His Songs: VIII. The Big Bethel Church

 HIS SONGS

VIII

THE BIG BETHEL CHURCH

.
The Big Bethel church! The Big Bethel church!

Done put old Satan behind him.

If a sinner gets loose from any other church,

The Big Bethel church will find him!
.

It's good to be there, and it's sweet to be there,

With the sistering all around you --

A-shaking those shackles of mercy and love

Wherewith the Lord has bound you.
.

It's sweet to be there and listen to the hymns,

And hear those mourners a-shoutin' --

They done reached the place where there ain't no room

For any weepin' and doubtin'.
.

It's good to be there, when the sinners all join

With the brothering in there singin',

And it looks like Gabriel going to rack up and blow

And set  them heaven bells to ringin'.
.

Oh, the Big Bethel church! the Big Bethel church,

Done  put old Satan behind him.

If a sinner gets loose from any other church

The Big Bethel church will find him.

His Songs. VII. A Plantation Serenade. Transcription. Uncle Remus, His Songs and His Sayings

His Songs: Uncle Remus, His Songs and His Sayings
VII. TRANSCRIPTIONS

Translation

2.  A PLANTATION SERENADE

The old bee makes the honeycomb,
The young bee makes the honey,
The niggers make the cotton and corn,
And the white folks gets the money.

The raccoon he a curious man,
He never walks 'til dark,
And nothing never disturbs his mind,
'Til he hears old Bringer bark.

The raccoon totes a bushy tail,
The 'possum totes no hair,
Mr. Rabbit, he comes skippin' by,
He ain't got none to spare.

Monday morning break of day.
White folks got me going,
But Saturday night, when the sun goes down,
That yellow gal's in my mind.

Fifteen pound of meat a week,
Whiskey for to sell,
Oh, how can a yound man stay at home,
Them gals they look so well?

Met a 'possum in the road -
Brother 'Possum, where you going?
I thank my stars, I bless my life
I'm a huntin' for the muscadine. FN 1

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FN 1 - Muscadine. A species of grape, for winemaking, see ://www.muscadine.com/. The heritage includes a grape geneology with the "scuppernong" and the "passion fruit of the south" - see site for details. Here is the botanical scoop: ://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/muscadinegrape.html. If you live in a climate like the State of Georgia, and ok soil, here's how to get in business: ://www.smallfruits.org/Muscadines/production/MuscadineGro/toc.htm.

His Songs. VII. A Plantation Chant 1. Transcriptions. Uncle Remus, His Songs and His Sayings

 Uncle Remus, His Songs and His Sayings
VII. TRANSCRIPTIONS *

Translation

1. A PLANTATION CHANT

It's eighteen hundred forty and four
Christ done open that Heavenly door

And I don't want to stay here no longer;

It's eighteen hundred forty and five,
Christ done made that dead man alive --

And I don't want to stay here no longer.

You ask me to run home,

Little children --

Run home, that sun done roll--

And I don't want to stay here no longer.

It's eighteen hundred forty and six,
Christ has got us a place done fix --
And I don't want to stay here no longer;

It's eighteen hundred forty and seven
Christ done set a table in Heaven --
And I don't want to stay here no longer.

You ask me to run home,
Little children --
Run home, that sun done roll --
And I don't want to stay here no longer.


It's eighteen hundred forty and eight,
Christ done make that crooked way straight --
And I don't want to stay here no longer.

It's eighteen hundred forty and nine,
Christ done turn that water into wine --
And I don't want to stay here no longer.

You ask me to run home,
Little children --
Run home, that sun done roll --
And I don't want to stay here no longer.

It's eighteen hundred forty and ten,
Christ is the mourner's onliest friend --
And I don't want to stay here no longer;

It eighteen hundred forty and eleven,
Christ will be at hte door when we all get to Heaven--
And I don't want to stay here no longer.

You ask me to run home,
Little children --
Run home, that sun done roll --
And I don't want to stay here no longer.





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Joel Chandler Harris has this *asterisked comment - "If these are adaptations from songs the negroes have caught from the whites, their origin is very remote.  I have transcribed them literally, and I regard them as in the highest degree characteristic".]

Informal translation from the idiom by Carol Widing. The indentations of the original are not feasible in this format.