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sorrow livin' or dead dat walks do earf. White folks fall over each other goin'
to hear de Jubilee singers swing low in day Sweet Chariots. But I never listens
no no' to darkies sing. I'se done wade over Jordan an' I's bad enough.

"De bes' one er dem spiritual hymns is Nobody Knows de Trouble I's Seen.
Dat's mah favorite I reckon. Hit's mah good luck song too. You know ev'ybody has
a good luck song an' a bad luck song. If you sings yo' bad luck song, you gwiner
sink lower an' lower. While de swing of yo' good luck song will sorter insinerate
itse'f into all you does, an' gradually promote you into prosperity.

"Yessum, I was singing' Nobody Knows one day, an' pilin' cross ties on a
flat oar, when a passel of Gipsies pass in one er dem ole faslum vane. Day stop
to watch us work, an' after a while de Chief he say to me. 'Come over here Black
Man. I got some talk fur you.' Cose I wanted to hear what kind of talk hit was
dat could make a white man call a nigger away fum his work. So I tole de boys
to knock off fur a hour. Bein' de fo'man I could do dat you know. Den I went up
to the Gispsy van. Hit was plumb full er chillun, dawgs, an' half starved, thievish
lookin' mans an' wimmins dat lef' de van an' spill out on de grass when day soe
me draw near.

"'All right Boss man,' I say to de Chief, 'what kind er talk you got
fur me? 'Fears lak you are sellin' sumpin or you wouldn't be so friendly wid ollud
folks. Lemme see some samples of what you got.

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