Benjamin Franklin King (1857-1894)
Injun Summah
1De Injun summah's comin',
2De bees is all froo hummin',
3De watah-mellon thumbin'
4 Has passed long time ago.
5De ole clock in de kitchen
6Is tickin' mos' bewitchin',
7While Gabe is out unhitchin'
8 Just kase it looks like snow.
9De lambs is runnin' over
10De aftahmath ob clovah,
11An' yondah comes de drovah;
12 I 'spec he' got a yahn
13About de ole bell-weddah
14Dat's wand'rin roun' de meddah
15An' wants ter git togeddah
16 Wid de sheep up roun' de bahn.
17Some days de sun is shinin',
18Some days de win' is whinin',
19An' den I'se after fin'in'
20 Big pippins on de groun';
21De birds hab all stopped singin',
22Wil' geese is soufward wingin',
23Jes' look an' see 'em stringin'
24 Whar warmah weddah's foun'.
25De yaller cat is nappin'
26En layin' roun' an' gappin';
27Bimeby he will be slappin'
28 Some tom-cat on de wall.
29Dar's a mellah, yellah glory
30Kase de yeah is ol' an' ho'ry,
31An' a melancholy story
32 So't o' hangin' roun' us all.
Online text copyright © 2009, Ian Lancashire (the Department of English) and the University of Toronto.
Published by the Web Development Group, Information Technology Services, University of Toronto Libraries.
Original text: Ben King's Verse, ed. Nixon Waterman, introduction by John McGovern, biography by Opie Read (Chicago: Forbes, 1899): 200-01. PS 2169 K8 1899 Robarts Library.
RPO poem editor: Ian Lancashire
RP edition: RPO 1998.
Recent editing: 2:2002/3/21
Rhyme: aaabaaab
Other poems by Benjamin Franklin King
