ANNANCY STORIES, DIGGING SINGS, RING
TUNES, AND DANCING TUNES

COLLECTED AND EDITED BY
WALTER JEKYLL:
WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY
ALICE WERNER,
AND APPENDICES ON
TRACES OF AFRICAN MELODY IN JAMAICA
BY
C.S. MYERS,
AND ON
ENGLISH AIRS AND MOTIFS IN JAMAICA
BY
LUCY E. BROADWOOD.

“A few brief years have passed away
Since Britain drove her million slaves
Beneath the tropic’s fiery ray:
God willed their freedom; and to-day
Life blooms above those island graves!”
Whittier

Published for the Folk-Lore Society by
DAVID NUTT, 57-59 LONG ACRE
LONDON
1907

CONTENTS.

PAGE
[Introduction] (Alice Werner),[xxiii]
[Author's Preface],[liii]
[PART I.: ANNANCY STORIES],[1]
1. Annancy and Brother Tiger,[7]
2. Yung-Kyum-Pyung,[11]
3. King Daniel,[14]
4. Tomby,[16]
5. How Monkey manage Annancy,[20]
6. Blackbird and Woss-woss,[23]
7. The Three Sisters,[26]
8. William Tell,[29]
9. Brother Annancy and Brother Death,[31]
10. Mr. Bluebeard,[35]
11. Annancy, Puss and Ratta,[38]
12. Toad and Donkey,[39]
13. Snake the Postman,[43]
14. Doba,[46]
15. Dry-Bone,[48]
16. Annancy and the Old Lady's Field,[51]
17. Man-Crow,[54]
18. Saylan,[58]
19. Annancy and Screech-Owl,[60]
20. Annancy and Cow,[63]
21. Tacoma and the Old-Witch Girl,[65]
22. Devil's Honey-Dram,[68]
23. Annancy in Crab Country,[70]
24. Gaulin,[73]
25. Annancy, Monkey and Tiger,[77]
26. The Three Pigs,[79]
27. Dummy,[84]
28. Annancy and Candlefly,[86]
29. Parson Puss and Parson Dog,[91]
30. Chicken-Hawk,[94]
31. Pretty Poll,[96]
32. Annancy and Hog,[98]
33. Dry-River,[100]
34. Yellow Snake,[102]
35. Cow and Annancy,[104]
36. Leah and Tiger,[108]
37. Timmolimmo,[114]
38. Calcutta Monkey and Annancy,[117]
39. Open Sesame,[120]
40. Sea-Mahmy,[123]
41. Crab and his Corn-piece,[126]
42. Dry-Grass and Fire,[129]
43. John Crow,[132]
44. Tiger's Death,[135]
45. The Old Lady and the Jar,[137]
46. John Crow and Fowl-Hawk,[140]
47. Finger Quashy,[143]
48. Annancy and his Fish-Pot,[145]
49. Hog and Dog,[146]
50. Devil and the Princess,[148]
51. Wheeler,[152]
[PART II.: DIGGING SINGS],[157]
52. Oh hurrah, boys![159]
53. Ho biddybye,[159]
54. Tell Mr. Linky,[160]
55. Tell Mr. Bell,[161]
56. Bad homan oh![162]
57. Bell a ring a yard oh![162]
58. The one shirt I have,[164]
59. Jessie cut him yoke,[164]
60. T'ree acre of Cahffee,[165]
61. Away, away,[166]
62. Wednesday morning before day,[167]
63. Oh Samuel oh![168]
64. Oh 'liza oh![168]
65. Aunty Mary oh![169]
66. Oh me yerry news![170]
67. Jes' so me barn,[170]
68. Tell Mary say,[171]
69. Me tell them gall,[171]
70. Gold, amber gold,[172]
71. Gee oh mother Mac,[173]
72. Leah married a Tuesday,[173]
73. Cheer me oh![173]
74. Me cock a crow,[174]
75. Oh Selina![174]
76. Sambo Lady,[176]
77. John Thomas,[177]
78. Whé mumma dé?[178]
79. Toady,[179]
80. Me know the man,[180]
81. Minnie,[181]
82. You want to yerry Duppy talk,[182]
83. Me know Sarah,[183]
84. Me donkey want water,[183]
85. A Somerset me barn,[184]
86. Timber lay down 'pon pit,[185]
87. Me want go home,[187]
88. War down a Monkland,[187]
[PART III.: RING TUNES],[190]
89. Little Sally Water,[190]
90. Poor Little Zeddy,[191]
91. Whé me lover dé?[192]
92. Ring a diamond,[194]
93. Carry Banana,[195]
94. Pass the ball,[196]
95. Me los' me gold ring,[197]
96. Old mother Phœbe,[197]
97. Deggy,[198]
98. Me go da Galloway Road,[199]
