Professional.
"Down on de Banks
ob de
Mississippi
Ribber." (1896)
(A
Mississippi
Cat-Fish
Nig.)
Music by Cha[rle]s. Coleman.
Words by R. A. Browne.

Frank Tousey's Publishing House.
  34-36 North Moore Street, New York.
  and at 165 Stamford St., London, Eng.
[Source: 1896-MUM00682]

1. Once a little yaller nigger sat afishin’ on a dock,
A fishin’ for de fishes down below,
And he waited fo’ an hour, but he nebber got a bite,
De catchin’ it was mighty, mighty slow.
Den dis litlte yaller nigger got dis gustted with his luck,
As he felt drowsy feeling o’er him creep,
So he tied the line onto his foot to wake him up in time
Den he curled himself up and he went to sleep.

CHORUS [sung after each VERSE]
Down on de banks ob de Mississippi Ribber,
Down on de ribber shore,
Dere is just an udder nigger gone to Hebben, dat is all,
An’ he’ll nebber go a fishin’ any more.

2. On de bottom ob de ribber snoopin’ round about de mud,
Was a daddy fish ob most de biggest size;
Nebber thinkin’ of de little nigger fishin’ up above,
’Till he saw de bait before his very eyes.
Den he flipped his tail and fins, and gaily winked his other eye,
And he said “Dere is my dinner, sure as sin,”
Den he gave a little nibble, an’ he swallow’d hook and all,
And he pulled so hard he pulled de nigger in.

3. When de mornin’ came, de neighbors walkin’ down de ribber shore,
Found de fish, and found de little nigger too,
Tangled up and both together in de Mississippi mud,
How it happen’ no one ever really knew.
And a question’s nebber answer’ in dat little darkey town,
Tho’ to solve it is each neighbor’ earnest wish,
The conundrum, if the fish had caught de little yaller nig,
Or de little yaller nig had caught de fish.