A collection of African American songs and rhymes, some of which in their original African language followed by translations, all of which concluded with an essay not only describing the content and the manner in which the songs and rhymes were told, sung and danced to, but also the effect they had on the minds of African Americans living through the days of slavery and following until 1922.

"Negro Folk Rhymes" by Thomas Washington Talley. Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.

Of the making of books by individual authors there is no end; but a cultivated literary taste among the exceptional few has rendered almost impossible the production of genuine folk-songs. The spectacle, therefore, of a homogeneous throng of partly civilized people dancing to the music of crude instruments and evolving out of dance-rhythm a lyrical or narrative utterance in poetic form is sufficiently rare in the nineteenth century to challenge immediate attention. In Negro Folk Rhymes is to be found no inconsiderable part of the musical and poetic life-records of a people; the compiler presents an arresting volume which, in addition to being a pioneer and practically unique in its field, is as nearly exhaustive as a sympathetic understanding of the Negro mind, careful research, and labor of love can make it. Professor Talley of Fisk University has spared himself no pains in collecting and piecing together every attainable scrap and fragment of secular rhyme which might help in adequately interpreting the inner life of his own people.

In 1922, Talley, a black chemistry professor at Fisk U. in Nashville, published the first collection of American black folksongs. The initial international acclaim for the book faded as attention turned to blues and spirituals. The new edition includes material from Talley's unpublished papers. Many of the over 300 songs are accompanied by musical scores. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Book Excerpt: ...night, w'en de moon's pale;You don't fail to tu'n tail, You always gives me leg bail.[2]Molly in de Bramble-brier, Let me git a little nigher;Prickly-pear, it sting lak fire!Do please come pick out de brier!Molly in de pale moonlight, Y[=o]' tail is sh[=o] a pretty white;You takes it fer 'way out'n sight."Molly! Molly! Molly Bright!"Ole Molly Cottontail, You sets up on a rotten rail!You tears through de graveyard!You makes dem ugly [3]hants wail.Ole Molly Cottontail, Won't you be shore not to fail[4]To give me y[=o]' right h[=i]n' foot?My luck, it won't be fer sale.[2] Leg bail = to run away.[3] Hants = ghosts or spiri

Book Excerpt: night, w'en de moon's pale; You don't fail to tu'n tail, You always gives me leg bail.[2] Molly in de Bramble-brier, Let me git a little nigher; Prickly-pear, it sting lak fire! Do please come pick out de brier! Molly in de pale moonlight, Y[=o]' tail is sh[=o] a pretty white; You takes it fer 'way out'n sight. "Molly! Molly! Molly Bright!" Ole Molly Cottontail, You sets up on a rotten rail! You tears through de graveyard! You makes dem ugly [3]hants wail. Ole Molly Cottontail, Won't you be shore not to fail [4]To give me y[=o]' right h[=i]n' foot? My luck, it won't be fer sale. [2] Leg bail = to run away. [3] Hants = ghosts or spirits. [4] This embraces the old superstition that carrying in one's pocket the right hind foot of a rabbit, which has habitually lived about a cemetery, brings good luck to its possessor. JUBA[5] Juba dis, an' Juba dat, Juba [6]skin dat Yaller Read More