99. Rosybel,[200]
100. Bull a pen ho![201]
101. Two man a road,[201]
102. Adina Mona,[202]
103. Palmer,[203]
104. Mother Freeman,[204]
105. Me have me goosey a me yard,[205]
106. Drill him, Constab![205]
107. If you make him come out,[206]
108. Oh me Toad oh![207]
109. There's a Black boy in a ring,[207]
110. Johnny,[209]
111. Me lover gone a Colon bay,[209]
112. Good morning to you, mother,[210]
113. Johnny Miller,[211]
114. Bahlimbo,[212]
115. Oh den Jacky,[214]
116. Ha, ha, ha, ha![214]
[PART IV.: DANCING TUNES],[216]
117. When I go home,[217]
118. Guava root a medicine,[218]
119. Crahss-lookin' dog up'tairs,[218]
120. Goatridge have some set a gal,[219]
121. Me carry me akee a Linstead market,[219]
122. Since Dora Logan,[220]
123. Fire, Mr. Preston, Fire![221]
124. Tief cahffee,[222]
125. Fan me, soldierman,[223]
126. Manny Clark,[224]
127. Bungo Moolatta,[225]
128. Bahl, Ada,[225]
129. Rise a roof in the morning,[226]
130. Oh we went to the river,[227]
131. Aunty Jane a call Minnie,[228]
132. Marty, Marty,[228]
133. What make you shave old Hall?[229]
134. Run, Moses, run,[230]
135. Whé you da do?[231]
136. Mother William, hold back Leah,[232]
137. Oh, General Jackson![233]
138. Soldier, da go 'way,[234]
139. Don't cry too much, Jamaica gal,[234]
140. Dip them,[235]
141. Very well, very well,[235]
142. Oh trial![236]
143. Father, I goin' to join the confirmation,[237]
144. Obeah down dé,[239]
145. The other day me waistcoat cut,[240]
146. All them gal a ride merry-go-round,[241]
147. Merry-go-round a go fall down,[242]
148. Try, dear, don't tell a lie,[243]
149. Look how you mout',[244]
150. Breezy say him no want Brown lady,[244]
151. Isaac Park gone a Colon,[245]
152. Matilda dé 'pon dyin' bed,[246]
153. Mas' Charley,[247]
154. Me buggy a sell,[247]
155. Oh 'zetta Ford, gal,[248]
156. Birdyzeena,[249]
157. Me an' Katie no 'gree,[249]
158. Down-town gal,[249]
159. Sal, you ought to been ashame,[250]
160. Good morning, Mr. Harman,[250]
161. Hullo me honey![251]
162. When mumma dere,[252]
163. Oh Jilly oh![253]
164. James Brown, you mahmy call you,[253]
165. When I go home,[254]
166. Feather, feather, feather,[254]
167. Quaco Sam,[256]
168. Anch a bite me,[257]
169. Me know one gal a Cross Road,[257]
170. Moonshine baby,[258]
171. I have a news,[259]
172. Once I was a trav'ller,[260]
173. Oh me wouldn' bawl at all,[261]
174. You take junka 'tick,[262]
175. Yellow fever come in,[262]
176. Jimmy Rampy,[263]
177. Susan, very well why oh![264]
178. Bahss, Bahss, you married you wife,[264]
179. Blackbird a eat puppa corn, oh![265]
180. Me da Coolie sleep on Piazza,[265]
181. Notty Shaw,[266]
182. You worthless Becca Watson,[267]
183. Since the waggonette come in,[267]
184. Them Gar'n Town people,[268]
185. Young gal in Jamaica, take warning,[270]
186. Me no min dé a concert,[270]
187. Complain, complain, complain,[271]
188. I can't walk on the bare road,[271]
189. Come go da mountain,[272]
190. Amanda Grant,[273]
191. Last night I was lying on me number,[273]
192. Me lassie, me dundooze,[274]
193. Mister Davis bring somet'ing fe we all,[275]
194. A whé the use,[275]
195. Quattywort' of this![276]
196. Mahngoose a come,[276]
[Appendix]:
A. Traces of African Melody in Jamaica—C.S. Myers,[278]
B. English Airs and Motifs in Jamaica—L.E. Broadwood,[285]