by Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872 - 1906)
Scamp
Language: English
Ain't it nice to have a mammy W'en you kin' o' tiahed out Wid a-playin' in de meddah, An' a-runnin' roun' about Till hit's made you moughty hongry, An' yo' nose hit gits to know What de smell means dat's a-comin' F'om de open cabin do'? She wash yo' face, An' mek yo' place, You's hongry as a tramp; Den hit's eat you suppah right away, You sta'vin' little scamp. W'en you's full o' braid an' bacon, An' dey ain't no mo' to eat, An' de lasses dat's a-stickin' On yo' face ta'se kin' o' sweet, Don' you t'ink hit's kin' o' pleasin' Fu' to have som'body neah Dat'll wipe yo' han's an' kiss you Fo' dey lif' you f'om yo cheah? To smile so sweet, An' wash yo' feet, An' leave 'em co'l an' damp; Den hit's come let me undress you, now You lazy little scamp. Don' yo' eyes git awful heavy, An' yo' lip git awful slack, Ain't dey som'p'n kin' o' weaknin' In de backbone of yo' back? Don' yo' knees feel kin' o' trimbly, An' yo' head go bobbin' roun', W'en you says yo' "Now I lay me," An' is sno'in' on de "down"? She kiss yo' nose, She kiss yo' toes, An' den tu'n out de lamp, Den hit's creep into yo' trunnel baid, You sleepy little scamp.
Text Authorship:
- by Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872 - 1906), appears in Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadow, first published 1901 [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 Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "Scamp", 2013 [ baritone and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2017-11-14
Line count: 39
Word count: 224