Banjo Talks - Culbertson

BANJO TALKS

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r_^

COPYRIGHT DEPOSrr.

BANJO TALKS

We-all drinks de sweet juice down F'um de cup so green an* roua

BANJO TALKS By

ANNE VIRGINIA CULBERTSON Author of

At

the Big House

Lays of a Wandering Minstrel

Illustrated

from Photographs by

MARY MORGAN KEIPP & HEUSTIS PRATT COOK

INDIANAPOLIS

THE BOBBS-MERRILL COMPANY PUBLISHERS

Copyright igo$ The Bobbs-Merrill Company

October

T im) Oopies tfeoavnn

SEP Si 1905

goPY

0.

PRESS OF

BRAUNWORTH &

CO.

BOOKBINDERS AND PRINTERS BROOKLYN, N. Y.

19 f

CONTENTS PAGE

Wen DE

Banjer Talks

De Gal wid de

.

Cryin' Shoes

De Wood-Hants "Ol' Lynchburg

i

6 8

.

Town"

12

Harvest Song

16

Miss Sally-Gal

20

With the Spinning Lesson

.

...

.

.

.22

LiNDY, Come Erlong

26

De

28

Stum'lin'-Block

Knockin' de 'Rang-a-Tang Comin'

30

Thu

A Toast

.

.

36

.

Plowin' Time

38

'Pen'ence

Listening to the Accordion

De Song er de 'Skeeter

....

Lookin'

On

Quit dat Playin' 'Possum

43

.......

47

.......

56

.

o

Go Lightly, Gal Jes'

34

51

53

61

Chris'mas Comin'

63

The Turkey-Dream

66

Sunday

Fishin'

My

Gal Done Got a Beau

Li'l

71

-73

PAGE

Whar DEM Sinful Apples Grow

79

Buck-Steer

My

82

Chillen's Pictyah

c

The Conjure-Doctor

When

.

I

Tell

'em

Sees

a

..,

Howdy

Under Power

.

.

.

.

.

..... .. ...... =

.

.

.

.

Skeesicks

.

Quit Yo' Worryin' Ol'^

Totin' In

.

.

.

.

.

.

Mister Gray-Moss

.

.

.

.

.

the Melon-Patch .

Jes A-Studyin'

an'

'

136

»

143

,

147

o

152

•

.

,

.

.

.

.

.

de Hopper-Grass

.....

.

o

.

.

...

Miss Jinny

155

160

De Tukkey-Tail Fan Li'l Sistaii

124

^138

Mom's a Washer-Lady

De Inch-Wu'm

117

131

the Organ Down the Street

Sorghum Time

107

128

Calling the Cows In

102 105

.122

Mommer's Baby

When We Hear

98

.112

.

.

87

.90 -95

.

....

Answering the Mocking-Bird Gittin'

.

.

.......

.

Yaller Gal

Lay Low, Mister Turkey

*

.

.

the Crop's Laid By

Wen

.

.165

.......... .

.

.

.

.

168

ILLUSTRATIONS / '*We-all drinks de sweet juice

F'um de cup

down

Mary Morgan Keipp

"

so green an' roun'

frontispiece

PAGE

"Wen "Dey

de banjer talks"

better be good"

"Oh de cradle !

hit

goes swingin'

"

"Dar's nuttin' lak de ol'-time ways"

"Dough de cabin mighty

Room

"Dat's a team, "I

I

tell

you now!"

wanster play de 'corjum, too"

•'Deyain'hadde

"Mandy's

in a

raisin'

"Wen

I

my

"She'sacunjer-doctah,she

my eyes all My mouf begins

"De

dog, suh"

"We loads ow'

17

Mary Morgan Keipp

23

Heustis Pratt Cook

31

Heustis Pratt Cook

39.

Mary Morgan Keipp

49

Pratt Cook

57

Heustis Pratt Cook

is

li'l

-

,

67/ 75

,

ox-kyart"

fersho'"

ter laff "

bekase

li'l

Mary Morgan Keipp

^

'

Heustis Pratt Cook

83

Mary Morgan Keipp

91,

Heustis Pratt Cook

99

Mary Morgan Keipp

109

Mary Morgan Keipp

119

fixed fer her,

"I whustles, too,

sma'tes'

9

Mary Morgan Keipp

on"

a-gittin'

goes ter town in

"I gits

Mary Morgan Keipp

dat I done got" Heustis

tukkey-dream"

"Or 'ooman, we's

3

small,

comer"

fer ev'y

^

Heustis Pratt Cook

kyart an'

I'se

gay"

we meks

fer

town"

Heustis Pratt Cook

125

-

"Dar's a milyun-patch whar grows

we knows"

Mary Morgan Keipp

133

de bars"

Mary Morgan Keipp

139

Wen yo' maw ain' home !"

