WHEN SAM'L SINGS

Hyeah dat singin’ in de medders

Whaih de folks is mekin’ hay?

Wo'k is pretty middlin’ heavy

Fu’ a man to be so gay.

You kin tell dey‘ s somep'n special

F'om de canter o’ de song;

Somep'n sholy pleasin’ Sam'l,

W'en he singin’ all day long.

Hyeahd him wa'blin’‘ way dis mo'nin’

‘ Fo’‘ t was light enough to see.

Seem lak music in de evenin’

Allus good enough fu’ me.

But dat man commenced to hollah

‘ Fo’ he‘ d even washed his face;

Would you b'lieve, de scan'lous rascal

Woke de birds erroun’ de place?

Sam'l took a trip a-Sad'day;

Dressed hisse'f in all he had,

Tuk a cane an’ went a-strollin’,

Lookin’ mighty pleased an’ glad.

Some folks don’ know whut de mattah,

But I do, you bet yo’ life;

Sam'l smilin’ an’ a-singin’

‘ Case he been to see his wife.

She live on de fu’ plantation,

Twenty miles erway er so;

But huh man is mighty happy

Wen he git de chanst to go.

Walkin’ allus ain’ de nices’ —

Mo'nin’ fin's him on de way —

But he allus comes back smilin’,

Lak his pleasure was his pay.

Den he do a heap o’ talkin’,

Do’ he mos'ly kin’ o’ still,

But de wo'ds, dey gits to runnin’

Lak de watah fu’ a mill.

“Whut‘ s de use o’ havin’ trouble,

Whut‘ s de use o’ havin’ strife?”

Dat‘ s de way dis Sam'l preaches

W'en he been to see his wife.

An’ I reckon I git jealous,

Fu’ I laff an’ joke an’ sco'n,

An’ I say, “Oh, go on, Sam'l,

Des go on, an’ blow yo’ ho'n.”

But I know dis comin’ Sad'day,

Dey‘ ll be brighter days in life;

An’ I‘ ll be ez glad ez Sam'l

W'en I go to see my wife.