“Zek'l Weep”

Description

"Zek'l weep, Zek'l moan, Flesh come a-creepin' off o' Zek'l bones... I know you goin' to miss me when I'm gone." "Star in the east, star in the west, Wish that star was on my breast" "Hush little baby don't you cry, Know that your mother was born to die"

Supplemental text

Zek'l Weep
  Complete text(s)

          *** A ***

From Carl Sandburg, The American Songbag, pp. 449-450. From the singing of
Rebecca Taylor of South Carolina.

1 Zek'l weep, Zek'l moan,
  Flesh come a-creepin' off o' Zek'l bones;
  Church, I know you go'n to miss me
    When I'm gone.
  When I'm gone, gone, gone,
  When I'm gone to come no mo',
  Church, I know you go'n to miss me
    When I'm gone.

2 Star in the east, star in the west,
  Wish that star was on my breast,
  Church, I know you go'n to miss me
    When I'm gone.
  When I'm gone, gone, gone,
  When I'm gone to come no mo',
  Church, I know you go'n to miss me
    When I'm gone.

3 Hush little baby, don' you cry,
  Know that yo' mama was born to die,
  Chillun, I know you go'n to miss me
    When I'm gone.
  When I'm gone, gone, gone,
  When I'm gone to come no mo',
  Chillun, I know you go'n to miss me
    When I'm gone.

Notes

Sandburg's first verse here may be a backward telling of the Valley of Dry Bones in Ezek. 37:1-14. Or, again, it may not.

Scarborough's text never mentions Ezekiel, but the rest seems to belong here. I think. - RBW

Cross references

• cf. "All My Trials" (floating lyrics) and references there

References

1. BrownIII 657, "'Zekiel'll Weep and 'Zekiel'll Moan" (1 fragment)
2. Sandburg, pp. 449-450, "Zek'l Weep" (1 text, 1 tune)
3. Scarborough-NegroFS, pp. 209-210, (no title) (1 text)
4. ST San449 (Full)
5. Roud #12174
6. BI, San449