Anthologies of African American Writing

Negro Folk Rhymes: Wise and Otherwise. With a Study

"Negro Folk Rhymes: Wise and Otherwise. With a Study" . Ed. Thomas Talley. New York: Macmillan, 1922.xii+347 pp.

• "Thomas W. Talley's Negro Folk Rhymes". Ed. and intro. Charles K. Wolfe. Musical transcriptions by Bill Ferreira. Knoxville: U of Tennessee P, 1991. xxxvi+318 pp.

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(1991 ed.):
Introduction to the new edition / Charles K. Wolfe. -- A note on the musical transcriptions / Bill Ferreira. -- Introduction to the original edition / Walter Clyde Curry. -- A note on song annotations. -- Negro folk rhymes (wise or otherwise) -- Dance rhyme section. -- Play rhyme section. -- Pastime rhyme section. -- Love rhyme section. -- Love song rhyme section. -- Courtship rhyme section. -- Courtship song rhyme section. -- Marriage rhyme section. -- Married life rhyme section. -- Nursery rhyme section. -- Wise saying section. -- Foreign section. -- Additional songs from manuscript. -- Instrumental tunes from manuscript. -- A study in Negro folk rhymes / Thomas W. Talley.

Index of poems:
A' Would Be' Immigrant
A, B, C (nursery Rhyme)
The Alabama Way (nursery Rhyme)
Anchor Line (with Music)
Animal Attire (nursery Rhyme)
Animal Fair (nursery Rhyme)
Animal Persecutors
Antebellum Courtship Inquiry
Antebellum Marriage Proposal
Are You Careful? (nursery Rhyme)
Arguing A Bargain (with Music)
The Ark (with Music)
As I Went To Shiloh
Aspiration (nursery Rhyme)
Aunt Dinah Drunk: 1
Aunt Dinah Drunk: 2
Aunt Jemima (with Music)
Awful Harbingers (nursery Rhyme)
Baa! Baa! Black Sheep (with Music)
Baby Wants Cherries (nursery Rhyme)
Bad Features
The Banjo Picking
Bat! Bat! (nursery Rhyme)
Bedbug
Big Ball Down Town (with Music)
A Bitter Lovers' Quarrel - One Side
Black-eyed Peas For Luck (nursery Rhyme)
Blessing With Company Present
Blessing Without Company
Blindfold Play Chant
Bob-white's Song (nursery Rhyme)
Bolly-o (with Music)
Bother Ben And Sister Sal
Bought Me A Wife (with Music)
Bound To Put On Airs (with Music)
Brag And Boast
Bridle Up A Rat (nursery Rhyme)
Bring On Your Hot Corn
Buck And Berry (nursery Rhyme)
Buck-eyed Rabbit! Whoopee! (nursery Rhyme)
A Budget
Bullfrog Put On The Soldier Clothes
Buscher Garden
Butterfly (nursery Rhyme)
Buy Flowers For Me
Byanswah-byanswahn Or A Boat Song
Bye-o (with Music)
Captain Coon: 1 (nursery Rhyme)
Captain Coon: 2 (nursery Rhyme)
Care In Bread-making
Caught By The Witch Play
Chicken In The Bread Tray
Chicken Pie
Children's Seating Rhyme
Christmas Turkey
Chuck Will's Widow Song (nursery Rhyme)
A Clandestine Letter
Coffee Grows On White Folks' Trees (with Music)
The College Ox
Cooking Dinner (nursery Rhyme)
Cotton Eyed Joe (with Music)
The Courting Boy
Courtship
The Cow Needs A Tail In Fly-time
Crooked Nose Jane
Crossing A Foot-log
A Day's Happiness
Deedle, Dumpling (nursery Rhyme)
Destinies Of Good And Bad Children (nursery Rhyme)
Destitute Former Slave Owners
Devilish Pigs (with Music)
Did You Feed My Cow? (with Music)
Die In The Pig-pen Fighting
Dinah's Dinner Horn
Do I Love You?
