Story: B’Rabby in the Cornfield
Book: Bahama Songs and Stories
Author(s): Charles L. Edwards
Published: 1895
Internet Archive link.

Notes: I have removed the eye dialect, but left the wording the same. About the verse at the end, Edwards notes, “E bo ban is probably African.”

How B’Rabby Ate Peas, Corn, and Potato

Once it was at ime, a very good time,
The monkey chewed tobacco, and he spit white lime.

So this day, it was a man; had a big field; peas, corn, and potato. The man didn’t used to go in the field. he send his boy. So this day B’Rabby come where the boy was. He say, “Boy, your pa say give me some peas, corn, and potato.” He let him eat as much as he want. The netx day B’Rabby come back again. He say, “Boy, your pa say give me some peas, corn, and potatoes.”

So now when the boy went home, the boy say, “Pa, you tell B’Rabby to say, ‘I say must give him peas, corn, and potatoes.”

The man say, “No, I ain’t see B’Rabby.” He say, “The next time B’Rabby come there, you must tie B’Rabby and let him eat as much peas, corn, and potatoes as he like.” He say, “You mustn’t let him go.”

The next day, B’Rabby come. He say, “Boy, yourp a say give me some peas, corn, and potatoes.”

B’Boy say, “Let me tie you up first.”

B’Rabby say, “All right, but when I done eating, you must let me go.”

B’Boy say, “All right,” too.

Now when B’Rabby was done eating, B’Rabby say, “Boy, let me go now!”

B’Bay say, “No!”

B’Rabby say, “Mind, you better let me go!”

B’Boy say, “No!”

B’Boy went to call his pa. B’Boy say, Come, Pa, got him today!”

The man went over in the field. They catch B’Rabby, bring him up, put him in the iron cage.

Now they had on six big pots of hot water. B’Tiger was coming past. He say, “What’s the matter, B’Rabby?”

He say, “They got me in here to marry the Queen’s daughter, and I don’t want to marry her.” Now he say, “Do you see them six pots there? They got them full, FULL of cowheads for my wedding.”

B’Tiger say, “Put me in! I want to marry the Queen’s daughter.”

B’Rabby say, “Take me up!” B’Rabby jump up. He fasten B’Tiger. Now B’Rabby GONE. He git in one hollow, hollow poisonwood tree.

The boy come out and say, “Pa, there’s a big one here!”

The man say, “Don’t care if he big one or little one, I going to scald him.” The man come out. He get the hot water. He take the big pot full, boiling up; he swash on B’Tiger.

B’Tiger, he holler, “It ain’t me! It ain’t me!”

The man say, “Don’t care if it ain’t you or what, I going to scald you.” He scald B’Tiger. B’Tiger, he give one jump; he knock the cage all to pieces. B’Tiger GONE!

He come to this same poisonwood tree B’Rabby was in. He sit down right on the stump of the tree what B’Rabby was in. B’Rabby had one shapr, shapr stick, and he shove right into B’Tiger. B’Tiger say, “My goody!” He say, “Hants here!”

B’Rabby take the stick; he shove it out; he stick B’Tiger. B’Tiger say, “No this ain’t hants; B’Rabby here.”

Then B’Tiger look down in the hole and he see B’Rabby sitting there. B’Tiger say, “Ha-an! B’Rabby! Never mind, you cause me to get scalded.” He say, “Never mind! I going catch you!”

B’Rabby say, “Move, boy! Let me get out! Don’t mind me!” B’Rabby GONE!

B’Rabby see one dead goat in the road. The goat dead; stick and be rotten. All the goat back was rotting away. B’Rabby GONE; he get inside the dead goat.

B’Tiger was coming fast! When B’Rabby look, he see B’Tiger coming. B’Rabby was doing, “Huh! Huh!” was doing so in the goat, “Huh! Huh!”

B’Tiger say, “What’s the matter, B’Goat?”

He say, “B’Rabby went past here just now; point he finger at me and rotting away all my back.”

B’Rabby GONE out the dead goat.

B’Rabby was fishing. He see B’Tiger. B’Rabby had he finger bent. B’Rabby say, “Mind, I gonna point!”

B’Tiger say, “Don’t point, B’Rabby, don’t point!” That’s what B’Tiger say.

B’Rabby din’t point.

E bo ban, my story’s end.
If you don’t believe my story’s true,
Ask my captain and my crew.
When I die, bury me in a pot of candle grease.

Photo of hare at Pxhere https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1616213