October 9. Story of the Day: Gray and Black Horses

From Negro Folk Rhymes by Thomas Talley.

This is Roud 469.

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GRAY AND BLACK HORSES

I went down to de woods an' I couldn' go 'cross,

So I paid five dollars fer an ole gray hoss.

De hoss wouldn' pull, so I sōl' 'im fer a bull.

De bull wouldn' holler, so I sōl' 'im fer a dollar.

De dollar wouldn' pass, so I throwed it in de grass.

Den de grass wouldn' grow. Heigho! Heigho!

Through dat huckleberry woods I couldn' git far,

So I paid a good dollar fer an ole black mar'.

W'en I got down dar, de trees wouldn' bar;

So I had to gallop back on dat ole black mar'.

"Bookitie-bar!" Dat ole black mar';
"Bookitie-bar!" Dat ole black mar'.

Yes she trabble so hard dat she jolt off my ha'r.

(Geograph: Norfolk)