Froebel. The Farmyard Gate

From The songs and music of Friedrich Froebel's Mother play (Mutter und kose lieder), edited by Susan Blow. This poem is by Mrs. Pollen, adapted by Emily Huntington Miller.

THE FARMYARD GATE

Oh, what a clatter!
Now what's the matter?
The sheep they hurry.
The chickens scurry.
The calf is bawling,
The farmer calling,
"Johnny, run, and shut the gate!"

The cock is crowing,
The cows are lowing,
The ducks are quarking.
The dogs are barking.
The ass is braying,
The horse is neighing.
"Johnny, run, and shut the gate!"

The birds are singing.
The bell is ringing.
The pigs are squeaking,
The barn door creaking.
The brook is babbling,
The geese are gabbling.
"Johnny, run, and shut the gate!"

(illustration from the book)

Talley. Jack and Dinah Want Freedom

From Negro Folk Rhymes by Thomas Talley.

JACK AND DINAH WANT FREEDOM

(folk painting, late 18th century)

Ole Aunt Dinah, she's jes lak me.
She wuk so hard dat she want to be free.
But, you know, Aunt Dinah's gittin' sorter ole;
An' she's feared to go to Canada, caze it's so cōl'.

Dar wus ole Uncle Jack, he want to git free.
He find de way Norf by de moss on de tree.
He cross dat river a-floatin' in a tub.
Dem Patterollers give 'im a mighty close rub.

Dar is ole Uncle Billy, he's a mighty good Nigger.
He tote all de news to Mosser a little bigger.
When you tells Uncle Billy, you wants free fer a fac';
De nex' day de hide drap off'n yō' back.


NOTES

The Negroes repeating this rhyme did not always give the names Jack, Dinah, and Billy, as we here record them, but at their pleasure put in the individual name of the Negro in their surroundings whom the stanza being repeated might represent. Thus this little rhyme was the scientific dividing, on the part of the Negroes themselves, of the members of their race into three general classes with respect to the matter of Freedom.

Talley. Little Sleeping Negroes

From Negro Folk Rhymes by Thomas Talley.

LITTLE SLEEPING NEGROES

One liddle Nigger a-lyin' in de bed;
His eyes shet an' still, lak he been dead.

Two liddle Niggers a-lyin' in de bed;
A-snorin' an' a-dreamin' of a table spread.

Three liddle Niggers a-lyin' in de bed;
Deir heels cracked open lak shorten' bread.

Four liddle Niggers a-lyin' in de bed;
Dey'd better hop out, if dey wants to git fed!

(rooster crowing)

Talley. Getting Ten Negro Boys Together

From Negro Folk Rhymes by Thomas Talley.

GETTING TEN NEGRO BOYS TOGETHER

One liddle Nigger boy whistle an' stew,
He whistle up anudder Nigger an' dat make two.

Two liddle Nigger boys shuck de apple tree,
Down fall anudder Nigger, an' dat make three.

Three liddle Nigger boys, a-wantin' one more,
Never has no trouble a-gittin' up four.

Four liddle Nigger boys, dey cain't drive.
Dey hire a Nigger hack boy, an' dat make five.

Five liddle Niggers, bein' calcullated men,
Call anudder Nigger 'piece an' dat make ten.

(coloring page)

Talley. Little Boy Who Couldn't Count Seven

From Negro Folk Rhymes by Thomas Talley.

See the reference also in the Banjo Boy.

LITTLE BOY WHO COULDN'T COUNT SEVEN

Once der wus a liddle boy dat couldn' count one.

Dey pitched him in a fedder bed; 'e thought it great big fun.

Once der wus a liddle boy dat couldn' count two.

Dey pitched him in a fedder bed; 'e thought 'e 'us gwine through.

Once der wus a liddle boy dat couldn' count three.

Dey pitched him in a fedder bed; 'e thought de Niggers 'us free.

Once der wus a liddle boy dat couldn' count fō'.

Dey pitched him in a fedder bed; 'e jumped out on de flō'.

Once der wus a liddle boy dat couldn' count five.

