Speers, M. W. F., “Negro Songs and Folk-Lore,” Journal of American Folk-Lore, vol. 23, pp. 435-439. One religious and one secular song.

Steward, T. G., “Negro Imagery,” New Republic, vol. 12, p. 248. One religious improvisation, with discussion.

Thanet, Octave, “Cradle Songs of Negroes in North Carolina,” Journal of American Folk-Lore, vol. 7, p. 310. Two lullabies.

Truitt, Florence, “Songs from Kentucky,” Journal of American Folk-Lore, vol. 36, pp. 376-379. Four white songs, one of which contains several verses often found in Negro songs.

Webb, W. P., “Notes on Folk-Lore of Texas,” Journal of American Folk-Lore, vol. 28, pp. 290-299. Five secular songs.

INDEX TO SONGS

PAGE
A Creeper’s Been ’Roun’ Dis Do’[149]
A Nigger’s Hard to Fool[180]
A Vampire of Your Own[143]
All Boun’ in Prison[79]
All Right[109]
All Us Niggers ’hind de Bars[87]
Angels Lookin’ at Me[198]
Baby, Why Don’t You Treat Me Right?[148]
Bad Man Lazarus[50]
Bear Cat Down in Georgia[121]
Berda, You Come Too Soon[128]
Better’n I Has at Home[85]
Billy Bob Russell[54]
Bloodhoun’ on My Track[66]
Bolin Jones[62]
Boys, Put Yo’ Hands on It[107]
Buffalo Bill[67]
Can Any One Take Sweet Mama’s Place?[156]
Captain, Captain, Let Wheelers Roll[102]
Captain, I’ll Be Gone[100]
Captain, I Wanta Go Home[45]
Casey Jones[126]
Chain Gang Blues[78]
Chicken Never Roost Too High fo’ Me[133]
Co’n Bread[181]
Creepin’ ’Roun’[63]
Daddy Mine[155]
Darlin’, Get on de Road[132]
Das ’Nough Said[130]
Dat Brown Gal Baby Done Turn Me Down[137]
Dat Chocolate Man[161]
Dat Leadin’ Houn’[67]
Dat Nigger o’ Mine Don’t Love Me No Mo’[162]
Dat Sly Gal[164]
De Chocolate Gal[153]
De Co’t House in de Sky[184]
De Devil’s Been to My House[193]
De Goat’s Got a Smell[131]
De Mulatto Gal[153]
De Woman Am de Cause of It All
A[142]
B[143]
De Women Don’t Love Me No Mo’[141]
Dem Chain Gang Houn’s[86]
Dem Longin’, Wantin’ Blues[162]
Dem Turrible Red Hot Blues[130]
Dere’s a Lizzie After My Man[163]
Dere’s Misery in Dis Lan’[161]
Dew-Drop Mine[149]
Dey Got Each and de Udder’s Man[144]
Dey’s Hangin’ ’roun’ Her Do’[148]
Diamond Joe[130]
Didn’t Ol’ Pharaoh Get Lost?[191]
Dig-a My Grave Wid a Silver Spade[129]
Don’t Fool Wid Me[63]
Don’t Wanta See Her No Mo’[137]
Don’t You Give Me No Cornbread[105]
Don’t You Hear?[68]
Don’t You Two-time Me[156]
Dove Came Down by the Foot of My Bed[127]
Dupree[55]
Dupree’s Jail Song[123]
Dupree Tol’ Betty[57]
Everybody Call Me the Wages Man[116]
“Free Labor” Gang Song[90]
Give Me a Teasin’ Brown[146]
Go ’Long Mule[177]
Goin’ Back to de Gang[86]
Goin’ Down Dat Lonesome Road[46]
Gonna Turn Back Pharaoh’s Army[191]
Good Lawd, I Am Troubled[192]
Good Morning, Mr. Epting[171]
Goodby, Sing Hallelu[205]
Goodby, Sookie[131]
Got Me in the Calaboose[76]
Great Scots, You Don’t Know What to Do[132]
Gwine to Git a Home By an’ By[176]
Have Everlastin’ Life[194]
He Got My Gal[151]
He-i-Heira[92]
He Run Me In[131]
He Tuck Her Away[149]
He Wus de Gov’nor of Our Clan[127]
Help Me Drive ’Em[109]
Hi, Jenny, Ho, Jenny Johnson[185]
Home Again, Home Again[150]
Honey Baby[145]
Hot Flambotia an’ Coffee Strong[112]
Hump-back Mule[179]
I Ain’t Done Nothin’[69]
I Ain’t Free[71]
I Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Make a Fool Out o’ Me[128]
I Ain’t No Stranger[159]
I Am Ready For de Fight[64]
I Belong to Steel-drivin’ Crew[110]
I Bid You a Long Farewell[197]
I Brung a Gal From Tennessee[137]
I Calls My Jesus King Emanuel[205]
I Can’t Keep From Cryin’[40]
I Done Sol’ My Soul to de Devil[158]
I Don’t Feel Welcome Here[164]
I Don’t Love Him No Mo’[162]
I Don’t Mind Bein’ in Jail[77]
I Don’t Want No Trouble Wid de Walker[113]
I Don’t Want No Cornbread[114]
I Don’t Want You All to Grieve After Me[197]
I Got a Gal an’ I Can’t Git Her[147]
I Got a Letter, Captain[82]
I Got a Letter From My Man[158]
I Got a Muley[120]
I Got Another Daddy[165]
