[WARNING: This song contains antiquated racial stereotypes. It is presented here for historical and educational purposes only.]
A celebrated Ethiopian song, 1848.
Words and music by J. H. Burdett.
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by Benjamin R. Tubb:
Lyrics
1. O hark and I will tell you afore it gets too late
The circumstance dat griebs me so ob my poor Dinahs fate
I lub’d Miss Dinah Crow. She pleg’d her lub to me;
a couple dat lub’d more dan us, none ob you ‘ere did see.
Chorus
Oh Dinah! Oh! Dinah!
Oh! lubly Dinah Crow,
The many tears I’ve shed for you
No udder darkies know.
2. One night I axed my Dinah if she wid me would go
A sailing cross the ribber to see my father Joe,
When on de way so pleasant, so happy and so gay
My Dinah she fell overboard and on de botom lay.
3. I jumped into de ribber, my Dinah to obtain.
She say “farewell, I’m dying.” She neber spake again.
Wid heaby heart I dig a grabe and softly laid her down,
I strew it o’er wid flowers sweet and dar I sat and mourn.
4. From dat day to the present, my heart it sobs and beats,
And when dat day comes once a year, I nebber nebber eats;
But wid eye all full ob sorrow, unto her grabe I go,
And softly dar I whisper, ‘come to me Dinah Crow