Early 20th Century Versions Of African American Folk Songs With The Lyrics "When I Die Bury Me Deep" Or "Sticks And Stones May Break My Bones"

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases text (word only) examples of two groups of songs from the early twentieth century that include the lyrics "pickle my bones in alcohol"* or "sticks and stones may break my bones". These text examples are from the "Drink And Gambling Song" section of the full text of "The Frank C. Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore; the folklore of North Carolina, collected by Dr. Frank C. Brown during the years 1912 to 1943, in collaboration with the North Carolina Folklore Society".

*Songs with the lyrics "pickle my bones in alcohol" may be better known now as songs or verses that begin with the lyrics "when I die/bury me deep" or similar text.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the unknown composers of these songs and thanks to Frank C. Brown and other members of the North Carolina Folkloric Society for collecting these and other songs. Thanks also to the publishers of this collection online.
-snip-
[Added September 15, 2017]
The Addendum to this post showcased the "When I Die" (pickle my bones in alcohol" song/rhyme in Thomas W. Talley's 1922 book Negro Folk Rhymes, Wise And Otherwise.

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EXCERPT FROM THE FRANK C BROWN COLLECTION OF NORTH CAROLINA FOLKLORE
[pages 38-40; text examples #69-#72]

Note that the commentary in this excerpt uses the now retired referent "Negro" for "African Americans".]

From https://archive.org/stream/frankcbrowncolle03fran/frankcbrowncolle03fran_djvu.txt

"38. Pickle My Bones in Alcohol 69

39. Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones 71


38
Pickle My Bones in Alcohol

This jocose jingle seems to have a special appeal for Negroes, though it is not confined to them nor is it, probably, of Negro origin. It has been reported from New York (ANFS 368), Tennessee (JAFL XXVIII 130), North Carolina (FSSH 438), Georgia (FSSH 438), Missouri (OFS iii 197-8), and from Negroes in Mississippi (JAFL xxviii 130). In a form which probably is of Negro origin 'lasses and corn bread take the place of alcohol : so in a text reported from Alabama Negroes (ANFS 277) and in some of our North Carolina texts. Or the two notions may be combined, as in our A text and in Negro versions reported from Alabama (ANFS 368-9) and without specific locale bv Talley (Negro Folk Rhymes 26).

'When I Die.' Reported by Julian P. Boyd, Alliance, Pamlico county, as obtained from Duval Scott, a pupil in the school there.

I When I die don't bury me deep ;
Put a jug o' 'lasses at my feet.

Put a pone o' bread in my hand,
And I'll sop my way to the promised land!

When I die don't bury me at all ;
Just pickle my bones in alcohol.

Put a bottle of booze at my head and feet,
And then PU know that 1 will keep.

For Pm a man w4io must have a little likker
When Pm dry, dry, dry !


'When Colonel Died.' Reported by Miss Gertrude Allen (afterwards Mrs. Vaught ) from Taylorsville, Alexander county. Not dated.

I When Colonel died with a bottle by his side

2 When I die don't bury me at all.
Just pickle my bones in alcohol.

3 Put a bottle of booze at my head and feet
And say, 'Colonel died in joy complete.'

c

'Drinking Song.' From Lucille Cheek, Chatham county.

Oh, when I die don't bury me at all ;
Just pickle my bones in alcohol.
Place a bottle of booze at my head and feet.
Tell all the girls Pve gone to sleep.


'When I Die.' From ]\Iiss F. Shuma, in 1920. Location not given. The same as C except the last line, which runs : "So these old bones shall rest in peace."

'When I Die.' From Miss Kate S. Russell, Person county. Here the alcohol has disappeared.

When I die, want you bury me deep.
Put a jug of lasses at my head and feet.
Pone corn bread in the palm of my hand ;
Going to sop lasses in de promised land.


'O When I Die Don't Bury :\Ie Deep.' Contributed in 1919 by H. H.
Hanchey as heard in the southeastern part of North CaroHna. Like E,
but has its last line in the more familiar fdrni: "So I kin sop my way
to de promise land."


DRINK AND GAMBLING SONGS 71

39
Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones

This line is found in Negro songs reported from North Carolina and Alabama (ANFS 145) which are not specifically drinking songs but are concerned, like the texts here presented, with the singer's posthumous reputation — an element which Dr. White says occurs "in various spirituals."

'A Drunkard's Song.' Contributed in 1913 by William B. Covington with the notation : "Reminiscences of my early youth spent in the country on the border of the sand hills of Scotland County."

Sticks and stones may break my bones,

Say what you please when I'm dead and gone;

But I'm gona drink corn liquor till I die,

Till I die, till I die,

I'm gona drink corn liquor till I die.

B

'Song.' From Louise W. Sloan, