The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #7873   Message #1961290
Posted By: GUEST,Pete Peterson
08-Feb-07 - 12:30 PM
Thread Name: Mary don't you weep--meaning
Subject: RE: Mary don't you weep--meaning
Azizi-
The first rhyme you quote is clearly a slighly garbled version of Henry Clay Work's great song "Kingdom Coming", second verse

He's six foot one way two foot t'other
And he weighs three hundred pound
His cloak so big, dat he couldn't pay de tailor
And it won't go halfway round
He drill so much dat day call him "Cap'n"
And he get so dreadful tan
I 'spect he try to fool dem Yankess
For to t'ink he's contraband

(a great song. We introduce it by saying "After the Fugitive Slave Act of 1852, there were lots of advertisements for runaway slaves, giving a description of the slave and what he was wearing when last seen. Here's a song about a runaway master." )

I totally agree with you about a song speaking on several levels at the same time