Fishin' Time.

Blue bird an' de killdee
Am er flittin' by!
Spring time chillun!
An' de fishin' time's nigh!
Git de pole an' tackle
An' we'll tromp down to de stream,
Whah de fish bull an' de turtle
Dah am jes' ez thick ez cream!

Look hyar Efram Sambo,
Grabb dat spade an' dig some bait.
Git up in er jiffy!
Kaze we hain't got long to wait!
Yo's slower den de ol' man,
An' ah's sixty fow an' twenty,
Go fotch us back er kyart load!
Kaze dis bait am li'l scanty!

Dat Sambo, he am er critter,
He's ez lazy ez Ike Skrimmin',
He jes' needs er good cowhidin',
Er some udder kine ob trimmin'.
Ah wish ah was his daddy!
Yo' bet ah'd make him walk it
An' de time ah got froo wiff him
He er picket fence could hopp it!
Rastus fotch mah backker
An' mah pipe dah in de shanty!
Come on wiff us Sambo!

Ah specks yo's dug us bait er plenty!
Whah's de poles an' tackle,
Dog mah cats!
Whut's dat boy doing?
Dat li'l' po' brack raskul
Keeps me brilein' an' er stewin'!

Yo' better come er flyin'!
Yo' li'l' white eyed pickerninny!
Whah's mah pipe an' backker?
Hain't yo' fotchd de ol' man any?
Erpon mah soul! Yo's huff
To make me stomp lak massa Dixon!
Yo' tink wees got de whol' day
Fo' er foolin' an' er fixin'?

De older dat yo' gits
Ah blebs de bigger fool yo's makin'!
Look hyar stop yo' bawlin'
An' yo' twiss'n' an' er shakin'!
See hyar! whah's yo' mammy?
Betsy? Fotch mah pipe an' backker,
Bress dat ol' brack woman!
Dey's no udder sweet jes' lak her!

Well boys, we'll tromp
Ercross de meadows
To ol possum trott lagoon!
Tromp up li'l' faster
Kaze it's gittin' 'long to noon!

Ah nebbah goes er fishin',
'Dout dis good ol' rabbit's foot!
Ah kyars it fight hyar, sah!
In de leg ob dis ol' boot.
Kaze ah bleebs in hants an' hoodoos,
Dat day pessterkates erbout,
But dis rabbit's foot an' pepper
Soon will git 'em on de rout!

It sho' do break de hoodoo
Dis ol' rabbit's foot ob mine!
Tis good luck to de ol' man,
Fotches nibbles to mah line.
Ah nebbah goes erway
Wiffout er bull fish
An' er sucker
To hab er big fish fryin'
An' to 'vite in Sistah Tucker!

When ah's froo er fishin',
An' mah line won't hol' no mo',
Ah puts foots in de road
An' den ah tromps back to de do',
Ah hyar ol' Betsy singin',
An' er humrain' at er song,
"Ah wish mah ol' man
Wiff dem fish would come erlong."

Den ah ropp sof' on de do'.
An' she say. " ol' man
Am dat yo'?"
Kose it am mah Betsy!
It's yo' ol' man sho' fo' true!
Den she frows de do' wide open,
When she sees dah in mah hart',
De fish she shouts fo' glory,
Grabbs de lard an' fryin' pan!

Sich er sizzlin' an 'er
Frizzlin' when she frows
Dem in to frye!
De pickerninnys file up,
Smack dey mouves an' bat dey eye!
An' de way dey keeps er shoutin',
All de passel sho' do feel,
De bull fish in de batter,
Beats de possum an' de eal.

Yo' tawk erbout yo' bacon
An' yo' tawk erbout yo' greens,
An' yo' tawk erbout yo'
Hoghead cooked wiff
Great big chunks ob leen,
Yo' tawk erbout er fiddle
An' er good ol' banjo tone,
Dat strikes yo' in de ankle
An' dat koch yo' in de bone.

But dey's nuffin' makes yo' chuckle,
An' dey's nuffin' makes yo' shout,
Ez when yo's got er nibble,
An' yo's fotched er bull fish out!

Den it's tromp! tromp! tromp!
We am totein' to de stream,
Whah de bull fish an' de turtle
Dah, am jes' ez tick ez cream!