ON THE TRAIL OF NEGRO FOLK-SONGS

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

	124	NEGRO FOLK-SONGS
	Another whimsical song, with not much meaning, is about a man walking on Common Street. MO-TE-A-PE PROMENE SUR LA RUE COMMUNE > >
	la xn'ocu-lot-te cra-quet et f ais moin as - si par-ter - re. Mo-te a-pe promene sur la Rue Commune, Quand Mo-te a-pe boire un bon berre la bierre. Voila m'o culotte craquet et fais moin assi par terre. What happened here was that a man was promenading on Common Street, in New Orleans, after he had had a drink of a good glass of beer. He met the narrator there and spanked him and made him sit down on the ground. The song gives no clue to any previous feud, but leaves the inference that perhaps the beer was to blame. There are many other old dance-songs of the slavery days which have survived. Miss Virginia Fitzgerald sends me this one from Virginia: Bile dem Cabbage Down Marster had a old gray rooster Uster crow for day. There came along a harricane, And blowed dat chicken away. Chorus Bile dem cabbage down, Bile dem cabbage down; Stop dat foolishness, I say, And bile dem cabbage down! Wish I had a tin box To keep my sweetheart in. I'd take her out and kiss her And put her back agin. Chorus