by Stephen Collins Foster (1826 - 1864)
De Camptown ladies sing dis song
Language: English
De Camptown ladies sing dis song, Doodah, doodah, De Camptown race track five miles long, Oh! Doodah day! I came down dah wid my hat cav'd in, Doodah, doodah, I go back home wid a pocket full ob tin Oh! Doodah day. Gwine to [run]1 all night! Gwine to [ride]1 all day! I'll bet my money on de bob-tail nag, Somebody bet on de bay. De long-tail filly and de big black hoss, Doodah, doodah, Dey fly de track and dey both cut across, Oh! Doodah day! De blind hoss stickin' in a big [mud]2 hole Doodah, doodah, Can't touch de bottom wid a ten-foot pole, Oh! Doodah day. Gwine to [ride]1, etc. Old Muley cow came on [to]3 de track, Doodah, doodah, De bob-tail fling her ober his back, Oh! Doodah day! Den fly along like a railroad car, Doodah, doodah, Runnin' a race wid a shootin' star, Oh! Doodah day. Gwine to [ride]1, etc.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Note: Camptown is a town in Pennsylvania from which a five-mile horse race to the town of Merryall used to take place.
1 Grainger: "ride"
2 Grainger: "bog"
3 omitted by Grainger
Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Stephen Collins Foster (1826 - 1864), "Gwine to run all night", alternate title: "De Camptown Races", published 1850. [text verified 1 time]
This text (or a part of it) is used in a work
- by Percy Aldridge Grainger (1882 - 1961), "Tribute to Foster", 1913-6, based on a melody by Stephen Foster.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-08-25
Line count: 30
Word count: 156