Hi,

While search for "Sugar Hill" I found this in Christy's Nigga Songster:

CUM ALONG JOHN, THE PIPER'S SON
Christy's Nigga Songster
As Sung By Christy's, Pierce's, White's and Dumbleton's Minstrels
New York: T. W. Strong, c. 1850

All de wa from ole Karlina,
For to see my old ant Dinah,
Says I, ole lady, how's de Goose,
Jay bird jump on de Martin's rooze.

CHORUS Den cum along John, oh, cum along John,
Den cum all along John, de piper's son,
Aint you mity glad your works most done.

Behine de hen hous on my knee,
Tinks I hear de chicken sneeze,
Turkey plaughin hard on de punkin vine,
Goose chaw backer and duck drink wine.

Den cum along, &c.

Milk in de dary nine days old,
Rat an' skipper gitin mity bole,
Long tail rat in a pail ob souse,
Jes cum down from de wite fokes house.

Den cum along, &c.

A Wurginny nigger raised a hog,
Mak his kanue out ob de log,
He put kanue into de water,
Go your deff, I see your darter.

Den cum along, &c.

I hadn't seen her haf a day,
Tell my missus I did say,
Shy at first, but soon got larkin,
Wurginny galls am deff at sparkin.

Den cum along, &c.

Massa sent me out a singin',
Dat war de fust of my beginnin',
Shake de double [illegible]immen quiber,
Bust de banjo all to shibber.

Den cum along, &c.

Way down souf on de beever kreek,
De nigga grows 'bout ten feet,
Dey go to bed wid al dar clothes on,
Dere legs hang out for chicken to roost on.

Den cum along, &c.

Nigga get up about haf ded,
Wid a hundred weight chicken on him leg,
An dey start off for de barn,
Ole cock crows, de young wuns larn.

Den cum along, &c.

Besides the obvious racial content and spelling errors, I was wondering where this song originated. Some of the lines/verses have appeared in Sing Song Kitty, and other songs (Limber Jim).


Howard Finster from Georgia does a song called John, John the Piper's Son. There's also a nursery rhyme:

Tom, Tom the Piper's son,
Stole a pig and away he run;
The pig was eat
And Tom was beat,
And Tom went howling down the street.

Any ideas?