[WARNING: This song contains antiquated racial stereotypes. It is presented here for historical and educational purposes only.]
a great old 1862 minstrel song that marches right along
words and music by Henry Clay Work
From the book Popular Songs of Nineteenth Century America: “The events pictured in the song, casually referred to by Root as “comical situations,” are grim and bitterly satiric. Work was not unacquainted with the realities of slave life: his abolitionist father was an active participant in helping runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad and their home in Illinois was a “station”; the father served a jail sentence for his activities.”
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The sheet music:
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Accompaniment:
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Lyrics
1. Say, darkeys, hab hab you seen de massa
Wid de muffstash on his face
Go long de road some time dis mornin’
Like he gwine to leab de place?
He seen a smoke, way up de ribber
Whar de Lincum gumboats lay
He took his hat, an’ he lef berry sudden
An’ I spec he’s run away
Chorus
De massa run? ha, ha!
De darkey stay? ho, ho!
It mus’ be now de kingdom comin’
An’ de year ob Jubilo
2. Ho six foot one way, two foot tudder
An’ he weigh tree hundred pound
His coat so big, he couldn’t pay de tailor
An’ it won’t go half way round
He drill so much dey call him Cap’an
An´ he get so drefful tann’d
I spec he try an’ fool dem Yankees
For to tink he’s contraband
3. De darkeys feel so lonesome libbing
In de log house on de lawn
Dey move dar tings to massa’s parlor
For to keep it while he’s gone
Dar’s wine an’ cider in de kitchen
An’ the darkeys, dey’ll hab some
I spose dey’ll all be cornfiscated
When de Linkum sojers come
4. De oberseer he makes us trouble
An’ he dribe us round a spell
We lock him up in de smokehouse cellar
Wid de key trown in de well
De whip is lost, his han’cuff broken
But de master’ll hab his pay
He’s ole enough, big enough, ought to known better
Dan to went an’ run away
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Sung here by Fred Feild: