ON THE TRAIL OF NEGRO FOLK-SONGS

A Collection Of Negro Traditional & Folk Songs with Sheet Music Lyrics & Commentaries - online book

	NEGRO BALLADS	77
	naturally have had its origin in a cotton-growing state, and it could not have been composed, communally or otherwise, before the insect in question crossed the Rio Grande and began its depredations in Texas. That was about thirty years ago, which fact fixes the song as of recent origin. Each cotton-growing state has its own version of The Boll Weevil, which varies in length and incident from other versions, but is essentially the same. Here is a version given by Roberta Anderson, of Texas, that differs somewhat from the one I used in my book, "From a Southern Porch," but is like it. I found a little boll weevil, An' put 'im on de ice. Thought dat dat 5ud kill him, But he say, "Oh, ain't dat nice? Dis is mah home, dis is man home!" Found anodder little weevil, Put 'im in de sand. Thought dat sure would kill 'im, But he stood hit lack a man. Dat was his home, dat was his home! De farmer say to de merchant, "Oh, what you think of dat? I found a little weevil In mah new Stetson hat, Hun tin' a home, huntin' a home!" Another Texas form of the ballad runs as follows. I give only the first stanza. MR. BOLL WEEVIL