Does Money Talk?
Don't Ask Me Questions
Don't Sing Before Breakfast (nursery Rhyme)
Don't Tell All You Know
Doodle-bug (nursery Rhyme)
Down In Lonesome Garden
Drinking Razor Soup
The Elephant
The End Of Ten Little Negroes (nursery Rhyme)
Fattening Frogs For Snakes
Fed From The Tree Of Knowledge
A Few Negroes By State
A Fine Plaster
Fishing Simon (nursery Rhyme)
Flap-jacks (nursery Rhyme)
Follow That Gent'men With A Hat On His Head (with Music)
Forty-four
Four Runaway Negroes - Whence They Came
Fox And Geese
Fox And Geese Play
Fox And Rabbit Drinking Proposition
Frightened Away From A Chicken-roost
Frog In A Mill (nursery Rhyme) (with Music)
Frog Went A-courting (nursery Rhyme) (with Music)
The Frogs
From Slavery (nursery Rhyme)
A Full Pocketbook
Game Contestant's Song
Getting Ten Negro Boys Together (nursery Rhyme)
Go To Bed (nursery Rhyme)
Go To Sleep, I Do Love My Lamb (with Music)
Go To Sleep, Little Baby (with Music)
Going To Be Good Slaves
Good-by, Ring (nursery Rhyme)
Good-by, Wife! (with Music)
Gooseberry Wine
Goosie-gander Play Rhyme
Grasshopper Sense (nursery Rhyme)
Grasshopper Sitting On A Sweet Potato Vine (nursery Rhyme)
Gray And Black Horses
The Great Owl's Song (nursery Rhyme)
Green Oak Tree! Rocky'o
Guinea Gall (nursery Rhyme)
Gum Tree Canoe (with Music)
Half Way Doings
Half Way Doings, Sels
Ham Beats All Meat (with Music)
The Hammer That Killed John Henry (with Music)
Hard Times In Shelbyville Rock Jail (with Music)
Harvest Song
The Hated Blackbird And Crow (nursery Rhyme)
Hawk And Buzzard
Hawk And Chicken (nursery Rhyme)
Hawk And Chickens Play
He Is My Horse
He Loves Sugar And Tea
He Paid Me Seven (parody)
He Will Get Mr. Coon
Hear-say
Here Comes A Young Man Courting (with Music)
The Here I Stand (nursery Rhyme)
Hoecake
How Old Are You? (with Music)
How To Get To Glory Land
How To Keep Or Kill The Devil
How To Make It Rain
How To Plant And Cultivate Seeds
How To Please A Preacher
The Hunting Camp
I Am Not Going To Hobo Any More
I Love Somebody (with Music)
I Walked De Roads, Till De Roads Git Muddy
I Went Down De Road
I Wish I Was An Apple
I Would Not Marry A Black Girl (with Music)
I Would Rather Be A Negro Than A Poor White Man (with Music)
I Wouldn't Marry A Yellow Or A White Negro Girl
I'll Eat When I'm Hungry (with Music)
I'll Get You, Rabbit!
I'll Wear Me A Cotton Dress (milly Biggers) (with Music)
I'm A 'round-town' Gentleman
If You Frowns, An' I Frowns
In '76 (nursery Rhyme)
In A Mulberry Tree (nursery Rhyme)
In A Rush (nursery Rhyme)
Independent
Indian Flea
Invited To Take The Escort's Arm
It Is Hard To Love
Jack And Dinah Want Freedom (with Music)
Jackson, Put That Kettle On!
Jawbone
Jaybird (with Music)
Jaybird Died With The Whooping Cough (with Music)
Joe And Malinda Jane
John Henry (4)
Johnny Bigfoot
Johnny Keep Pickin' On The Banjo (with Music)
Jonah's Band Party
Juba
Judge Buzzard
Jump Jim Crow
Kept Busy
Kissing Song
Kitty With A Lonely Eye (with Music)
Kneel On This Carpet
The Last Of Jack (nursery Rhyme)
Learning To Count
' Let's Marry' Courtship
Likes And Dislikes
Little Boy Who Couldn't Count Seven (nursery Rhyme)