Dey pitched him in a fedder bed; 'e thought de dead alive.

Once der wus a liddle boy dat couldn' count six.

Dey pitched him in a fedder bed; 'e never did git fix!

Once der wus a liddle boy dat couldn' count seben.

Dey pitched him in a fedder bed; 'e thought he's gwine to Heaben!

(antique feather bed)

Talley. Master Killed a Big Bull

From Negro Folk Rhymes by Thomas Talley.

MASTER KILLED A BIG BULL

Mosser killed a big bull,
Missus cooked a dish full,
Didn't give poor Nigger a mouf full.
Humph! Humph!

Mosser killed a fat lam'.
Missus brung a basket,
An' give poor Nigger de haslet.
Eh-eh! Eh-eh!

Mosser killed a fat hog
Missus biled de middlin's,
An' give poor Nigger de chitlin's.
Shō! Shō!

(pixabay)

Talley. Peep Squirrel

From Negro Folk Rhymes by Thomas Talley.

This is Roud 7645.

PEEP SQUIRREL

(squirrel in chapbook, c. 1810)

Peep squir'l, ying-ding-did-lum;
Peep squir'l, it's almos' day,
Look squir'l, ying-ding-did-lum,
Look squir'l, an' run away.

Walk squir'l, ying-ding-did-lum;
Walk squir'l, fer dat's de way.
Skip squir'l, ying-ding-did-lum;
Skip squir'l, all dress in gray.

Run squir'l! Ying-ding-did-lum!
Run squir'l! Oh, run away!
I cotch you squir'l! Ying-ding-did-lum!
I cotch you squir'l! Now stay, I say.

Paredes. The Nanny Goat

This is a description of a song reported in Folktales of Mexico by Americo Paredes.

Paredes explains that he collected the song in Matamoros, Tamaulipas in 1954. The singer was Juan Guajardo, age 63, who was a well known singer of corridos and other folk songs. Paredes provides the tune and the Spanish title "La Chiva" on p. 185 of the book. Paredes archived the audio in the University of Texas Folklore Center Archive, F131-3.

The song combines multiple motifs: money, buying something (of increasing value), and reproduction.

The first stanza goes:

I have my real and a half;
with a real and a half I bought a nanny goat.
The nanny had a kid.
I have the nanny, I have the goat.
And my real and a half is still not spent.

The purchases and reproductions accumulate:

I have my real and a half;
with a real and a half I bought a she-ass.
The she-ass had a colt.
I have the she-ass, I have the colt.
I have the nanny, I have the goat.
And my real and a half is still not spent.

The purchases are:
nanny who had a goat
she-ass who had a colt
a turkey hen who had a chick
a bitch who had a little puppy
a Negro woman who had a little Negro
a gringo woman who had a little gringo
a Chinese woman who had a little Chinaman

Sometimes the stanza begins "I have my real and a half; with a real and a half I bought..." (stanzas 1-2-5) and other times the stanza begins "With a real and a half that I used to have" (stanzas 3-4-6-7).

So the final stanza goes:

With a real and a half that I used to have
I bought a Chinese woman.
The Chinese woman had a little Chinaman.
I have the Chinese woman, I have the little Chinaman.
I have the gringo woman, I have the little gringo.
I have the Negro woman, I have the little Negro.
I have the bitch, I have the puppy.
I have the turkey-hen, I have the chick.
I have the she-ass, I have the colt.
I have the nanny, I have the goat.
And my real and a half is still not spent.

(pxhere)

Talley. Jaybird Died with the Whooping Cough

From Negro Folk Rhymes by Thomas Talley.

This song is about a series of birds: it starts off with the birds who died from different diseases (jaybird/whooping-cough, sparrow/colic, bluebird/measles), but then it morphs into a dance party: the redbird announces the frolic, the crows dance with the weasels, and then come the mocking bird, the gray goose, and the thrasher bird, who happens to be the state bird of Georgia.

This bird-song is Roud 748. For bits and pieces of this song as attested throughout the southern states, see: Frank C. Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore, volume 3, 153: The Jaybird. There are many versions of this song without the series of birds as in Talley; for more, see the Traditional Tune Archive: Jaybird Died of the Whooping Cough.