Heustis Pratt Cook

149

a-studyin' all de day"

Heustis Pratt Cook

157

Jes' ''Hit's

de bestes' time

I

"Golly! but

*'Jes'

"An' den

Dat

'uz

I

slip

hit's

riz

fruit

up

to

lonesome

up, fer

de wu'k de

I

seem

Lawd

ter see

cut out fer

me!" Heustis Pratt Cook

161

"Teckholtmy han' an'doanyoufear" Mary Morgan Keipp

169

For the privilege of reprinting some these verses, acknow^ledgment is due the courtesy of the editors of Life, Truth, Pearson's Magazine Dixie, Outing and other publications of

BANJO TALKS

!

WEN Doan'

DE BANJER TALKS talk erbout yo' singin',

Dat's well enuff sometimes

Wen de

singer's got

An' de wu'ds

But

I ru'rr

Dan

an'

music chimes,

year de banjer

ter listen at

Oh,

some git-up

my

de rhymes.

soul gits

up

An' goes outside

Wen

an'

humps

an' walks,

a picker gits ter pickin'

An'de banjer talks

husse'f

!!

W EN

Wen

DE BANJER TALKS

banjer git ter talkin'

You better hoF yo' tongue, Hit mek you think youse gre't An'

an' gran'

rich an' strong an' young,

An' ev'ything whar scrumpshus Right

at yo' feet is flung.

Oh,

my

soul gits

up

An' goes outside

Wen

an'

humps

husse'f

an' walks,

a picker gits ter pickin'

An' de banjer talks

"You

darkies mus' be happy,"

Dat w'at de banjer

say,

"Dey's happiness a-plenty

AH

strowed erlong de way,

But you

better be a-grabbin'

Fer you

ain'

Oh,

my

got long ter stay." soul gits

up

An' goes outside

Wen

an'

humps

an' walks.

a picker gits ter pickin'

An'de banjer talks

husse'f

W:m ,i^'

L.

.,„

Wen

de baiijei talks

!

W EN Doan'

DE BANJER TALKS

talk erbout de fiddle,

De squeaky Er mouf-harp

li'l

er

thing,

meecorjum,

Er harp wid seben

string,

De banjer beats creation, De banjer is de king! Oh,

my

soul gits

up

An' goes outside

Wen

an'

humps

an' walks,

a picker gits ter pickin'

An' de banjer talks

husse'f

;

DE GAL WID DE CRYIN' SHOES Dey's

li'l

gal I

knows

right well,

(Hey-o, Miss Rhody,)

But who she

is I ain'

gwine

tell,

(Hey-o, Miss Rhody,)

Wen

Sunday comes she dress

I scarcely

knows

so fine

dat gal er mine

She's spick an' span, de gal

I

F'um her haid

new

to her bran'

De De De

neat

li'l

sweet

choose,

gal^

h'l gal,

gal wid de cryin' shoes.

cryin' shoes,

— —

DE GAL WID DE CRYIN

Oh,

she's de gal

whar

SHOES

putts on style

(Hey-o, Miss Rhody,)

Wen

she goes switchin' up de

aisle,

(Hey-o, Miss Rhody,)

De

haids

all

turn ter year dat soun',

She's turnt dis haid er mine clean roun',

My

heart keeps thumpin' out de

*'Yer

come de

li'l

De De De

gal

gal

wid

neat

li'l

sweet

wid de

news

de cryin' shoes. gal^

li'l

gal,

cryin' shoes."

She 'tend lak she doan' know

I'se dere,

(Hey-o, Miss Rhody,)

An' ef

I

wuz, dat she

ain' kyare,

(Hey-o, Miss Rhody,)

She

toss her haid ez she

But sump'n speakin' I

know

Ter

tell

w'at

'tis,

by.

in her eye, I

doan' choose

on de gal wid de cryin' shoes,

De De De

but

go

gal

neat

li'l

sweet

wid de

gal,

H'l gal,

cryin' shoes.

!

DE WOOD-HANTS

Wen

de

moon

scrouch

down behime de

An' de dark foF roun' you

clost an'

hill

still,

Keep outer de wood Ef you know Fer dey's things

Twel

nuver show

de dark come on an' de daylight go,

An' dey races An' de name

Wen

in dar dat

w'at's good,

dey

an' runs, an'

er

dem

creeturs

flar's an' flants,

is

Hants, chile, Hants

de squinch-owl hootin' roun' de place

An' de bats

fly

low an' slap yo'

face.

