"Young Eph's Lament:
Or,
Oh, Whar Will I Go If Dis War Breaks de Country Up" (1862)
Written by J. B. Murphy,
As Sung by S. S. Purdy

1.
Oh where will I go if dis war breaks de country up,
And de darkeys hab to scatter around,
Dis dam bobolition, mancipation and sesession
Am a gwine to run de nigger in de ground!
De bobolition here, De secession dare,
And neather one nor t'other of 'em's right,
But one says die, die oder says dat,
And dey both got de countr in a fight,
But what can a poor nigger do.

2.
Now what is de use ob dis jangulating fighting?
Botheration to de country so forlorn?
Why don't dey send to bussness, making boats and building railroads?
While de niggers raise de cotton and de corn,
But Massachusetts dar and South Carolina here,
Disturb dis happy Union wid de growl,
One says dey shall, de oder says dey shan't,
And Uncle Sam has got to stand it all,
But what can a poor nigger do.


3.
Oh I wish dat white folks ob dis great confederation,
Would only quit dar quarrells and dar fight,
And stop dar cannonading, marching, and bombarding,
And be willing for to use each oder right.
For it's very plain to see dat de end would be,
Dat dey'd have each oder better dan before,
And dey'd made up dar minds, dat in all future times,
Dey would not go and do it any more,
And dat's what I want dem for to do.

4.
What a denc'd shame it is dis sesession revolution,
An a using up de bassness ob de land!
While trade an navigation, merchandizing, speculation
Hab very nearly come to a stand!
De crops won't be grow'd,
De meadows wo'nt be mow'd,
'Kase dar's nobody left for to tend 'em,
Dar's a scarcity it seems, ob cabbage peas an' beans,
Kase dar's nobody home for to send 'em.
Den what's a hungry nigger gwine to do.