Jacqueline MoodyJammin’ Jests, Jukin’ Jives, & Jolly Roger Justice

I’ve had a bad earworm with the campfire song The Discovery Channel made, so I thought I might be able to cure it by looking up some other songs. This follows the same logic as curing a hangover by drinking beer first thing in the morning. I hope it works!

I remember a ton of them from girl scouts and car rides. Even YMCA camp did some. I thought I’d start with a song my parents used to have us kids sing in the car while driving to Grandmothers house. It’s called The Poor Old Slave.

A google search revealed that it was actually based on a song called Good Old Jeff. Here’s the original:

GOOD OLD JEFF

“Tis just a year ago today that I remember well
I sat down by poor Nelly’s side and a story she did tell
“Twas about a poor old darkey Jeff, that lived for many a year
But now he’s dead and in his grave, no trouble does he fear

For good old Jeff had gone to rest
We know that he is free
Disturb him not, but let him rest
Way down in Tennessee

She took my arm, we walked along into an open field
And then she paused to breathe a while, then to his grave did
steal
She sat down by that little mound and softly whispered there
“Come to me, Father, ’tis thy child,” and gently dropped a tear

But since that time, how things are changed, poor Nell that was
my bride
Is laid beneath the cold clay sod, down by her father’s side
I planted there upon her grave a weeping willow tree
I bathed its roots with many a tear that it might shelter me

I found different versions online of the children’s song that is based on the chorus.  This version is the one we sang in the car.  The first verse is very slow. Each verse gets quicker until the last one you sing as quickly as you possibly can.
The Poor Old Slave

The poor old slave has gone to rest
We know that he is free, free, free, free.
His bones they lie, disturb them not
Way down in Tenessee, see, see, see

The pee-or old slee-ave has gee-one to ree-est
We knee-ow that he-oh is free, free, free, free
His bee-ones they lee-ie, distee-urb them nee-ot
Way dee-own in Tee-enessee, see, see, see

The piggity-poor old sliggity-slave has giggity-gone to riggity-rest
We kniggity-know that higgity-ho is free, free, free, free
His biggity-bones they liggity-lie, distiggity-sturb them niggity-not
Way diggity-down in Tiggity-enessee, see, see, see

The pick-pack-poor old slick-slack-slave
Has gick-gack-gone to rick-rack-rest
We knick-knack-know that hick-hack-ho is free, free, free, free
His bick-back-bones they lick-lack-lie, distick-stack-sturb them nick-nack-not
Way dick-dack-down in Tick-Tack-enessee, see, see, see