I Got Chickens on My Back[128]
I Got My Man[150]
I Love Jesus[195]
I Never Will Turn Back[200]
I Rather Be in My Grave[38]
I Steal Dat Corn[68]
I Tol’ My Cap’n That My Feet Was Col’[102]
I Wants to Go to Heaven[203]
I Went to de Jail House[79]
I Went to See My Gal[147]
I Wish I Was Dead[39]
I Wish I Was Single Again[163]
If Dere’s a Man in de Moon[143]
If I Can Git to Georgia Line[75]
If I’d A-known My Cap’n Was Blin’[101]
If You Want to See a Pretty Girl[145]
I’m a Natural-bo’n Ram’ler[65]
I’m Comin’ Back[85]
I’m de Hot Stuff Man[65]
I’m de Rough Stuff[69]
I’m Fishin’ Boun’[181]
I’m Goin’ Back Home[96]
I’m Goin’ Home, Buddie[43]
I’m Goin’ On[112]
I’m Goin’ Out West[124]
I’m Gonna Get Me Another Man[165]
I’m Gonna Have Me a Red Ball All My Own[132]
In de Mornin’ Soon[201]
I’s a Natural-bo’n Eastman[68]
I’s Done Spot My Nigger[150]
I’s Dreamin’ of You[154]
I’s Gonna Shine[204]
I’s Havin’ a Hell of a Time[138]
I’s Swingin’ in de Swinger[204]
Jail House Wail[73]
Jes’ Behol’ What a Number[194]
Jes’ Fer a Day[87]
John Henry (See [Chapter XIII])[221]-[240]
Judge Gonna Sentence Us So Long[80]
Julia Long[125]
July’s for the Red-bug[106]
Kitty Kimo[187]
Lawd, She Keep on Worryin’ Me[136]
Lawd, Lawd, I’m on My Way[46]
Lawdy, What I Gonna Do?[139]
Layin’ Low[62]
Left Wing Gordon (See [Chapter XII])[206]-[221]
Long, Tall, Brown-skin Girl[146]
Lookin’ Over in Georgia[121]
Mammy-in-law Done Turn Me Out[141]
Missus in de Big House[117]
Mule on the Mountain[119]
My Black Jack[155]
My Gal’s a High Bo’n Lady[145]
My Girl She’s Gone and Left Me[136]
My Home Ain’t Here, Captain[98]
My Jane[144]
My Man Am a Slap-stick Man[156]
My Man He Got in Trouble[81]
Never Turn Back[107]
No Coon But You[183]
No More[108]
Nothin’ to Keep[115]
O Buckeye Rabbit[110]
O Captain, Captain[94]
O Lawd, Mamie[91]
Oh, de Gospel Train’s A-comin’[202]
Occupied[164]
Ol’ Black Mariah[87]
On de Road Somewhere[155]
On My Las’ Go-’round[128]
Out in de Cabin[131]
Outran Dat Cop[67]
Pharaoh’s Army Got Drownded[190]
Pity Po’ Boy[38]
Please, Mr. Conductor[44]
Po’ Homeless Boy[43]
Po’ Little Girl Grievin’[41]
Po’ Nigger Got Nowhere to Go[39]
Prisoner’s Song[83]
Pull off Dem Shoes I Bought You[140]
Pullman Porter[186]
Rain or Shine[129]
Raise a Rukus Tonight
A[173]
B[174]
C[174]
Reason I Stay on Job So Long[112]
Reuben[66]
Roscoe Bill[62]
Save Me, Lawd[196]
Section Boss[93]
Shanghai Rooster[134]
She’s Got Another Daddy[151]
Ship My Po’ Body Home[37]
Shoot, Good God, Shoot![87]
Shoot That Buffalo[123]
Shootin’ Bill[63]
Shot My Pistol in the Heart o’ Town[70]
Since I Laid My Burden Down[201]
Slim Jim From Dark-town Alley[64]
Some o’ Dese Days[139]
Some o’ These Days[202]
Stewball Was a Racer[133]
’Taint as Bad as I Said[75]
Take Me Back Home[44]
That Liar[168]
That Ol’ Letter[43]
The Judge He Sentence Me[82]
The Sanctified[195]
This Ol’ Hammer[111]
Throw Myself Down in de Sea[38]
Travelin’ Man[59]
Trouble All My Days[40]
Turn Yo’ Damper Down[126]
U-h, U-h, Lawdy[110]
War Jubilee Song[169]
Wash My Overhalls[126]
’Way Up in the Mountain[104]
We Are Climbin’ Jacob’s Ladder[111]
We Will Kneel ’Roun’ de Altar[193]
What Can the Matter Be?[160]
What You Gonna Do?[195]
When He Grin[69]
When I Git Home[203]
When I Lay My Burden Down[200]
When I Wore My Ap’on Low[157]
When I’s Dead an’ Gone[197]
Who Built de Ark?[191]
Whoa, Mule[179]
Who’s Goin’ to Buy Your Whiskey?[129]
Will I Git Back Home?[45]
Woke up Wid My Back to the Wall[84]
Worried Anyhow[160]
Wring Jing Had a Little Ding[175]
Yonder Come de Devil[130]
You Calls Me in de Mornin’[129]
You Mus’ Shroud My Body[199]
You Take de Stockin’, I Take de Sock[140]
You Take de Yaller, I Take de Black[146]

Transcriber’s Notes

The text has been transcribed verbatim from the source document, including inconsistencies and (phonetic representations of) dialects and speech and pejorative and offensive language.