1909        Washington, Booker T. _The Story of the Negro._ Vol. 1. New York: Doubleday, Page & Co.

This contains a passage describing corn-sucking bees, and an example of lyrics. I presume this comes from Washington's experience, which would mean what is being desctibed pertains to a Virginia plantation in the early 1860s. The song lyrics quoted compare well with those in Fedric's "Slave Life in Virginia…"

Pp158-60
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Hog-killing time was an annual festival, and the corn shucking was a joyous event which the whites and blacks, in their respective ways, took part in and enjoyed. These corn-shucking bees, or whatever they may be called, took place during the last of November or the first half of December. They were a sort of a prelude to the festivities of the Christmas season. Usually they were held upon one of the larger and wealthier plantations.

After all the corn had been gathered, thousands of bushels, sometimes, it would be piled up in the shape of a mound, often to the height of fifty or sixty feet. Invitations would be sent around by the master himself to the neighbouring planters, inviting their slaves on a certain night to attend. In response to these invitations as many as one or two hundred men, women, and children would come together.

When all were assembled around the pile of corn, some one individual, who had already gained a reputation as a leader in singing, would climb on top of the mound and begin at once, in clear, loud tones, a solo — a song of the corn-shucking season — a kind of singing which I am sorry to say has very largely passed from memory and practice. After leading off in this way, in clear, distinct tones, the chorus at the base of the mound would join in, some hundred voices strong. The words, which were largely improvised, were very simple and suited to the occasion, and more often than not they had the flavour of the camp-meeting rather than any more secular proceeding. Such singing I have never heard on any other occasion. There was something wild and weird about that music, such as I suspect will never again be heard in America.

One of these songs, as I remember, ran about as follows:
I.
Massa's niggers am slick and fat,
    Oh! Oh! Oh! 

Shine just like a new beaver hat,
    Oh! Oh! Oh!

Refrain:
Turn out here and shuck dis corn,
    Oh! Oh! Oh!
Biggest pile o' corn seen since I was born,
    Oh! Oh! Oh!

II.
Jones's niggers am lean an' po';
    Oh! Oh! Oh! 

Don't know whether dey get 'nough to eat or no,
    Oh! Oh! Oh!

Refrain:
Turn out here and shuck dis corn,
    Oh! Oh! Oh! 

Biggest pile o' corn seen since I was born,
    Oh! Oh! Oh!
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