[WARNING: This song contains antiquated racial stereotypes. It is presented here for historical and educational purposes only.]
A popular song from 1906
Words by James W. Johnson
Music by Rosamund Johnson
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
- One gloomy night down thro’ the woods
Old Moses Jenkins went
He had a dog and so it seemed
He was on ‘Possum bent
They sneaked along and soon the dog
Barked up a ‘simmon tree
Old Moses said, “Dat sholy means
Some possum meat for me”
He quickly climbed the tree
But just imagine his surprise
When not a possum, but a bear
Loomed up before his eyes
The bear he growled, and seemed to say
“No Mose ‘twixt you and me
We’ll argue out the question
As to which one owns this tree”
But Moses cried in haste
“Lord, I ain’t got a minute to waste”
Chorus
“Dis ain’t no time for an argument
Dat’s plain as plain can be
Jes gimme a chance for to hit de ground
And you can have de tree
‘Cause bear and possum meat, you see
Never did taste alike to me
Dis ain’t no time for an argument
Mister Bear farewell to thee
- Another night Mose had a dream
About a pot of gold
To dig at twelve o’clock at night
By a big tree he was told
He took a spade and went to work
He dug thro’ clay and rocks
A smile spread over Moses
When he struck a big long box
But when he took the cover off
His blood got freezing cold
For in that box he saw some things
That did not look like gold
Just then a ghostly form appeared
And said in chilling tones
“Now Moses, we will argue
And I’ll prove these are my bones”
Mose said as he begun
For to get himself together to run
Chorus
“Dis ain’t no time for an argument
Dat’s plain as plain can be
You say dese bones belong to you
Wid dat I will agree
If you wanter argue wid me ‘about dese bones
We’ll use long distance telephones
Dis ain’t no time for an argument
Mister Ghost farewell to thee