 | The tar-baby and other rhymes of Uncle Remus |  |
105
BRER RABBIT'S GIGGLIN'-PLACE
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Time wuz when de creeturs had diffunt places
Fer ter eat dey snacks at an' wash dey faces—
A place fer ter talk at an' a place fer tusslin'
Whensomever dey happen fer ter git thoo dey hus'lin'—
A place fer smokin' an' a place fer chawin',
A place fer jumpin' an' a place fer jawin',
A place fer kickin' an' a place fer pawin',
A place fer moanin' an' a place fer pinin',
A place fer howlin' an' a place fer whinin'.
Fer ter eat dey snacks at an' wash dey faces—
A place fer ter talk at an' a place fer tusslin'
Whensomever dey happen fer ter git thoo dey hus'lin'—
A place fer smokin' an' a place fer chawin',
A place fer jumpin' an' a place fer jawin',
A place fer kickin' an' a place fer pawin',
A place fer moanin' an' a place fer pinin',
A place fer howlin' an' a place fer whinin'.
Dey wuz gittin' 'long well an' livin' ker-scrumptious,
An' none but de camel wuz anyways bumptious;
You mought er fed um on corn-meal mushes,
Kaze dey ain't fin' out dey had claws er tushes;
Dey never wuz sorry, ner sollumcolic,
When dey laid by der craps dey wuz in fer a frolic;
Brer Fox know'd how fer ter tetch up de fiddle,
Wid tumty-tum-tum, an' tumty-iddle-tiddle,
An' “Gals cross over fum de side ter de middle!”
An' none but de camel wuz anyways bumptious;
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Kaze dey ain't fin' out dey had claws er tushes;
Dey never wuz sorry, ner sollumcolic,
When dey laid by der craps dey wuz in fer a frolic;
Brer Fox know'd how fer ter tetch up de fiddle,
Wid tumty-tum-tum, an' tumty-iddle-tiddle,
An' “Gals cross over fum de side ter de middle!”
An' dem what worked in de heavy timber
Er done got so ol' dat dey legs ain't limber;
Dey sot off in a clump tergedder,
An' talk about craps an' de rainy wedder,
An' watch de dancers light ez a fedder,
An' shake der heads an' do some frownin'
When de fiddle wuz des a-singin' an' a-soun'in',
Ez much ez ter say, “Unc' Time will free us,
An' you'll soon be ez now you see us!”
Er done got so ol' dat dey legs ain't limber;
Dey sot off in a clump tergedder,
An' talk about craps an' de rainy wedder,
An' watch de dancers light ez a fedder,
An' shake der heads an' do some frownin'
When de fiddle wuz des a-singin' an' a-soun'in',
Ez much ez ter say, “Unc' Time will free us,
An' you'll soon be ez now you see us!”
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Now a dance at de best is a kinder mix-up,
An' ol' Rab wuz skeer'd dat dey had some tricks up,
An' whiles Brer Fox wuz a-sawin' on de fiddle
Brer Rabbit wuz a-tellin' Brer B'ar a riddle
Dat make 'im laugh twel he shake in de middle.
Brer B'ar he laugh, but ol' Brer Rabbit
Do like he done got out'n de habit;
You'd 'a' thunk somebody had done hurt his feelin's
Wid dey shiffle-shuffle an' dey jig-um-a-reelin's.
An' ol' Rab wuz skeer'd dat dey had some tricks up,
An' whiles Brer Fox wuz a-sawin' on de fiddle
Brer Rabbit wuz a-tellin' Brer B'ar a riddle
Dat make 'im laugh twel he shake in de middle.
Brer B'ar he laugh, but ol' Brer Rabbit
Do like he done got out'n de habit;
You'd 'a' thunk somebody had done hurt his feelin's
Wid dey shiffle-shuffle an' dey jig-um-a-reelin's.
Now, whar dey's any gigglin' de crowd boun' ter go dar,
An' ter keep fum bein' squshed Brer Rabbit say, “W'oa, dar!”
An' he call ter Brer Fox wid “Please play some mo', dar!’
Brer Fox he say he bleeze ter men' his fiddle,
An' ol' Brer B'ar still shuck in de middle;
Miss Wolf up an' ax, “What you fin' dat's so funny?”
An' de answer wuz, “Mr. Beans swaller'd Bunny.”
“Lawsy me!” sez Miss Wolf, an' she sot dar grinnin';
“Brer Rabbit, you sho does need a skinnin'!”
An' ter keep fum bein' squshed Brer Rabbit say, “W'oa, dar!”
An' he call ter Brer Fox wid “Please play some mo', dar!’
Brer Fox he say he bleeze ter men' his fiddle,
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Miss Wolf up an' ax, “What you fin' dat's so funny?”
An' de answer wuz, “Mr. Beans swaller'd Bunny.”
“Lawsy me!” sez Miss Wolf, an' she sot dar grinnin';
“Brer Rabbit, you sho does need a skinnin'!”
