They all joined hands, and made a ring around one who stood in the middle, and then began to dance around in a circle, singing,
“I ac’ monkey moshuns, too-re-loo;
I ac’ monkey moshuns, so I do;
I ac’ ’em well, an’ dat’s er fac’—I ac’ jes like dem monkeys ac’.
“I ac’ gemmun moshuns, too-re-loo;
I ac’ gemmun moshuns, so I do;
I ac’ ’em well, an’ dat’s er fac’—I ac’ jes like dem gemmums ac’.
“I ac’ lady moshuns, too-re-loo;
I ac’ lady moshuns, so I do;
I ac’ ’em well, an’ dat’s er fac’—I ac’ jes like dem ladies ac’.
“I ac’ chil’en moshuns, too-re-loo;
I ac’ chil’en moshuns, so I do;
I ac’ ’em well, an’ dat’s er fac’
I ac’ jes like dem chil’ens ac’.
“I ac’ preacher moshuns, too-re-loo;
I ac’ preacher moshuns, so I do;
I ac’ ’em well, an’ dat’s er fac’—I ac’ jes like dem preachers ac’.
“I ac’ nigger moshuns, too-re-loo;
I ac’ nigger moshuns, so I do;
I ac’ ’em well, an’ dat’s er fac’—I ac’ jes like dem niggers ac’.”
The song had a lively air, and Jim picked the accompaniment on the banjo. Many of the negroes had good voices, and the singing was indeed excellent.
While the dancers were singing the first verse, “I ac’ monkey moshuns,” the one in the middle would screw up his face and hump his shoulders in the most grotesque manner, to represent a monkey.
When they sang “I ac’ gemmun moshuns,” he would stick his hat on one side of his head, take a walking-cane in his hand, and strut back and forth, to represent a gentleman.
In the “lady moshuns,” he would take little mincing steps, and toss his head from side to side, and pretend to be fanning with his hand.
“I ac’ chil’en moshuns” was portrayed by his pouting out his lips and twirling his thumbs, or giggling or crying.
When they sang “I ac’ preacher moshuns,” he straightened himself back, and began to “lay off” his hands in the most extravagant gestures.
“I ac’ nigger moshuns” was represented by scratching his head, or by bending over and pretending to be picking cotton or hoeing.
The representation of the different motions was left entirely to the taste and ingenuity of the actor, though it was the rule of the game that no two people should represent the same character in the same way. If one acted the lady by a mincing walk, the next one must devise some other manner of portraying her, such as sewing, or playing on an imaginary piano, or giving orders to servants, or any thing that his fancy would suggest.