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by Laura Spencer Portor (1872 - 1957)

Mammy's Song
Language: English 
I had an old black Mammy who used to sing to me
All kinds of funny litle songs and funny poetry;
All a bout a "heap o' things", but the song that I liked best 
Was the one she sang when I went to sleep 
With my head upon her breast. 
'Twas "Hi!" said de Possum, "des shake dat 'simmon tree"
"Golly,"said de Rabbit, "you's a shakin' dem on me!" 
Den dey picked wid der claws, 
And dey licked der paws, 
An' dey tuk a heap home to der Maws, 
A heap, oh a heap, honey, home to der Maws, 
Oh a heap, oh a heap, oh a heap, heap, heap, 
To der Maws
Then I would raise my head and beg, 
"Oh sing it once a gain." 
And she would say 
"Hush, honey chile!"
And rock and pat me. 
Then, "Hi!" said de Pos--sum, "des shake dat 'simmon tree,"
"Golly!'said de Rabbit,"you's a shak-in'dem on me!
"Den dey picked wid der claws,
And dey licked der paws, 
And dey tuk a heap home to der Maws,
A heap, oh a heap, honey, home to der Maws, 
Oh a heap, oh a heap, oh a heap, heap, heap, oh a heap.
But I never heard the end, because I always fell asleep

Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada and the U.S., but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.

Text Authorship:

  • by Laura Spencer Portor (1872 - 1957) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

  • by Harriet Ware (1877 - 1962), "Mammy's Song", published 1910 [ voice and piano ], Cincinnati: The John Church Company [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2025-05-26
Line count: 26
Word count: 212

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