Šrift:Väiksem АаSuurem Aa
Kiss Me Quick and Go
The other night while I was sparking
Sweet Turlina Spray,
The more we whisper’d our love talking,
The more we had to say;
The old folks and the little folks
We thought were fast in bed, —
We heard a footstep on the stairs,
And what d’ye think she said?
CHORUS
“Oh! kiss me quick and go my honey,
Kiss me quick and go!
To cheat surprise and prying eyes,
Why kiss me quick and go!”
Soon after that I gave my love
A moonlight promenade,
At last we fetch’d up to the door
Just where the old folks stay’d;
The clock struck twelve, her heart struck two (too).
And peeping over head
We saw a night-cap raise the blind,
And what d’ye think she said?
Oh! kiss me quick and go my honey, &c
One Sunday night we sat together,
Sighing side by side,
Just like two wilted leaves of cabbage
In the sunshine fried;
My heart with love was nigh to split
To ask her for to wed,
Said I: “Shall I go for the priest,”
And what d’ye think she said?
Oh! kiss me quick and go my honey, &c
ANNIE LAURIE
Maxwelton Braes are bonnie,
Where early fa’s the dew,
And it’s there that Annie Laurie
Gie’d me her promise true;
Gie’d me her promise true,
Which ne’er forget will be;
And for bonnie Annie Laurie
I’d lay me doune and dee.
Her brow is like the snaw-drift —
Her throat is like the swan,
Her face it is the fairest
That e’er the sun shone on —
That e’er the sun shone on —
And dark blue is her e’e;
And for bonnie Annie Laurie
I’d lay me doune and dee.
Like dew on the gowan lying,
Is the fa’ o’ her fairy feet,
And like the winds in summer sighing,
Her voice is low and sweet,
Her voice is low and sweet,
And she’s a’ the world to me;
And for bonnie Annie Laurie
I’d lay me doune and dee.
Nelly was a Lady
Down on de Mississippi floating,
Long time I trabble on de way
All night de cotton-wood a toting,
Sing for my true lub all de day.
CHORUS
Nelly was a lady,
Last night she died;
Toll de bell for lubly Nell,
My dark Virginny bride.
Now I’m unhappy and I’m weeping,
Can’t tote de cotton-wood no more:
Last night, while Nelly was a sleeping,
Death came a knocking at de door.
Nelly was a lady, &c
When I saw my Nelly in de morning
Smile till she open’d up her eyes,
Seem’d like de light ob day a dawning
Jist for de sun begin to rise.
Nelly was a lady, &c
Close by de margin ob de water,
Whar de lone weeping-willow grows
Dar lib’d Virginny’s lubly daughter,
Dar she in death may find repose.
Nelly was a lady, &c
Down in de meadow ’mong the clober,
Walk wid my Nelly by my side:
Now all dem happy days am ober, —
Farewell, my dark Virginny bride,
Nelly was a lady, &c
Down the River
Oh! the river is up, and the channel is deep,
And the wind blows steady and strong;
Let the splash of your oars the measure keep,
As we row the old boat along.
Oh! the water is bright, and flashing like gold,
In the ray of the morning sun,
And old Dinah’s away up out of the cold,
A getting the hoe-cake done.
Oh! the river is up, and the channel is deep,
And the wind blows steady and strong;
Let the splash of your oars the measure keep,
As we row the old boat along.
Chorus.– Down the river, down the river,
Down the Ohio;
Down the river, down the river,
Down the Ohio.
Chorus repeated
Oh! the master is proud of the old broad-horn,
For it brings him plenty of tin;
Oh! the crew they are darkies, the cargo is corn,
And the money comes tumbling in.
There is plenty on board for the darkies to eat,
And there’s something to drink and to smoke;
There’s the banjo, the bones, and the tambourine,
There’s the song, and the comical joke.
Oh! the river is up, and the channel is deep,
And the wind blows steady and strong;
Let the splash of your oars the measure keep,
As we row the old boat along.
Chorus.– Down the river, &c
Have you seen my Sister?
