 | The tar-baby and other rhymes of Uncle Remus |  |
25
DE 'GATER AND DE RABBIT GIZZARD
27
Mr. Rabbit come gallopin' home fum de frolic,
But a look at de creek made him feel sollumcolic,
Kaze de creek in a night done turn ter a river,
An' de water look so wet it make him shiver;
He holler, an' holler, an' holler at de ferry—
'Twuz run by a man which his name wuz Jerry—
But de creek so high, de ferry wa'n't dar,
An' Jerry wuz treed by ol' Brer B'ar.
But a look at de creek made him feel sollumcolic,
Kaze de creek in a night done turn ter a river,
An' de water look so wet it make him shiver;
He holler, an' holler, an' holler at de ferry—
'Twuz run by a man which his name wuz Jerry—
But de creek so high, de ferry wa'n't dar,
An' Jerry wuz treed by ol' Brer B'ar.
He holler twel he wake up ol' Brer Yalligater,
Which he dine on pine-knots an' sweet pertater;
Brer 'Gater stuck his nose fum de muddy water,
An' ax Brer Rabbit how wuz his daughter;
Brer Rabbit he say dat dey ain't no tellin',
Kaze when he lef home her head was a-swellin';
Some er Brer Fox' chillun come by an' rocked her,
An' he hatter rush off an' git de doctor.
Which he dine on pine-knots an' sweet pertater;
Brer 'Gater stuck his nose fum de muddy water,
An' ax Brer Rabbit how wuz his daughter;
28
Kaze when he lef home her head was a-swellin';
Some er Brer Fox' chillun come by an' rocked her,
An' he hatter rush off an' git de doctor.
An' on top er dat, here de creek come a-risin',
It beat anything he y'ever lay eyes on;
“Brer Rabbit,” sez de 'Gater, “you sho is a rover,
But dis one time I'll put you over.”
Brer Rabbit, he chaw twel his jaw wuz jimber—
“Brer 'Gater,” he say, “yo' tail mighty limber.”
“It's made dat-a-way,” sez de Yalligater,
“We er all j'inted up accordin' ter natur.”
It beat anything he y'ever lay eyes on;
“Brer Rabbit,” sez de 'Gater, “you sho is a rover,
But dis one time I'll put you over.”
Brer Rabbit, he chaw twel his jaw wuz jimber—
“Brer 'Gater,” he say, “yo' tail mighty limber.”
“It's made dat-a-way,” sez de Yalligater,
“We er all j'inted up accordin' ter natur.”
Brer Rabbit he 'low, “I speck dat's so, suh,
An' mo' dan dat, I b'lieve I'll go, suh.
I'll git on yo' back ef you'll come a leetle closer;
I'm a-dreadin' er de water mo' an' mo', suh.”
Yalligater float up, ez light ez a feather,
Wid a word here an' dar about de weather,
An' how col' de water wuz down in de slushes,
An' a grin on his mouf dat showed all his tushes.
An' mo' dan dat, I b'lieve I'll go, suh.
I'll git on yo' back ef you'll come a leetle closer;
29
Yalligater float up, ez light ez a feather,
Wid a word here an' dar about de weather,
An' how col' de water wuz down in de slushes,
An' a grin on his mouf dat showed all his tushes.
Brer Rabbit he say ter de grinnin' Yalligater,
“I'll be much erbleeged ef you'll show me de way ter
Ride on yo' back.” “Des jump kinder straddlin';
You do de pantin', and I'll do de paddlin'.”
An' right thoo de water dey went a-skimmin',
Brer Rabbit a-pantin', an' de Yalligater swimmin';
Brer Rabbit he say, “Yo' sho got yo' han' in,
But ef I ain't mistooken, you er passin' de lan'in'.”
“I'll be much erbleeged ef you'll show me de way ter
Ride on yo' back.” “Des jump kinder straddlin';
You do de pantin', and I'll do de paddlin'.”
An' right thoo de water dey went a-skimmin',
Brer Rabbit a-pantin', an' de Yalligater swimmin';
Brer Rabbit he say, “Yo' sho got yo' han' in,
But ef I ain't mistooken, you er passin' de lan'in'.”
“You got good eyes,” sez Brer Yalligater.
“I been waitin' long, an' I ain't a good waiter;
You ain't fergot dat day in de stubble,
When you make me shake han's wid red-hot trouble—
When you got me in de dry grass, an' sot it afire,
An' I squenched myse'f by rollin' in de mire.”
Brer Rabbit he sot dar a-shakin' an' a-shiverin',
An' mo' dan dat, he was quakin' an' quiverin'.
“I been waitin' long, an' I ain't a good waiter;
30
When you make me shake han's wid red-hot trouble—
When you got me in de dry grass, an' sot it afire,
An' I squenched myse'f by rollin' in de mire.”
Brer Rabbit he sot dar a-shakin' an' a-shiverin',
An' mo' dan dat, he was quakin' an' quiverin'.
“I been so sick, I wuz nigh ter dyin',
An' de doctor come an' foun' me cryin';
He look me over from A ter Izzard,
An' he say dat I needs some Rabbit Gizzard.”
Now, all dis make Brer Rabbit feel funny,
But he up an' low, “I'm de man fer yo' money;
De folks all say I'm a quare ol' creetur,
Kaze I'm long been a-huntin' fer de Gizzard-Eater.
An' de doctor come an' foun' me cryin';
He look me over from A ter Izzard,
An' he say dat I needs some Rabbit Gizzard.”
Now, all dis make Brer Rabbit feel funny,
But he up an' low, “I'm de man fer yo' money;
De folks all say I'm a quare ol' creetur,
Kaze I'm long been a-huntin' fer de Gizzard-Eater.
31
“I got a big un, but she done gun me trouble
Sence de doctor found dat she is double;
I'm a-tellin' you sump'n what I ain't had oughter,
But she has ter come out eve'y time I cross water;
De doctor say my skin won't hol' me
Ef my gizzard smell water—dat what he tol' me;
An' las' night I hid 'er in a hick'ry holler,
An' I'll take you dar ef you'll des but foller.”
Sence de doctor found dat she is double;
I'm a-tellin' you sump'n what I ain't had oughter,
But she has ter come out eve'y time I cross water;
De doctor say my skin won't hol' me
Ef my gizzard smell water—dat what he tol' me;
An' las' night I hid 'er in a hick'ry holler,
An' I'll take you dar ef you'll des but foller.”
Brer 'Gater ain't hurt wid too much sense—
He can't write his name, an' he can't clim' a fence—
An' he steer fer de bank whar all de trees is,
Whar de Owl shake her wings an' wake up de breezes;
He swum an' he steered twel he got ter de dry lan',
Brer Rabbit fetched a jump an' lit on de highlan',
Wid “Good-by, Brer 'Gater! you wanter change yo' habits—
Ef you bleege ter eat Gizzards, des hunt yer Unc' Rabbit's!”
He can't write his name, an' he can't clim' a fence—
An' he steer fer de bank whar all de trees is,
Whar de Owl shake her wings an' wake up de breezes;
He swum an' he steered twel he got ter de dry lan',
Brer Rabbit fetched a jump an' lit on de highlan',
32
Ef you bleege ter eat Gizzards, des hunt yer Unc' Rabbit's!”
| The tar-baby and other rhymes of Uncle Remus | |