Plantation Echoes: A Collection of Original Negro Dialect Poems by Elliott Blaine Henderson - HTML preview

GOOD BYE, HONEY—GOOD BYE.

Gwine to leeb dis dear ol’ place,

Good bye, honey; good bye!

Time’s er flyin’, I mus’ make has’e,

Good bye, honey; good bye!

Hate to go, but I kain’t say no,

It gives mah hea’t er pang o’ woe,

Yo’ all’s mah fren’, not one’s mah foe,

Good bye, honey; good bye!

Sistah Jane, an’ uncle Joe?

Good bye, honey; good bye!

I hope we’ll see us all sum mo’,

Good bye, honey; good bye!

We’s gittin’ ol’, we’s gittin’ gray,

Ah days am dun’ fo’ makin’ hay,

Ah steps cum slo’ we’s wastin’ ’way,

Good bye, honey; good bye!

We’s had good times on dis ol’ place,

Good bye, honey; good bye!

We’s frollic’d in de possum chase,

Good bye, honey; good bye!

We’s picked de cotton, hoed de co’n,

We’s picked de berries spite o’ thorns,

We’s wocked at night, we’s wocked at morn,

Good bye, honey; good bye!

Hain’t dat Miss Linndy, obeah dah?

Good bye, honey; good bye!

Sho’ it am; well, I declah!

Good bye, honey; good bye!

Cum an’ shake de ol’ man’s han’,

Gwine to leeb ol’ massa’s lan’

’Deed, Miss Linndy, yo’ look gran’,

Good bye, honey; good bye!

Rastus? little Rastus, chile,

Good bye, honey; good bye!

Look ee dah, jes’ see him smile,

Good bye, honey; good bye!

Jes’ ez natshul ez his paw,

De bes’ chile dat I ebbah saw,

Got de mannahs ub his maw,

Good bye, honey; good bye!

Whah is Massa, is he ’roun’?

Good bye, honey; good bye!

’Pears’ I koch his footstep soun’,

Good bye, honey; good bye!

I ’fess it’s hard to leeb him now,

To say good bye, I doan’ kno’ how,

I’ll shake his han’, jes’ make er bow,

Good bye, honey; good bye!

Mockin’ bird up in de tree?

Good bye, honey; good bye!

Yo’s sung er manny day to me.

Good bye, honey; good bye!

Er manny day dis hea’t o’ mine

Yo’s cheered it wid yo’ song divine,

An’ made de sunlight brighter shine,

Good bye, honey; good bye!