For another collection of birds in a song, see Roud 747: Bird Song.

JAYBIRD DIED WITH THE WHOOPING COUGH


(bluejay)

De Jaybird died wid de Whoopin' Cough,
De Sparrer died wid de colic;
'Long come de Red-bird, skippin' 'round,
Sayin': "Boys, git ready fer de Frolic!"

De Jaybird died wid de Whoopin' Cough,
De Bluebird died wid de Measles;
'Long come a Nigger wid a fiddle on his back,
'Vitin' Crows fer to dance wid de Weasels.

Dat Mockin'-bird, he romp an' sing;
Dat ole Gray Goose come prancin'.
Dat Thrasher stuff his mouf wid plums,
Den he caper on down to de dancin'.

Dey hopped it low, an' dey hopped it high;
Dey hopped it to, an' dey hopped it by;
Dey hopped it fer, an' dey hopped it nigh;
Dat fiddle an' bow jes make 'em fly.


Here's the fun from Banjojukebox:

(thrasher)

Someone made this recording of a thrasher bird singing:

Talley. Ten Little Negroes

From Negro Folk Rhymes by Thomas Talley.

This counting-down song is Roud 13152.

THE END OF TEN LITTLE NEGROES

Ten liddle Niggers, a-eatin', fat an' fine;
One choke hisse'f to death, an' dat lef' nine.

Nine liddle Niggers, dey sot up too late;
One sleep hisse'f to death, an' dat lef' eight.

Eight liddle Niggers want to go to Heaben;
One sing hisse'f to death, an' dat lef' seben.

Seben liddle Niggers, a-pickin' up sticks;
One wuk hisse'f to death, an' dat lef' six.

Six liddle Niggers went out fer to drive;
Mule run away wid one, an' dat lef' five.

Five liddle Niggers in a cold rain pour;
One coughed hisse'f to death, an' dat lef' four.

Four liddle Niggers, climb a' apple tree;
One fall down an' out, an' dat lef' three.

Three liddle Niggers a-wantin' sumpin new;
One, he quit de udders, an' dat lef' two.

Two liddle Niggers went out fer to run;
One fell down de bluff, an' dat lef' one.

One liddle Nigger, a-foolin' wid a gun;
Gun go off "bang!" an' dat lef' none.

(1887 toy gun)

Talley. When I Was a Roustabout

From Negro Folk Rhymes by Thomas Talley.

This would be an example of ATU 2012 Days of the Week. You can also find it as Roud 433.

WHEN I WAS A "ROUSTABOUT"

W'en I wus a "Roustabout," wild an' young,
I co'ted my gal wid a mighty slick tongue.
I tōl' her some oncommon lies dere an' den.
I tōl' her dat we'd marry, but I didn' say w'en.

So on a Mond'y mornin' I tuck her fer my wife.
Of co'se I wus 'spectin' an agreeable life.

But on a Chuesd'y mornin' she chuned up her pipe,
An' she 'bused me more 'an I'd been 'bused all my life.

On a Wednesd'y evenin', as I come 'long home,
I says to myse'f dat she wus all my own;

An' on a Thursd'y night I went out to de woods,
An' I cut me two big fine tough leatherwoods.

So on a Frid'y mornin' w'en she roll me 'er eyes,
I retched fer my leatherwoods to give 'er a s'prise,
Dem long keen leatherwoods wuked mighty well,
An' 'er tongue, it jes rattle lak a clapper in a bell.

On a Sadd'y mornin' she sleep sorter late;
An' de las' time I see'd her, she 'us gwine out de gate.
I wus feedin' at de stable, lookin' out through a crack,
An' she lef' my log cabin 'fore I could git back.

On a Sund'y mornin', as I laid on my bed,
I didn' have no Nigger wife to bother my head.
Now whisky an' brandy jug's my biges' bes' friend,
An' my long week's wuk is about at its end.

(1882 liquor ad)

Kohut. Dic mihi: quid est unus?