Say, my lovely friends, have you any pity
At your finger-ends? then listen to my ditty.
Our Kate has gone away, last Thursday night we miss’d her;
Good people do not smile, – say, Have you seen my sister?
If you have her seen, I hope you will advise her
To return to me, or I must advertise her;
Her waist is very thick, her stays give her a twister,
Now tell me, b’hoys and g’hals, Have you seen my sister?
She squints with both her eyes, in a manner very shocking,
She’s got a mouth for pies, and wears no shoes or stockings;
I’m afraid she’s gone astray, and some chap did enlist her,
I’m afraid she’s gone for good; say, Have you seen my sister?
She wants her two front teeth, you’d see it when she’d titter.
She’s got such little feet, Victoria’s shoes won’t fit her;
She wears no cap at all, but a great big muslin whister,
Now tell me once for all, Have you seen my sister?
Her figure’s straight and tall, her conduct’s very proper;
She’s well provided, for she’s eighteen pence in copper.
Now if you have her seen, you never could forget her,
For she’s very much like me; now, Have you seen my sister?
Her mouth is very small, her nose is straight and natty,
I tell you once for all, this girl is very pretty
Now I’ll sing you another song, and it shall be a twister,
If you will go with me, and help me find my sister.
Bob Ridley
Now white folks I’ll sing you a ditty,
I’se from home, but dat’s no pity,
Oh, to praise myself it am a shame,
But Robert Ridley is my name.
CHORUS
Oh, Bob Ridley ho, Oh, Bob Ridley ho,
Oh, Bob Ridley! Oh! Oh!! Oh!!!
ROBERT RIDLEY HO!
Oh, white folks I hab cross’d de mountains
How many miles I didn’t count ’em,
Oh, I’se left de folks at de old plantation
An’ come down here for my edecation.
Oh, Bob Ridley ho, &c
De first time dat I eber got a licken,
’Twas down at de forks ob de cotton picken;
Oh! it made me dance, it made me tremble,
I golly, it made my eyeballs jingle.
Oh, Bob Ridley ho, &c
New York City am a mighty fine one,
For beauty and location it ain’t behind none;
Oh! de ladies all look so sweet and gidley,
Wonder dey don’t fall in love wid old Bob Ridley.
Oh, Bob Ridley ho, &c
Kate Kearney
Oh! did you ne’er hear of Kate Kearney?
She lives on the banks of Killarney:
From the glance of her eye, shun danger and fly,
For fatal’s the glance of Kate Kearney.
For that eye is so modestly beaming,
You ne’er think of mischief she’s dreaming;
Yet, oh! I can tell, how fatal’s the spell,
That lurks in the eye of Kate Kearney.
O should you e’er meet this Kate Kearnev,
Who lives on the bank of Killarney,
Beware of her smile, for many a wile
Lies hid in the smile of Kate Kearney.
Though she looks so bewitchingly simple,
Yet there’s mischief in every dimple;
And who dares inhale her sigh’s spicy gale,
Must die by the breath of Kate Kearney.
Answer to Kate Kearney
Oh, yes, I have seen this Kate Kearney,
Who lives near the lake of Killarney;
From her love-beaming eye, what mortal can fly,
Unsubdued by the glance of Kate Kearney?
For that eye so seducingly meaning,
Assures me of mischief she’s dreaming;
And I feel ’tis in vain to fly from the chain
That binds me to lovely Kate Kearney.
At eve when I’ve met this Kate Kearney,
On the flower-mantled banks of Killarney,
Her smile would impart thrilling joy to my heart,
As I gaz’d on the charming Kate Kearney.
On the banks of Killarney reclining,
My bosom to rapture resigning,
I’ve felt the keen smart of love’s fatal dart,
And inhal’d the warm sigh of Kate Kearney.
Home Again
Home again, home again,
From a foreign shore;
And, oh, it fills my soul with joy,
To meet my friends once more
Here I dropp’d the parting tear,
To cross the ocean’s foam;
But now I’m once again with those
Who kindly greet me home.
Home again, &c
Happy hearts, happy hearts,
With mine have laugh’d in glee,
But, oh, the friends I loved in youth
Seem happier to me.
