Dare massas flog’ em berry little –
But gib dem plenty work and wittle.
Ole Massa Jim, real clebber body,
Ebbery day he gib dem toddy,
An’ wen de sun fall in de ribber,
Dey stop de work – an’ res de libber.
Chah! chah! dat de way
De niggas spen’ de night an’ day.
At night dey gadder round de fire
To ta’k ob tings wot hab perspire –
De ashes on de tater toss ’em,
Parch de corn an’ roast de possum;
An’ arter dat de niggas splutter,
An’ hop an’ dance de Chicken Flutter.
Da happy den an’ hab no bodder –
Dey snug as rat in a stack-a-fodder,
Chah! chah! dat de way
De niggas spen’ de night an’ day.
‘Twas on the nineteenf day of October,
When de Juba dance was ober;
Dey he’ a great noise dat soun’ like t’under,
Which make de niggas stare and wonder!
Now Cæsar say, he lay a dolla’,
De debbil in de corn, for he hea’d him holler;
But Cuffee grin an say, ‘Now cum see,
I b’lieb it’s nott’in’ but possum up a gum tree.’
Chah! chah! dat de way
De niggas spen’ de night an’ day.
Den one nigga run an’ open de winda,
De moon rush in like fire on a tinder;
De noise soun’ plainer, de niggas got fri’ten’ –
Dey tink ’twas a mixture ob t’under and litenin’.
Some grate brack mob come cross de medder,
Da kine-a roll demsel’s togedder;
But soon dey journ’ dis exhalation,
Was nott’in’ more dan de niggas from anoder plantation.
Chah! chah! dat de way
De niggas spen’ de night an’ day.
Dese noisy bracks surroun’ de dwellin’,
While de news one nigga got a-tellin’;
De res ob ’em grin to hear ole Quashy
Menshun de name ob Gineral Washy.
He say dat day, in Yorktown Holler,
Massa George cotch ole Cornwaller;
An’ seben t’ousand corn off him shell him –
Leff him nott’in’ more’n a cob for to tell him.
Chah! chah! dat de way
De niggas spen’ de night an’ day.
He say, ‘Den arter all dis ‘fusion,
Dat was de en ob de rebolushun;
An nex day all roun’ dat quarter,
Dey gwaing for to keep him as dey ort to.’
An dat dare massas ‘specially say den,
De niggas mought hab hollowday den;
An dey mout hab rum all day to be quaffin’,
All de niggas den buss right out a-laffin’.
Chah! chah! dat de way
De niggas spen’ de night an’ day.