Keep outer de wood Ef you know Fer de

li'l

warm

An' de

li'l

col'

Is

de bref er

w'at's good,

gus'es thu de trees,

ones whar

dem

mek you

creeturs

An' de name w'at we

calls

whar 'em

8

is

freeze,

flar's an' flants.

Hants, chile, Hants!

Dey

better be

good

w ^..

!

DE WOOD-HANTS

Wen

you

see lights trab'Iin'

up

an'

down

dem roun', Keep outer de wood Ef you know w'at's good

Widout no pusson

Poller

You An'

dem

things an' dey 'stroy you, sho',

kain't kotch las'

up

an'

you go

dey swamps you, an'

An' de name

Wen

ter kyar'

er

dem

creeturs

an' go,

flar's an' flants. is

hants, chile, Hants!

biggitty chillen, 'long to'des night,

Git cross an' norty an' doan' do right,

Dey

better be

good

An' 'member de wood, Fer dey's things in dar dat nuver show 'Twel de dark come on an' de daylight go.

An' dey races

an' runs an' dey flar's an' flants.

An' dey hone

fer

bad

chillen,

II

dey does,

dem

hants!

LYNCHBURG TOWN"

"OL'

AcE^

is

you

pickin' de banjer?

ShoM

No

'spectable darky does dat

De

banjer-pickin', de or-time chunes

Is all gin

up

Lakwise de

ter

De Is

neares'

de no-kyoun' coons.

shuffle,

Back-step an'

we

all

no mo'.

de pidjum-wing

dat sawt er thing.

gits ter de ol'-time

ways

w'en ow' lodge have ''tu'n-out" days.

Den we

putts ow' begalium on so fine,

An' goes perawderin'

Wile

Up

all in line.

bre'ren an' sisters bofe

pow'ful

fine in

is

dey Sunday 12

dress' bes'.

!

!

De

cap'n he haids us wid swo'd in han',

Den comes de

waltzer, de banner an' ban'.

An' w'en de music begins

We

ter soun'

walks 'gin de lodge f um

Wile ow'

cap'n he drills us

An' de waltzer snakes

New Hopes

all

town,

so fine

in an' out de line.

Ain' you nuver seed two lodges walk 'Gin one nu'rr

?

Sho'

!

how you

Hit's de fines' sight in

Hit

mek

Wen

de music plays an' de members dey

down

dis-a-way.

dey pass one nu'rr bofe lodges shout

Fer

ter

We We

walked

prove which got de bes' ''tu'n-out." 'gin de "Risin' Star" las' week,

made dem

Wen

all dis worl',

yo' haid spin roun' an' whu'l,

Gits ter prancin' up an'

Wen

talk

we

darkies look mighty

pass deir 'cession

You cudden

we shout

meek so loud

year one er de urr crowd.

13

!

!

!

!

— !

"American Doves of P'otection/' dat

De name

er de lodge

Brer Ace,

Wen You Er

I

I

b'longs

wish dat yo' wife 'ud

she dies

we burry

at.

jine,

her mighty

fine.

better stop pickin' dat banjer, boss,

yo' nuver-dyin' soul be los'

Wat

chune you

Oh, mussy

O Lawd Er

whar

!

!

my

up? OT Lynchburg Town!

strike

footses

doan' you

let

is

gwine erroun'

dat darky play,

salvation dis ve'y day.

I lose

O Lawd Dou knowes' my weakes' p'int, Dou sees de limberness uv each 'int !

j

Dou knowes' dat chune Ter mek my footses go De Lawd done So

dis

'spised

or darky

Play, man, play

ain'

hit,

jes' natch'ly

boun'

roun' an' roun'

my humble

prayer.

gwineter care dat

Lynchburg Toztm!

Tse done struck inter de oV hoe-down!

14

!

Faster, faster, I tells I ain'

care who-all

Ef de preacher

Wuz

ter

Ki, dar

!

you

come

play,

dis

an' all de

way

members,

come erlong Fd darnse faster

!

Done

dis thu!

my crown Of Lynchburg Town!

los'

Fer de sakes er darnsin'

too,

HARVEST SONG Sky's mighty blue, mighty blue, mighty blue. Sun's mighty hot, mighty hot, thu an' thu,

But a

li'l

breeze comes

Comes

De

li'l

siftin'

siftin' roun'.

ev'ywhar,

breeze dat's whusp'rin' in

De

pine-trees over dar.

Oh

!

de cradle hit goes swingin',

De yaller oats a-flingin', Wile my song goes ringin',

ringin'

'Gins' de pine-trees over dar.

i6

oil'

'Ic

«

I.

idle

liil

,:4