De dandelion flower blooms out so young
Wid a look in its face like a sassy tongue,
Den it grows light-headed wid self-conceit
Wid a flighty ol' age, for full defeat.
An' it ain't by itself, pert chillen, in dat—
No, it ain't by itself in dat.
THE CUD
"Life's give an' take," Sis' Cow, she laugh.
So I gives my milk an' dey takes my calf."
An' when contentment's hard to fin',
She chaws 'er cud to ease 'er min'.
And you ain't by yo'self, Sis' Cow, in dat—
No, you ain't by yo'self in dat.
THE MIRROR
Br'er Donkey, drinkin' at de brook,
Surveys hisself wid offish look,
An' 'low: "You Jackass makes too free!
Huccome you dast to drink wid me!"
An' he ain't by 'isself in dat, in dat—
Oh, he ain't by 'isself in dat.
GOSLINGS
De purty yaller goslin's say:
"Oh, what—oh, what's de use!
When Mama say, 'Come, walk dis way
An' ac' jes like a goose!'
Oh, what's de use—oh, what's de use?
I's boun' to grow a noddle,
Like every goosey, goosey, goose,
An' waddle, waddle, waddle!
"But Mama say: 'Don't talk dat way!
Come, waddle like a mild goose,
F'om side to side, wid proper pride—
Not like a woodsy wild goose!
Dey's plenty use—dey's plenty use!
Come, git yo' education!
See how to waddle an' tote yo' noddle
Accordin' to yo' station!'"
THE PET
De little white chicken dat's petted too much
Gits stunted in growth f'om de sp'ilin' touch.
An' she'll nuver make a hen so brave an' good
As ef she went a-pickin', an' worked wid de brood.
An' she ain't by 'erself in dat, in dat—
No, she ain't by 'erself in dat.
THE GUINEA-HEN
Sis' Guinea, in proud week-day clo'es
Forgits how she was hatched outdo's;
Wid 'er red boot chicks, she cuts a dash,
An' calls 'er neighbors "Po' trash! Po' trash!"[1]
But she ain't by 'erself in dat—
But she ain't by 'erself in dat.
THE MOON
Dey say Sis' Moon daresn't shine at night
Cep'n by Marse Sun's allowance o' light,
An' whilst he's away whar de yether moons are
She don't even dast to wink at a star.
An' she ain't de onies' wife like dat—
No, she ain't by 'erself in dat.
THE HEN-ROOST MAN
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A GUILTY CONSCIENCE
Dat little yaller pup 's got so many lickin's
For pesterin' all de ducks an' chickens,
Dat whenever he hears any barn-yard strife,
He looks over his shoulder an' runs for 's life.
But he ain't by 'isself in dat, in dat—
No, he ain't by 'isself in dat.
THE BAT
Br'er Bat flaps out in de gloomin' dark,
An' even ef he's boun' for a harmless lark,
He favors de devil an' he keeps sech hours
Dat he seems in cahoot wid de evil powers.
An' he ain't by 'isself in dat, in dat—
An' he ain't by 'isself in dat.
INCUBATOR CHICKENS
Dem inkybator chickens dat's hatched by de clock,
Wid a lamp for love, is lonesome stock;
Dey feeds in droves, but dey envies de others
Dat scratches for grubs wid any ol' mothers.
An' dey ain't by deyselves, po' orphans, in dat—
No, dey ain't by deyselves in dat.
THE FIREFLY
Br'er Lightnin'-bug is a gay yo'ng spark,
But he nuver is yit put out de dark;
He shines for 'isself in 'is zigzag flight,
An' he's middlin' sho he's de sou'ce of light.
But he ain't by 'isself in dat, in dat—
But he ain't by 'isself in dat.
THE THISTLE
De thistle-stalk sends up a noble bloom
Wid de shape of a flower an' de thought of a plume,
But its prickle-y ways turn friendship down;
So it stands all alone, in its velvet gown.
An' it ain't by its lonesome self in dat—
No, it ain't by itself in dat.
THE GRAY SQUIRREL
De gray squir'l lives a nachel life,
Wid friends an' foes an' chillen an' wife;
But whenever he gits his picture took,
He snatches dat nut, to appear in de book.
