[WARNING: contains the N-word. Original presented as part of music history.]
A Mississippi Cat-Fish Nig
a 1896 popular song
words by R. A. Browne
music by Chas Coleman
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by Benjamin R. Tubb:
Lyrics
1. Once a little yaller nigger sat a fishin’ on a dock
A fishin’ for de fishes down below
And he waited fo’ an hour, but he nebber got a bite
De catchin’ it was mighty, mighty slow
Den dis little yaller nigger got disgusted with his luck
As he felt a drowsy feeling o’er him creep
So he tied the line onto his foot to wake him up in time
Den he curled himself up and he went to sleep
Chorus
Down on de banks ob de Mississippi Ribber
Down on de ribber shore
Dere is just anudder nigger gone to Hebben, dat’s all
An’ he’ll nebber go a fishin’ any more
2. On de bottom ob de ribber snoopin’ round about de mud
Was a daddy fish ob most de biggest size
Nebber thinkin’ of de little nigger fishin’ up above
‘Till he saw de bait before his very eyes
Den he flipped his tail and fins, and gaily winked his other eye
And he said “Dere is my dinner, sure as sin”
Den he gave a little nibble, an’ he swallow’d hook and all
And he pulled so hard he pulled de nigger in
3. When de mornin’ came, de neighbors walkin’ down de ribber shore
Found de fish and found de little nigger, too
Tangled up and both together in de Mississippi mud
How it happen’d no one ever really knew
And a question’s nebber answer’d in dat little darkey town
Tho’ to solve it is each neighbor’s earnest wish
The conundrum, if the fish had caught de little yaller nig
Or de little yaller nig had caught de fish
Sung here by Fred Feild: