His Songs: IV. The Plough-Hands' Song - Nigger Mighty Happy When He Layin' By Corn

 HIS SONGS

IV. The Plough-Hands' Song
(Jasper County 1860)

(Original indenting is not easily copied here. Coding.
Jasper County - there is one in SC - see ://www.jaspercountysc.org/)

Nigger mighty happy when he layin' by corn --
That sun's a-slantin';
Nigger mighty happy when he hear the dinner-horn --
That sun's a-slantin';

And he's more happy still when the night draws on --
That sun's a-slantin';

That sun's a-slantin' just as sure as you are born!
And it's rise up, Primus! fetch another yell:
That old dun cow's just a shakin' up her bell,
And the frogs tunin' up for the dew done fell:

Good-night, Mr. Killdee! I wish you mighty well!
-- Mr. Killdee! I wish you mighty well!
-- I wish you mighty well! FN 1

The coon'll be ready against dumplin' day --
That sun's a-slantin';
But nigger gotter watch, and stick, and stay --
That sun's a-slantin';
Same as the bee-martin watching on the jay --
That sun's a-slantin';

That sun's a slantin' and a slippin' away!
Then it's rise up, Primus! and gin it "t'um" strong; FN 2
The cow's going home with her ding-dang-dong -
Sling in another "tetch" of the old time song;

Good night, Mr. Whippoorwill! don't stay long!
-- Mr. Whippoorwill! don't stay long!
---- Don't stay long! FN 3

..................................
FN 1 - Italics. These are original.

Mr. Kildee - a man, an overseer? Or the kildeer bird, a kind of plover, see ://www.audubon.org/bird/BoA/F35_G1c.html. With the second response clearly being a bird, this first one is more likely that as well, to us. Shore bird, but used to be widespread, much reduced in population from shooting. The kildeer is also called "kildee" because of its call. "Dee dee dee dee-ee killdee dee-ee" at ://www.birdsbybent.com/ch1-10/killdeer.html#Voice

FN 2 - "gin it t'um strong" - to gin or gin it up is possibly many things. To excite, or enliven, or drink. See ://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/ginned-up.html. Gin at the end of the day, gin it am strong? Perhaps to give it to him strong (the mule at the plow)? Or rev up the mule and plow, gin it up, to get finished. Or gin as a form of "give" in the south, or to "ginger up" or make things lively.

FN 3 - Salud. Just an aside here. We salute these songs and proverbs. Look at this one closely. Look at the form of the last "repeat" - like the end of the day, long thought, little shorter, now hardly there. Wonderful. We see this song as an enormous tribute to the worker who retains his reflectiveness, can see things to take pleasure in, even at the plow. "Nigger mighty happy" is no reductionist idea - it is power, to us. See the imagery, courtesy, the relationship with the living things around, the detail. If only we had melodies, even rise and fall indications.