But he ain't by 'isself in dat, in dat—
But he ain't by 'isself in dat.
LOOK OUT FOR MISTER BEE
Look out for Mister Bee in de punkin-flower!
Plenty gallinippers in de grass!
Mighty close tie 'twix' wings an' stings
Better let de honey-bee pass!
Z—Z—Z, Z, Z!
Better let de honey-bee pass!
White-face bumblebee—white folks' ways—
Never give a sassy answer back!
But don't you trus' de black-face, no matter what he says!
Give de nigger bumblebee de track!
Z—Z—Z, Z, Z!
Give de nigger bumblebee de track![2]
THE ROSE
When Sis' Rose th'ows open her heart too proud, | |
THE LOCOMOTIVE
Dey say Sis' Ingine's fiercest scream
Don't mean nothin' but lettin' off steam,
But wid so much wrackage behin' 'er back,
Seem like she say: "Git out o' my track!"
An' she ain't by 'erself, old Mis, in dat—
No, she ain't by 'erself in dat.
THE GOAT
No matter how much she strive to 'spire,
Sis' Nannie Goat's measured 'g'inst some'h'n' higher;
"First cousin to a sheep" an' "de po' man's cow,"
Is hol'-down luck, come when, come how.
An' she ain't by 'erself helt down like dat—
No, she ain't by 'erself in dat.
THE FIG
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THE FRIZZLED CHICKEN
Dat frizzledy chicken, he steps so spry,
An' he totes 'is head so pompious high,
Like as ef he tries, wharever he goes,
To rise above dem rough-dried clo'es.
An' he ain't by 'isself in dat, in dat—
An' he ain't by 'isself in dat.
THE ENDLESS SONG
Oh, I used to sing a song,
An' dey said it was too long,
So I cut it off de en'
To accommodate a frien'
Nex' do', nex' do'—
To accommodate a frien' nex' do'.
But it made de matter wuss
Dan it had been at de fus,
'Ca'ze de en' was gone, an' den
Co'se it didn't have no en'
Any mo', any mo'—
Oh, it didn't have no en' any mo'!
So, to save my frien' from sinnin',
I cut off de song's beginnin';
Still he cusses right along
Whilst I sings about my song
Jes so, jes so—
Whilst I sings about my song jes so.
How to please 'im is my riddle,
So I'll fall back on my fiddle;
For I'd stan' myself on en'
To accommodate a frien'
Nex' do', nex' do'—
To accommodate a frien' nex' do'.
THE EEL
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THE RAIN-CROW
Br'er Rain-crow sho kin prophesy,
Caze he reads his wisdom f'om de page on high;
His mind ain't clogged wid secon'-hand facts,
But de moon an' de skies is his almanacs.
An' he ain't by 'isself in dat, in dat—
An' he ain't by 'isself in dat.
THE GIRAFFE
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THE BLACK SHEEP
De black sheep says, "Oh, what's de use
To shun de mire an' de muddy sluice?
For whether I walks for praise or blame,
Dey'll call me 'black sheep,' jes de same!"
An' he ain't by 'isself in dat, in dat—
An' he ain't by 'isself in dat.
THE PRIZE-WINNER
Dat Berkshire horg in de blue ribbon pen
Come home wid de heavy-weight prize again;
He looks mighty pompious in 'is stall,
But he's on'y a fat horg, after all.
An' he ain't by 'isself in dat, in dat—
An' he ain't by 'isself in dat.
THE DOG
I can't talk dog an' he can't talk man,
Yit Rover an' me, we onderstan';
I wag my tongue an' he wags 'is tail,
An' Love explains whar grammars fail.
An' we ain't by ourselves in dat, in dat—
No, we ain't by ourselves in dat.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] The guinea-fowl strays away from home and makes her nest in the fields. The newly hatched guinea-chicks are beautiful, dainty things, with coral-colored feet which look very fine. The guinea's cry, loud and harsh, sounds like "Potterack!" or "Poor trash!"
[2] The white-faced bee does not sting.