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‹Better GutenbergJamaican Song and StoryCXXIX — 2nd Figure · 135 of 205Contents›

Jamaican Song and Story

by Walter Jekyll

135 of 205 · Contents · Download EPUB

CXXIX — 2nd Figure

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Rise a roof in the morning,
Rise a roof in the morning;
Tell all the nigger them to come, come, come,
Rise a roof in the morning.
The Monkey and the Baboon them was sitting on the wall,
Rise a roof in the morning;
I an’ my wife cannot agree,
Rise a roof in the morning.
She ‘pread me bed on the dirty floor,
Rise a roof in the morning;
For Devil made the woman an’ God made man,
Rise a roof in the morning.

“Rise a roof” seems to mean, as far as I can understand the explanation, “raise the roof”; as we might say, “row enough to blow the roof off.”

“Baboon” always has this accent on the first syllable and a French a.

The Blacks do not mind calling themselves niggers, but a White man must not call them so. To say “black nehgher” is an offence not to be forgiven. The word is used again quite kindly in the following:—

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