Poetry by James Weldon Johnson (top reads .txt) 📕

yo’ bones an’ jints lose der limber feelin’,
An’ am stiff’nin’ by degrees;
Now der’s jes one way to feel young and spry,
W’en you heah dem banjos soun’
Git a great big swig o’ de ole corn juice,
An’ w’en you drink her down⁠—

Jes lay away ole Trouble,
An’ dry up all yo’ tears;
Yo’ pleasure sho’ to double
An’ you bound to lose yo’ keers.
Jes lay away ole Sorrer
High upon de shelf;
And never mind to-morrer,
’Twill take care of itself.

July in Georgy

I’m back down in ole Georgy w’ere de sun is shinin’ hot,
W’ere de cawn it is a-tasslin’, gittin’ ready fu’ de pot;

W’ere de cott’n is a-openin’ an’ a-w’itenin’ in de sun,
An’ de ripenin’ o’ de sugah-cane is mighty nigh begun.

An’ de locus’ is a-singin’ f’om eveh bush an’ tree,
An’ you kin heah de hummin’ o’ de noisy bumblebee;

An’ de mule he stan’s a-dreamin’ an’ a-dreamin’ in de lot,
An’ de sun it is a-shinin’ mighty hot, hot, hot.

But evehbody is a-restin’, fu’ de craps is all laid by,
An’ time fu’ de camp-meetin’ is a-drawin’ purty nigh;

An’ we’s put away de ploughshare, an’ we’s done hung up de spade,
An’ we’s eatin’ watermelon, an’ a-layin’ in de shade.

A Banjo Song

W’en de banjos wuz a-ringin’,
An’ de darkies wuz a-singin’,
Oh, wuzen dem de good times sho!
All de ole folks would be chattin’,
An’ de pickaninnies pattin’,
As dey heah’d de feet a-shufflin’ ’cross de flo’.

An’ how we’d dance, an’ how we’d sing!
Dance tel de day done break.
An’ how dem banjos dey would ring,
An’ de cabin flo’ would shake!

Come along, come along,
Come along, come along,
Don’t you heah dem banjos a-ringin’?

Gib a song, gib a song,
Gib a song, gib a song,
Git yo’ feet fixed up fu’ a-wingin’.

W’ile de banjos dey go plunka, plunka, plunk,
We’ll dance tel de ole flo’ shake;
W’ile de feet keep a-goin’ chooka, chooka, chook,
We’ll dance tel de day done break.

Answer to Prayer

Der ain’t no use in sayin’ de Lawd won’t answer prah;
If you knows how to ax Him, I knows He’s bound to heah.

De trouble is, some people don’t ax de proper way,
Den w’en dey git’s no answer dey doubts de use to pray.

You got to use egzac’ly de ’spressions an’ de words
To show dat ’tween yo’ faith an’ works, you ’pends on works two-thirds.

Now, one time I remember⁠—jes how long I won’t say⁠—
I thought I’d like a turkey to eat on Chris’mus day.

Fu’ weeks I dreamed ’bout turkeys, a-struttin’ in der pride;
But seed no way to get one⁠—widout de Lawd pervide.

An’ so I went to prayin’, I pray’d wid all my might;
“Lawd, sen’ to me a turkey.” I pray’d bofe day an’ night.

“Lawd, sen’ to me a turkey, a big one if you please.”
I ’clar to heaben I pray’d so much I mos’ wore out ma knees.

I pray’d dat prah so often, I pray’d dat prah so long,
Yet didn’t git no turkey, I know’d ’twas sump’n wrong.

So on de night ’fore Chris’mus w’en I got down to pray,
“Lawd, sen’ me to a turkey,” I had de sense to say.

“Lawd, sen’ me to a turkey.” I know dat prah was right,
An’ it was sholy answer’d; I got de bird dat night.

Dat Gal o’ Mine

Skin as black an’ jes as sof’ as a velvet dress,
Teeth as white as ivory⁠—well dey is I guess.

Eyes dat’s jes as big an’ bright as de evenin’ star;
An’ dat hol’ some sort o’ light lublier by far.

Hair don’t hang ’way down her back; plaited up in rows;
Wid de two en’s dat’s behin’ tied wid ribben bows.

Han’s dat raly wuz’n made fu’ hard work, I’m sho’;
Got a little bit o’ foot; weahs a numbah fo’.

You jes oughtah see dat gal Sunday’s w’en she goes
To de Baptis’ meetin’ house, dressed in her bes’ clo’es.

W’en she puts her w’ite dress on an’ othah things so fine;
Now, Su’, don’t you know I’m proud o’ dat gal o’ mine.

The Seasons

W’en de leaves begin to fall,
An’ de fros’ is on de ground,
An’ de ’simmons is a-ripenin’ on de tree;
W’en I heah de dinner call,
An’ de chillen gadder ’round,
’Tis den de ’possum is de meat fu’ me.

W’en de wintertime am pas’
An’ de spring is come at las’,
W’en de good ole summer sun begins to shine;
Oh! my thoughts den tek a turn,
An’ my heart begins to yearn
Fo’ dat watermelon growin’ on de vine.

Now, de yeah will sholy bring
’Round a season fu’ us all,
Ev’y one kin pick his season f’om de res’;
But de melon in de spring,
An’ de ’possum in de fall,
Mek it hard to tell which time o’ year am bes’.

’Possum Song

(A Warning)

’Simmons ripenin’ in de fall,
You better run,
Brudder ’Possum, run!
Mockin’ bird commence to call,
You better run, Brudder ’Possum, git out de way!
You better run, Brudder ’Possum, git out de way!
Run some whar an’ hide!
Ole moon am sinkin’
Down behin’ de tree.
Ole Eph am thinkin’
An’ chuckelin’ wid glee.
Ole Tige am blinkin’
An’ frisky as kin be,
Yo’ chances, Brudder ’Possum,
Look mighty slim to me.

Run, run, run, I tell you,
Run, Brudder ’Possum, run!
Run, run, run, I tell you,
Ole Eph’s got a gun.
Pickaninnies grinnin’
Waitin’ fu’ to see de fun.
You better run, Brudder ’Possum, git out de way!
Run, Brudder ’Possum, run!

Brudder ’Possum take a tip;
You better run,
Brudder ’Possum, run!
’Tain’t no use in actin’ flip,
You better run, Brudder ’Possum, git out de way!
You better run, Brudder ’Possum, git out de way!
Run some whar an’ hide.
Dey’s gwine to houn’ you
All along de line,
W’en dey done foun’ you,
Den what’s de use in sighin’?
Wid taters roun’ you.
You sholy would tase fine⁠—
So listen, Brudder ’Possum,
You better be a-flyin’.

Run, run, run, I tell you,
Run, Brudder ’Possum, run!
Run, run, run, I tell you,
Ole Eph’s got a gun.
Pickaninnies grinnin’
Waitin’ fu’ to see de fun.
You better run, Brudder ’Possum, git out de way!
Run, Brudder ’Possum, run!

Brer Rabbit, You’s de Cutes’ of ’Em All

Once der was a meetin’ in de wilderness,
All de critters of creation dey was dar;
Brer Rabbit, Brer ’Possum, Brer Wolf, Brer Fox,
King Lion, Mister Terrapin,