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NEGRO FOLK-SONGS |
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One Sunday mornin' it was drizzlin' rain; Looked down de road an' saw a train. Foreman says, "Let's make a jump; Two locomotives an' dey bound to bump."
Casey Jones, I know him well, ToF de fireman to ring de bell; Fireman jump an' say, " Good-bye, Casey Jones, you're bound to die."
Went down to de depot track, Begging my honey to take me back; She turn round some two or three times — "Take you back when you learn to grind."
Womens in Kansas all dressed in red, Got de news dat Casey wus dead. Womens in Kansas all dressed in black, Said, in fact, he was a crackerjack.
The music for Casey Jones was given me by Early Busby.
Casey had a double in Joseph Mica, or else the two are one, for their experiences as metrically rendered by the Negro are extremely similar. Names, you know, as in the case of " Franky," have a trick of changing nonchalantly in folk-song, so perhaps there is no real cause for confusion here.
The Mica song, also given by Professor Odum in the article referred to, belongs to Georgia and Alabama particularly.
Joseph Mica was good engineer; Told his fireman not to fear, All he want is water'n' coal; Poke his head out, see drivers roll.
Early one mornin,J look like rain, Round de curve come passenger train, On powers lie ole Jim Jones, Good ole engineer, but daid an* gone.
Left Atlanta an hour benin'; Tole his fireman to make up time, All he want is boiler hot; Run in there 'bout four o'clock.
Railroad Bill was a villain-hero of note in the South at some time, if any faith is to be put in the veracity of folk-songs — a person who seems to have cut a wide swathe in life as he does in song. He is, in |
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