en whip dem niggers dat been prowl bout widout dat strip from dey Massa.
I remember I hear talk dey say, 'Patroller, Patroller, let nigger pass.'
Dey would say dat if de nigger had de strip wid dem en if dey didn' have
it, dey say, 'Patroller, Patroller, cut nigger slash.'"

"Child, I tell you dat been a day to speak bout. When I come along, de
women never vote, white nor colored, en it been years since I see a
colored person vote, but I remember dey been gwine to vote in dat day en
time just like dey was gwine to a show. Oh, honey, de road would be full
of dem. Dey had to vote. Remember, way back dere, everybody would be
singin en a dancin when dey had de election:

'Hancock ride de big gray horse,
Hampton ride de mule,
Hancocks got elected,
Buckras all turn fool.
Buggety, buggety, buggety etc.'"

"White en black was all in a row dere dancin all night long. Ain' made
no exception."

"I hear talk dat when freedom come here, de niggers was just turn loose
to make dey livin de best way dey could. Say dat some of de white folks
give dey niggers somethin to go on en some of dem didn' spare dem
nothin. Dey tell me old Sherman didn' come through dis section of de
country, but he sent somebody to divide out de things like so much corn
en so much meat to de colored people. Now, I talkin bout dat what I hear
de old people say. Put everything in Ben Thompson hand to deal out de
colored people share to dem. Yes, mam, he was de one had de chair. Talk
bout Sherman give Ben Thompson de chair, sayin what I hear de old people
say. I don' know exactly how it was, it been so long since de old people
talk wid me. Dat it, it been so long till God knows, I forgot."

"Well, I used to know a heap of dem songs dat I hear my auntie en my
grandmammy sing dere home when I was comin up. Let me see, child, dey
was natural born song too.

'I got somethin to tell you,
Bow-hoo, oo-hoo, oo-hoo.
I got somethin to tell you,
Bow-hoo, oo-hoo, oo-hoo.
In a bow-hoo, oo-oo-hoo.

Way cross de ocean,
'Mongst all dem nation,
Massa Jesus promise me,
He gwine come by en by,
He gwine come by en by.

Dere many miles round me,
De curried be so bold,
To think dat her son, Jesus,
Could write widout a pen,
Could write widout a pen.

De very next blessin dat Mary had,
She had de blessin of two,
To think dat her son, Jesus,
Could bring de crooked to strai