Davis, Jim (story)

The following data is extracted from Arkansas Slave Narratives.

FOLKLORE SUBJECTS Name of interviewer: Mrs. Bernice Bowden Subject: Slavery Time Songs Subject: Superstitions Story:-Information

This information given by: Jim Davis Place of residence: 1112 Indiana Street, Pine Bluff, Arkansas Occupation: None Age: 98 [TR: Additional topic moved from subsequent page.] [TR: Personal information moved from bottom of first page.] [TR: Some word pronunciation was marked in this interview. Letters surrounded by [] represent long vowels.]


"I used to be a banjo picker in Civil War times. I could pick a church song just as good as I could a reel.

"Some of 'em I used to pick was 'Amazing Grace', 'Old Dan Tucker,' Used to pick one went like this

'Farewell, farewell, sweet Mary; I'm ruined forever By lovin' of you; Your parents don't like me, That I do know I am not worthy to enter your d[o].' I used to pick

'Dark was the night Cold was the ground On which the Lord might lay.' I could pick anything.

'Amazing grace How sweet it sounds To save a wretch like me.'

'Go preach my Gospel Says the Lord, Bid this whole earth My grace receive; Oh trust my word Ye shall be saved.' I used to talk that on my banjo just like I talked it there."


Superstitions

"Oh, yes ma'am, I believe in all the old signs.

"You can take a rabbit foot and a black cat's bone from the left fore shoulder, and you take your mouth and scrape all the meat offin that bone, and you take that bone and sew it up in a red flannel-I know what I'm talkin' 'bout now-and you tote that in your pocket night and day-sleep with it-and it brings you good luck. But the last one I had got burnt up when my house burnt down and I been goin' back ever since.

"And these here frizzly chicken are good luck. If you have a black frizzly chicken and anybody put any poison or anything down in your yard, they'll scratch it up."

Source: Arkansas Slave Narratives

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