“Settin' on a Rail”
Description
"As I went out by the light of the moon... Thar I spies a fat raccoon A-settin' on a rail." The singer pulls the coon off a rail and fights with it. In at least one version, the singer is a slave who helps his master on toward death
Supplemental text
Settin' on a Rail
Partial text(s)
*** A ***
From Dorothy Scarborough, On the Trail of Negro Folk-Songs,
pp. 177-0178. Supplied by W. R. Boyd, Jr., "formerly of
Texas."
As I went out by the light of the moon,
So merrily singin' this here old tune,
Thar I spies a fat raccoon
A-settin' on a rail,
Settin' on a rail,
Serrin' on a rail,
Ha-ha! Ha-ha, Ha-ha, Ha-ha!
Sleepin' mighty sound.
(1 additional stanza)
Notes
This shares a first line with a few versions of "Davy Crockett," which also involves a bare-hands fight with a coon -- but the overall form and feel is different enough that I think they're separate song which has cross-fertilized a little. - RBW
Cross references
- cf. "Davy Crockett" (lyrics)
References
- Scarborough-NegroFS, pp. 177-179, "Settin' on a Rail" (2 texts, 1 tune)
- ST ScNF177B (Partial)
- BI, ScNF177B