I didn’t make but a bushel o’ corn
An’ some damn rascal stoled it.
I had ol’ back-band,
It was made out o’ leather;
Kept me all the doggone time
Keepin’ it sewed together.
One of the bad man songs listed in [Chapter IV] was Dupree, of which two versions were presented. The following song was sung by a young Negro recently from the chain gang. It purports to be a song made up by Dupree while in prison. As a matter of fact it is a composite jumble composed largely while being sung. It illustrates well the general situation in which any song of any sort will do just as well as any other.
Dupree’s Jail Song
I don’t want no coal-black woman for my regular,
Give me brown, Lawd, Lawd, give me brown.