This comes from an old booklet by George Alexander Kohut: Some Passover rhymes and their parallels. The complete Latin is below, and for the English I've just included the top verse.

This is ATU 2010 Ehad mi yodea.

DIC MIHI: QUID EST UNUS?

TELL ME: WHAT IS ONE?

Tell me, what are TWELVE?
Twelve Apostles,
Eleven Stars, seen by Joseph,
Ten Commandments of God,
Nine Angel choirs,
Eight Beatitudes,
Seven Sacraments,
Six urns of wine at the marriage feast in Galilee,
Five Books of Moses,
Four Evangelists,
Three Patriarchs,
Two Testaments,
ONE IS GOD, who reigns in Heaven.

(by William Blake)

Dic mihi: quid est unus?
Unus est Deus,
Qui regnat in coelis.

Dic mihi: quid sunt duo?
Duo sunt testamenta,
Unus est Deus,
   Qui regnat in coelis.

Dic mihi: quid sunt tres?
Tres sunt patriarchae,
Duo sunt testamenta,
Unus est Deus,
   Qui regnat in coelis.

Dic mihi: quid sunt quatuor?
Quatuor evangelistae,
Tres sunt patriarchae,
Duo sunt testamenta,
Unus est Deus,
   Qui regnat in coelis.

Dic mihi: quid sunt quinque?
Quinque libri Moisis,
Quatuor evangelistae,
Tres sunt patriarchae,
Duo sunt testamenta,
Unus est Deus,
   Qui regnat in coelis.

Dic mihi: quid sunt sex?
Sex sunt hydriae,
   Positae in Cana Galileae,
Quinque libri Moisis,
Quatuor evangelistae,
Tres sunt patriarchae,
Duo sunt testamenta,
Unus est Deus,
   Qui regnat in coelis.

Dic mihi: quid sunt septem?
Septem sacramenta,
Sex sunt hydriae,
   Positae in Cana Galileae,
Quinque libri Moisis,
Quatuor evangelistae,
Tres sunt patriarchae,
Duo sunt testamenta,
Unus est Deus,
   Qui regnat in coelis.

Dic mihi: quid sunt octo?
Octo beatitudines,
Septem sacramenta,
Sex sunt hydriae,
   Positae in Cana Galileae,
Quinque libri Moisis,
Quatuor evangelistae,
Tres sunt patriarchae,
Duo sunt testamenta,
Unus est Deus,
   Qui regnat in coelis.

Dic mihi: quid sunt novem?
Novem angelorum chori,
Octo beatitudines,
Septem sacramenta,
Sex sunt hydriae,
   Positae in Cana Galileae,
Quinque libri Moisis,
Quatuor evangelistae,
Tres sunt patriarchae,
Duo sunt testamenta,
Unus est Deus,
   Qui regnat in coelis.

Dic mihi: quid sunt decem?
Decem mandata Dei,
Novem angelorum chori,
Octo beatitudines,
Septem sacramenta,
Sex sunt hydriae,
   Positae in Cana Galileae,
Quinque libri Moisis,
Quatuor evangelistae,
Tres sunt patriarchae,
Duo sunt testamenta,
Unus est Deus,
   Qui regnat in coelis.

Dic mihi: quid sunt undecim?
Undecim stellae,
  A Josepho visae,
Decem mandata Dei,
Novem angelorum chori,
Octo beatitudines,
Septem sacramenta,
Sex sunt hydriae,
   Positae in Cana Galileae,
Quinque libri Moisis,
Quatuor evangelistae,
Tres sunt patriarchae,
Duo sunt testamenta,
Unus est Deus,
   Qui regnat in coelis.

Dic mihi: quid duodecim?
Duodecim apostoli,
Undecim stellae,
  A Josepho visae,
Decem mandata Dei,
Novem angelorum chori,
Octo beatitudines,
Septem sacramenta,
Sex sunt hydriae,
   Positae in Cana Galileae,
Quinque libri Moisis,
Quatuor evangelistae,
Tres sunt patriarchae,
Duo sunt testamenta,
Unus est Deus,
   Qui regnat in coelis.