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by Benjamin Franklin King (1857 - 1894)

De ole plow hoss is busy
Language: English 
De ole plow hoss is busy
Breshin' flies off wid his tail,
De ole dog's got a move on him
Dat's zackly like a snail,
De meddeh grass is noddin'
I kin hyar de tree toads warnin'
"Bettah gedder in yo' grain."

Doan yo hyar de frogs a-gurglin'
Dar out yondah in de pond?
What's de mattah wid de catbird,
Doan yo' hyar his voice respond?
Ain't de hull of 'em a-tellin' yo'
In language mighty plain,
"Doan be frivlin' way yo' moments,
Bettah gedder in yo' grain."

Ain't de bumble bee a-hummin'
'Mongst de clovah tops an flowahs,
Whilst de ole clock am a tickin' 'way
De minutes an de houahs?
Chile, yo's got to be a-hus'lin'
To ketch de wisdom train,
Doan waste no opportunities,
But gedder in yo' grain.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Benjamin Franklin King (1857 - 1894), no title [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), "Gedder in yo' grain", 2005 [mezzo-soprano or tenor and piano], from Injun Summah, no. 4 [ sung text checked 1 time]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2007-05-02
Line count: 23
Word count: 132

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