Thursday, August 31, 2006

Blackface Minstrelsy

Here's two minstrel songs for those who are interested.

They're from The New Negro Forget-Me-Not Songster: Containing All the New Negro Songs Ever Published with a Choice Collection of Ballad Songs Now Sung in Concerts, Cincinnati: Stratton & Barnard, 121 Main St., published in 1848.

You should notice the joy taken in the suffering of my old dad in the first song. What looks noticeable about the second song?

My Ole Dad As sung by Barney Williams, at the Chatham Theatre, New York

Oh Dandy Jim am sun to death,
An Ole Dan Tucker’s out ob breath,
Something new am good, although its bad,
I’ll sing you a song about my Ole Dad.
Ole dad, old dad, my ole dad,
He took a swim all alone,
He swims like a feather,
An’ dives like a stone
My ole dad went out to swim,
He hung his self on a hickory limb,
He dived his clothes in the stream instead,
An’ dey swimmed away from my ole dad.
Ole dad, ole dad, my ole dad.
He took me to swim all alone,
He swims like a feather
An’ dives like a stone
His great slipstake ole dad did see,
An tried to pick himself from de tree,
But de limb broke off in de stream quite mad,
Down to de bottom went my old dad.
Ole dad, ole dad, &c.
He came up twice to find his clothes,
Den down to de bottom ‘gin he goes,
De clothes got soaked like pickled shad,
An’ down dey went arter my ole dad,
Ole dad, ole, dad, &c.

My ole Missus ‘sprest her wish
Dat I would go an’ cotch some fish,
I baited my hook to ketch a shad,
De first fish bite was my old dad.
Ole dad, ole dad, &c.
I hooked him by de underjaw,
And near de top his wool head draw
An’ eb’ry rag ob clothes he had
Was on de body ob my old dad.
Ole dad, ole dad, &c.
I pulled away with all my mout,
To fish de poor old nigger out,
De fish pole broke, “kase he’d swelled so bad,
Down like a dead hoss went old dad,Ole dad, ole dad, &c.
An now de ole man’s back you know,
He’ll print his travels down below,
But if he makes things worse den bad,
De debil will come for my old dad.
Ole dad, ole dad, &c.

Mrs. Tucker, 17-18
On Nigger Hill, as I’ve hearn tell
A darky woman dar did dwell,
From New Orleans dey say she came,
And Mrs. Tucker is her name.
Git out ob de way,
Git out ob de way,
Git out ob de way, Mrs. Tucker,
What you gwain to hab for supper.
Mrs. Tucker and my aunt Sally
Both lib down in Shinbone alley,
Names on de gate, and number on de deer,
First house ober de grocery store.
Get out ob de way, &c

Mrs. Tucker is big and fat,
Her face is black as my old cat,
Her eyes stick out, her nose sticks in,
Her under lip hang ober her chin.
Git out ob de way, &c

Mrs. Tucker is just eighty-nine,
Her hair hangs down like oakum twine,
Her face so black is shines in de dark,
Her eyes shine like a charcoal spark.
Git out ob de way, &c.

Mrs. Tucker went out one day
To ride wid Dan in a one horse sleigh,
De slay was broke, de horse was blind,
He had no hair on his tail behind.
Git out ob de way, &c

She came home drunk, to de bed she reel,
She put her night-cap on her heel,
She blows out de light, and shut her eyes,
And snore away until de sun does rise.

Git out ob de way, &c.Mrs. Tucker’s heel so long
She ploughs de street as she goes along,
De city marshal say one day
When she goes out she must say
Git out ob de way, &c
We started jis as de clock struck one,
De horse jumped an’ begun to run,
De horse fell down, de sleigh upset,
I haven’t seen Mrs Tucker yet.
Git out ob de way
Git out ob de way,
Git out ob de way, Mrs. Tucker,

What are gwain gto hab for supper.

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