered down in the form of a dove,And it bore me a message, the one word–Love! Ah, I was toiling, and oh, I was sad:I had forgotten the way to be glad.Now, smiles for my sadness and for […]