Brer Fox he say, “Des stop yo' chaffin',
You kin see fer yo'se'f Brer Rabbit ain't a-laughin';
Ef trouble wuz ter come he look like he'd nab it.”
“Right you is, Brer Fox,” says ol' Brer Rabbit;
“An' mo' dan dat, I'd retch out an' grab it,
Kaze I never did b'lieve in comp'ny-snigglin',
An' I done got a place whar I does my gigglin'.”
An' dey all un um ax'd 'im, “Wharbouts is it?
Des show us de way an' we'll pay it a visit!”
You kin see fer yo'se'f Brer Rabbit ain't a-laughin';
Ef trouble wuz ter come he look like he'd nab it.”
“Right you is, Brer Fox,” says ol' Brer Rabbit;
“An' mo' dan dat, I'd retch out an' grab it,
Kaze I never did b'lieve in comp'ny-snigglin',
An' I done got a place whar I does my gigglin'.”
An' dey all un um ax'd 'im, “Wharbouts is it?
Des show us de way an' we'll pay it a visit!”
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Brer Rabbit makes out he had money an' los' um,
An' he holp Brer Fox fer ter fin' his rozzum,
Hummin', “Yam spells tater, an' tater spells possum,”
An' den 'twan't long 'fo' de dance, it broke up;
Brer Fox stay behime, an', atter while, spoke up,
An' ax Brer Rabbit whar his gigglin'-place—
“It ain't so mighty fur fum de wigglin'-place,
An' you sholy is hear tell er dat, suh,
Kaze, once dar, you'll giggle twel you lose yo' hat, suh.
An' he holp Brer Fox fer ter fin' his rozzum,
Hummin', “Yam spells tater, an' tater spells possum,”
An' den 'twan't long 'fo' de dance, it broke up;
Brer Fox stay behime, an', atter while, spoke up,
An' ax Brer Rabbit whar his gigglin'-place—
“It ain't so mighty fur fum de wigglin'-place,
An' you sholy is hear tell er dat, suh,
Kaze, once dar, you'll giggle twel you lose yo' hat, suh.
“An' you may lose yo' hide—I've seed sech cases,
Whar dem what 'uz quare got los' in quare places.”
But dis kinder talk wuz wuss dan no talk—
Ef he know'd he'd git scolloped by a knock-kneed Mohawk,
Brer Fox would 'a' went—dey wuz no needs fer mo' talk.
So Brer Rabbit say he'd be glad fer ter take 'im,
Kaze he too perlite fer ter up an' shake 'im;
An' Brer Fox went, wid a gallop an' a wiggle,
Fer ter see de place whar Brer Rabbit giggle.
Whar dem what 'uz quare got los' in quare places.”
But dis kinder talk wuz wuss dan no talk—
Ef he know'd he'd git scolloped by a knock-kneed Mohawk,
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So Brer Rabbit say he'd be glad fer ter take 'im,
Kaze he too perlite fer ter up an' shake 'im;
An' Brer Fox went, wid a gallop an' a wiggle,
Fer ter see de place whar Brer Rabbit giggle.
Atter so long dey got dar, an' Brer Rabbit show'd it,
An' Brer Fox 'low dat he never would 'a' know'd it;
Ol' Rab smole a smile, an' den he tol' 'im
How ter giggle an' giggle twel a hoss can't hol' 'im;
'Twuz “'Tain't ez you see it, but de way you do it—
Dat big bush yander, you mus' run right thoo it.”
Ef it had 'a' been a track Brer Fox would 'a' flew it.
But he run thoo de bush an' den he holler'd—
He yapped an' he wapped an' den he waller'd.
An' Brer Fox 'low dat he never would 'a' know'd it;
Ol' Rab smole a smile, an' den he tol' 'im
How ter giggle an' giggle twel a hoss can't hol' 'im;
'Twuz “'Tain't ez you see it, but de way you do it—
Dat big bush yander, you mus' run right thoo it.”
Ef it had 'a' been a track Brer Fox would 'a' flew it.
But he run thoo de bush an' den he holler'd—
He yapped an' he wapped an' den he waller'd.
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An' de reason wuz plain why he make sech a racket:
He had run right over Mr. Yaller-Jacket,
An' de bush wuz de home er de bal'-headed Hornet—
Brer Fox he galloped right straight on it;
He run thoo gullies an' he jumped over ditches,
Kaze he had ten dozen in his britches.
Brer Rabbit hear sump'n 'bout “Dang-dong-ding 'im!”
An' he loped off home kaze he skeer'd dey'd sting 'im!
He had run right over Mr. Yaller-Jacket,
An' de bush wuz de home er de bal'-headed Hornet—
Brer Fox he galloped right straight on it;
He run thoo gullies an' he jumped over ditches,
Kaze he had ten dozen in his britches.
Brer Rabbit hear sump'n 'bout “Dang-dong-ding 'im!”
An' he loped off home kaze he skeer'd dey'd sting 'im!
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