We'll neber hear de banjo play again

John Rutter Rutledge 1888

Dat dear ole soul ole Uncle Ned
is lying in his grave
de banjo now hang silent by de door
We miss the songs of evenin'
that we used to fondly crave
but we'll neber hear him play dem any more.
He used to sing and play so sweet
when daylight went away
and we neber thought of sorrow or of pain.
It made us oh so happy just to hear de banjo play
but we'll neber hear him play it anymore.

Oh peaceful may he slumber
while de angels watch above
Cos he am free from sorrow and from pain.
But gone is all de music
and de songs we used to love
and we'll neber hear de banjo play again!

Down in the cotton fields we work
de long and lonely hours
while sadness seems to linger eberywhere.
De birds of song we used to hear
no more sing in de flowers
but waste their sweetness on the desert air.
For dey would sing to Uncle Ned
and he would sing to dem
around his little cabin in de lane.
But now he's gone de rose am dead
and fallen from its stem
and we'll neber hear de banjo play again.^^