I seed de bushes moobin’, an’ I heahd uh leetle larf;
’Twuz den de dog cum ter de tree an’ made uh monstus fuss,
An’ what wuz in dat ’simmon tree wuz wuss dan scanalous.
At fus’ I tho’t hit wuz uh owl, but coon dogs don’ tree owls,
An’ Traveler wuz too skeer’d ter bark, ’twuz jes’ uh stream ub howls;
So den I look up in de tree, an’ settin’ ’pon uh lim’,
Wuz uh cunnin’ leetle niggah, sorter hummin’ ub uh hymn.
I saw ’twuz leetle Ezzy feedin’ on dem ’simmons ripe—
De night befo’ he’d tole “De composation ub de snipe;”
He al’ays spressify hissef in sech uh cutesome way