And if my guide should be the fate
Which bids me longer roam,
But death alone can break the tie
That binds my heart to home
Home again, &c
Music sweet, music soft,
Lingers round the place;
And, oh, I feel the childhood charm,
That time can not afface.
Then give me but my homestead roof,
I’ll ask no palace dome;
For I can live a happy life
With those I love at home.
Home again, &c
Gentle Jennie Gray
My heart is sad, I’ll tell you why,
If you’ll listen to my lay,
Which makes me weep, when I sing
Of my gentle Jennie Gray;
But I never can forget the days,
When with Jennie by my side,
We talk’d of love and happiness,
When she should be my bride.
Chorus.– Hush the banjo, toll the bell,
I’m very sad to-day,
I can not work, so let me weep,
For my gentle Jennie Gray.
My Jennie had the sweetest face,
And eyes of sparkling jet,
With lips like new-born roses,
She was my darling pet;
But Death he called one morning,
And took my love away,
And left me lonely weeping,
For my gentle Jennie Gray.
Chorus.– Hush the banjo, &c
And in the ground they laid her,
Close by my cabin door;
A rude stone marks the spot,
Where she sleeps to wake no more;
While at her grave I’m weeping,
At every close of day,
I fancy then, she’s sleeping,
And not dead! my Jennie Gray.
Chorus.– Hush the banjo, &c
Faded Flowers
Copied by permission of Russell & Tolman, 291 Washington St., Boston, owners of the copyright
The flowers I saw in the wild wood,
Have since dropp’d their beautiful leaves,
And the many dear friends of my childhood,
Have slumber’d for years in their graves;
But the bloom of the flowers I remember,
Though their smiles I shall never more see,
For the cold, chilly winds of December
Stole my flowers, my companions, from me.
The roses may bloom on the morrow,
And many dear friends I have won,
But my heart can part with but sorrow,
When I think of the ones that are gone.
’Tis no wonder that I am broken-heart’d
And stricken with sorrow should be,
For we have met, we have loved, we have part’d,
My flowers, my companions, and me.
How dark looks this world, and how dreary,
When we part from the ones that we love,
But there’s rest for the faint and the weary,
And friends meet with lost ones above;
But in heaven I can but remember,
When from earth my proud soul shall be free,
That no chilly winds of December,
Shall steal my companions from me.
Hard Times
Listen awhile and give ear to my song
Concerning these hard times, ’twill not take you long,
How every one tries each other to bite,
And in cheating each other they think they do right.
Nothing but hard times.
There are some young men, which you very well know,
To see pretty girls they are sure to go;
The old folks will giggle, they will laugh, and they’ll grin,
Crying, “Use him well, Sal, or he’ll not come again.”
The baker will cheat you in the bread that you eat,
And so will the butcher, in the weight of his meat;
He’ll tip up the steelyards, and make them go down,
And swears it is weight, when it lacks a half pound.
The next are the ladies, the sweet little dears,
At the balls and the parties, how nice they appear;
With whalebones and corsets themselves they will squeeze,
You have to unlace them before they can sneeze.
Next is the tinker, he’ll mend all your ware,
For little or nothing, some ale or some beer;
But before he begins, he’ll get half drunk or more,
And in stopping one hole, why he’ll punch twenty more.
The judge on his bench, so honest and true,
He’ll stare at a man, as though he’d look him through;
He’ll send him a year or six months to the jail,
And for five dollars more, why he’ll go your bail.
Then next is the doctor, he’ll cure all your ills,
With his puffs and his powders, his syrups, and squills,
He’ll give you a dose that will make you grow fat,
Or some pills that will leave you but your boots and your hat.
The ladies must all have their silks and their laces,
And things they call bonnets, to show off their faces;
But their figure, however, can never be seen,
For they are hoop’d like a barrel, with French crinoline.
The last is the sheriff, who thinks himself wise,
He’ll come to your house with a big pack of lies;
He’ll take all your property that he can sell,
And get drunk on the money, that’s doing right well,
In these hard times.