Wid her lips so red an' her teef so white.
Ef it hadn't ben fur Cotton-eyed Joe,
I'd er been married long ergo.

"An' I loved dat gal wid all my heart,
An' she swo' fum me she'd never part;
But den wid Joe she runned away,
An' lef' me hyear fur ter weep all day.
O Cotton-eyed Joe, O Cotton-eyed Joe,
What did make you sarve me so?
O Joe, ef it hadn't er ben fur you,
I'd er married dat gal fur true."

And what with Uncle Sambo's fiddle and Jim's banjo, and all of those
fresh, happy young voices, the music was enough to make even the church
members want to dance.

The children enjoyed the dancing even more than they had the playing,
and Diddie and Dumps and Tot and all of the little darkies were patting
their hands and singing "Cotton-eyed Joe" at the very top of their
voices, when Mammy appeared upon the scene, and said it was time to go
home.

"No, Mammy," urged Dumps; "we ain't er goin' ter; we want ter sing
'Cotton-eyed Joe;' hit ain't late."

"Umph-humph! dat's jes wat I 'lowed," said Mammy. "I 'lowed yer wouldn't
be willin' fur ter go, er set'n' hyear an' er patt'n' yer han's same ez
niggers, an' er singin' uv reel chunes; I dunno wat makes you chil'en so
onstrep'rous."