Among the Pines | Page 6

and pathos which
my darky friend threw into them, and which made our long, solitary
ride through those dreary pine-barrens pass rapidly and pleasantly away.
The first referred to an old darky who was transplanted from the
cotton-fields of "ole Virginny" to the rice-swamps of Carolina, and who
did not like the change, but found consolation in the fact that rice is not
grown on "the other side of Jordan."
"Come listen, all you darkies, come listen to my song, It am about ole
Massa, who use me bery wrong. In de cole, frosty mornin', it an't so
bery nice, Wid de water to de middle to hoe among de rice; When I
neber hab forgotten How I used to hoe de cotton, How I used to hoe de
cotton, On de ole Virginny shore; But I'll neber hoe de cotton, Oh!
neber hoe de cotton Any more.
"If I feel de drefful hunger, he tink it am a vice, And he gib me for my
dinner a little broken rice, A little broken rice and a bery little fat-- And
he grumble like de debil if I eat too much of dat; When I neber hab
forgotten, etc.
"He tore me from my DINAH; I tought my heart would burst-- He
made me lub anoder when my lub was wid de first, He sole my
picaninnies becase he got dar price, And shut me in de marsh-field to
hoe among de rice; When I neber had forgotten, etc.

"And all de day I hoe dar, in all de heat and rain, And as I hoe away dar,
my heart go back again, Back to de little cabin dat stood among de corn,
And to de ole plantation where she and I war born! Oh! I wish I had
forgotten, etc.
"Den DINAH am beside me, de chil'ren on my knee, And dough I am a
slave dar, it 'pears to me I'm free, Till I wake up from my dreaming,
and wife and chil'ren gone, I hoe away and weep dar, and weep dar all
alone! Oh! I wish I had forgotten, etc.
"But soon a day am comin, a day I long to see, When dis darky in de
cole ground, foreber will be free, When wife and chil'ren wid me, I'll
sing in Paradise, How HE, de blessed JESUS, hab bought me wid a
price. How de LORD hab not forgotten How well I hoed de cotton,
How well I hoed de cotton On de ole Virginny shore; Dar I'll neber hoe
de cotton, Oh! neber hoe de cotton Any more."
The politics of the following are not exactly those of the rulers at
Washington, but we all may come to this complexion at last:
"Hark! darkies, hark! it am de drum Dat calls ole Massa 'way from hum,
Wid powder-pouch and loaded gun, To drive ole ABE from
Washington; Oh! Massa's gwine to Washington, So clar de way to
Washington-- Oh! wont dis darky hab sum fun When Massa's gwine to
Washington!
"Dis darky know what Massa do; He take him long to brack him shoe,
To brack him shoe and tote him gun, When he am 'way to Washington.
Oh! Massa's gwine to Washington, So clar de way to Washington, Oh!
long afore de mornin' sun Ole Massa's gwine to Washington!
"Ole Massa say ole ABE will eat De niggas all excep' de feet-- De feet,
may be, will cut and run, When Massa gets to Washington, When
Massa gets to Washington; So clar de way to Washington-- Oh! wont
dis darky cut and run When Massa gets to Washington!
"Dis nigga know ole ABE will save His brudder man, de darky slave,
And dat he'll let him cut and run When Massa gets to Washington,

When Massa gets to Washington; So clar de way to Washington, Ole
ABE will let the darkies run When Massa gets to Washington."
The next is in a similar vein:
"A storm am brewin' in de Souf, A storm am brewin' now, Oh! hearken
den and shut your mouf, And I will tell you how: And I will tell you
how, ole boy, De storm of fire will pour, And make de darkies dance
for joy, As dey neber danced afore: So shut your mouf as close as deafh,
And all you niggas hole your breafh, And I will tell you how.
"De darkies at de Norf am ris, And dey am comin' down-- Am comin'
down, I know dey is, To do de white folks brown! Dey'll turn ole
Massa out to grass, And set de niggas free, And when dat day am come
to pass We'll all be dar to see! So shut your mouf as close as deafh,
And all you niggas hole your breafh, And do de