Little Dogs (nursery Rhyme)
A Little More Water (with Music)
The Little Negro Fly (nursery Rhyme)
A Little Pickaninny (nursery Rhyme) (with Music)
Little Red Hen
The Little Rooster
Little Sister, Won't You Marry Me?
Little Sleeping Negroes (nursery Rhyme)
Little Sweetheart Downtown (with Music)
Liza Jane (with Music)
Looking For A Fight
Love Is Just A Thing Of Fancy
Lovers' Goodnight
Mamma's Darling (nursery Rhyme)
Mammy, Is Massa Gwine To See Me Tomorrow? (with Music)
A Man O' Words An' Not O' Deeds
Master Is Six Feet One Way
Master Killed A Big Bull
The Master's 'stolen' Coat
Me An' My Lover, We Fall Out
Miss Blodger (nursery Rhyme)
Miss Slippy Sloppy
Miss Terrapin And Miss Toad (nursery Rhyme)
Molly Cottaintail, Or, Graveyard Rabbit
Mother Says I Am Six Years Old (nursery Rhyme)
Mourning Slave Fiancees (with Music)
Mud-log Pond (nursery Rhyme)
The Mule's Kick
The Mule's Nature
My Baby (nursery Rhyme)
My Dog, Cuff (nursery Rhyme)
My Fiddle
My First And My Second Wife
My Folks And Your Folks (nursery Rhyme)
My Heart's Gone A-weeping (with Music)
My Little Pig (nursery Rhyme)
My Mule
My Speckled Hen (nursery Rhyme)
My Wonderful Travel
Mysterious Face Washing (nursery Rhyme)
The Nashville Ladies
Near Waldo Tee-do Gave Me A Suit
Needle And Thread
The Negro And The Policeman
Negro Baker Man (nursery Rhyme)
Negro Soldier's Civil War Chant: Old Abe (with Music)
Negroes Never Die
Nesting (nursery Rhyme)
Never Seen The Lake Since Gettin' Upstairs, Sels
The Newly Weds
No Room To Poke Fun
Nobody Looking
Off From Richmond (with Music)
Oh Go To Sleep, My Baby (with Music)
Old Aunt Kate (nursery Rhyme)
The Old Black Gnats (with Music)
The Old Gray Goose Is Dead (with Music)
The Old Gray Horse Came Tearin' Through The Wilderness
Old Gray Mink
The Old Hen Cackled (with Music)
Old Joe, What Is The Matter? (with Music)
Old Louisiana Gal (with Music)
The Old Man's Song (with Music)
Old Molly Hare (with Music)
The Old Section Boss
The Old Woman In The Hills
Ole Man Know-all, He Come 'round
On Top Of The Pot
The Only Love I Know (with Music)
An Opossum Hunt (with Music)
The Origin Of The Snake (nursery Rhyme)
The Other Side Of Jordan
Our Old Mule
Outrunning The Devil
The Owl
Page's Geese
Papa Loves His Little Baby (with Music)
Parody On 'now I Lay Me Down To Sleep'
Parody On 'reign, Master Jesus, Reign'
A Partridge In A Pear Tree (with Music)
Paying Debts With Kicks (nursery Rhyme)
Peep Squirrel
Periwinkle (nursery Rhyme)
Philippine Island Rhyme
Pig Tail (nursery Rhyme)
Plant Flowers On My Grave
Plaster (with Music)
Poor Little Lamb Said 'mammy'
'possum Up The Gum Stump
Precious Things
Presenting A Hat To Phoebe
Pretty Little Girl (nursery Rhyme)
Pretty Little Pink
A Pretty Pair Of Chickens (nursery Rhyme)
Pretty Polly Ann
Promises Of Freedom: 1
Promises Of Freedom: 2
Rabbit Hash (nursery Rhyme)
Rabbit Soup (with Music)
The Raccoon
Raccoon And Opossum Fight
A Race-starter's Rhyme
Rag Man's Song: 1 (with Music)
Rag Man's Song: 2 (with Music)
Raise A 'rucus' To-night
Randsome Tantsome (nursery Rhyme)
The Rascal
Ration Day
Rattler
Raw Head On Bloody Bones (nursery Rhyme)
