Jack And Dinah Want Freedom[51]

From: FOREIGN SECTION

Ole Aunt Dinah, she's jes lak me.
She wuk so hard dat she want to be free.
But, you know, Aunt Dinah's gittin' sorter ole;
An' she's feared to go to Canada, caze it's so c[=o]l'.

Dar wus ole Uncle Jack, he want to git free.
He find de way Norf by de moss on de tree.
He cross dat [52]river a-floatin' in a tub.
Dem [53]Patterollers give 'im a mighty close rub.

Dar is ole Uncle Billy, he's a mighty good Nigger.
He tote all de news to Mosser a little bigger.
When you tells Uncle Billy, you wants free fer a fac';
De nex' day de hide drap off'n y[=o]' back.

[51] The writer wishes to give explanation as to why the rhyme "Jack and
Dinah Want Freedom" appears under the Section of Psycho-composite Rhymes
as set forth in "The Study----" of our volume. The Negroes repeating
this rhyme did not always give the names Jack, Dinah, and Billy, as we
here record them, but at their pleasure put in the individual name of
the Negro in their surroundings whom the stanza being repeated might
represent. Thus this little rhyme was the scientific dividing, on the
part of the Negroes themselves, of the members of their race into three
general classes with respect to the matter of Freedom.

[52] The Ohio River.

[53] White guards who caught and kept slaves at the master's home.

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