by Stephen Collins Foster (1826 - 1864)
Oh! Lemuel!
Language: English
Oh! Lemuel my lark, Oh Lemuel my beau, I's guine to gib a ball tonight, I'd hab you for to know; But if you want to dance, Just dance outside de door; Cayse your feet so berry large Dey'll cover all de floor. Oh! Lem! Lem! Lem! Lemuel I say! Go down to de cotton field, And bring de boys away. Chorus: Go down to de cotton field! Go down, I say! Go down and call de N——1 boys all: We'll no more today Oh! Lemuel my hope, Oh! Lemuel my joy I'll tell you who'll be at de ball My woolly headed boy. Dere's Nelly Bly, you know, And Juliana Snow, Dere's cane-brake Kitty likes de boys, And she'll be sure to go. Oh! Lem! Lem! Lem! Leumel I say! Go down to de cotton field and bring de boys away. Oh! Lemuel is tall, Oh! Lemuel is fair, Oh Lemuel has gone to day To take de morning air. He makes de fiddle hum, He makes de banjo tum, He rattles on de old jaw bone, And beats upon de drum. Oh! Lem! Lem! Lem! Lemuel I say! Go down to de cotton field and bring de boys away.
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1 N---- is a historical (offensive) American racial epithet.
Researcher for this page: Laura Prichard [Guest Editor]
1 N---- is a historical (offensive) American racial epithet.
Authorship:
- by Stephen Collins Foster (1826 - 1864), "Oh! Lemuel!" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Stephen Collins Foster (1826 - 1864), "Oh! Lemuel!", published 1850. [voice and piano] [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Laura Prichard [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2015-12-26
Line count: 36
Word count: 201