Redhead Woodpecker (nursery Rhyme)
Rejected By Eliza Jane (with Music)
A Request To Sell
Rock The Cradle Lucy
Roses Red
Rule, Rule, Rule Over (with Music)
Run, Nigger, Run (with Music)
Sai Boddeoh Sumpun Komo
Sail Away, Ladies
Sallie (with Music)
Salt Rising Bread
Sam Is A Clever Fellow (nursery Rhyme) (with Music)
Satan
Self-control
Sex Laugh
Shake The Persimmons Down: 1
Shake The Persimmons Down: 2
She Hugged Me And Kissed Me (with Music)
She Said I Couldn't Come Anymore (with Music)
Sheep And Goat
Sheep Shell Corn (with Music)
Shoo Fly! (i Would Not Marry A Black Girl) (with Music)
Shoo! Shoo! (nursery Rhyme)
A Short Letter
A Sick Wife (with Music)
Simon Slick's Mule
Sister Mary Wears A Pretty Green Shawl (with Music)
Slave Marriage Ceremony Supplement
The Snail's Reply (nursery Rhyme)
Soild As A Hole In The Wall (with Music)
Song To The Runaway Slave (with Music)
Sparking Or Courting
Speak Softly
Stand Back, Black Man
Stealing A Ride (nursery Rhyme)
Stick-a Ma-stew (nursery Rhyme)
Still Water Creek
Still Water Runs Deep
A Strange Brood (nursery Rhyme)
A Strange Family (nursery Rhyme)
A Strange Old Woman (nursery Rhyme)
Strong Hands (nursery Rhyme)
Sugar In Coffee
Sugar Loaf Tea
Susan Jane
Susie Girl (with Music)
Suze Ann
Sweet Pinks And Roses (with Music)
T-u-turkey
Taking A Walk (nursery Rhyme)
Teaching Table Manners (nursery Rhyme)
Temperance Rhyme (with Music)
That Hypocrite
' They Steal' Gossip
This Sun Is Hot
The Thrifty Slave
Throwin' San' On Me (with Music)
To Win A Yellow Girl
A Tom Cat
The Tongue
Too Much Watermelon (nursery Rhyme)
The Town And Country Bird (nursery Rhyme) (with Music)
Training The Boy (nursery Rhyme)
Tree Frogs (nursery Rhyme)
Tuba Blay Or An Evening Song
The Turkey Buzzard
A Turkey Funeral
The Turtle's Song (with Music)
Two Sick Negro Boys (nursery Rhyme)
Two Times One Is Two
Un Belle Marie Coolie
Uncle Jerry Fants
Uncle Ned
Vinie
Walk Tom Wilson
Wanted! Cornbread And Coon
The War Is On
Washing Mamma's Dishes (nursery Rhyme)
Watermelon Preferred
We Are 'all The Go'
We'll Stick To The Hoe (with Music)
What Will We Do For Bacon (nursery Rhyme)
When I Go To Marry
When I Had But Fifty Cents
When I Was A 'roustabout' (with Music)
When I Was A Little Boy (nursery Rhyme)
When My Wife Dies
Why Look At Me?
Why The Woodpecker's Head Is Red (nursery Rhyme)
Wild Hog Hunt (nursery Rhyme)
Wild Negro Bill
Willie Wee (nursery Rhyme)
A Wind-bag
Wooing
Year Of Jubilee
You Had Better Mind Master
You Have Made Me Weep
You Love Your Girl
You Shall Be Free
Young Master And Old Master (nursery Rhyme)

• n/a

• "A collection of African American songs and rhymes, some of which in their original African language followed by translations, all of which concluded with an essay not only describing the content and the manner in which the songs and rhymes were told, sung and danced to, but also the effect they had on the minds of African Americans living through the days of slavery and following until 1922" (WorldCat, entry for 1922 ed.)

• Lash 1946: 723.
• Kinnamon 1997: 480.

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