ROLL THE COTTON DOWN.

Sea shanty used for stowing cotton on vessels bound for England & beyond.
Sang by ships crew and by dockside labour gangs (mostly coloured) and not at all pc, but could be cleaned up for a more sensitive age.

Oh, away down south where I was born,
Oh, roll the cotton down!
Oh, in Alabam one early morn,
Oooh, roll the cotton down!
Roll the cotton
Oh Roll the cotton Moses
Roll that cotton
Oooh Roll the cotton down.

I lived down south in Tennessee,
Roll the cotton down
My ole massa he said to me
Roll the cotton down.

Oh the nigger he works for the white man boss,
He the one on de big black hoss.

If the sun dont shine dem hens dont lay,
If the nigger dont work, the boss dont pay.

God made bees & the bees make honey,
Devil made the women for to take our money.

Oh the nigger he work the whole day long,
So stretch it aft & sing this song.

Lift him up & carry him along,
Screw him down where he belong.

We'll fill her up from fore to aft,
Five thousand bales for this ole craft.

Row on row we'll stow 'em, neat,
Until this job is made complete.

We'll screw 'em up so handsomely,
And roll 'em over cheerily.

Oh, in Alabam where I was born,
Screwing cotton on a summers morn.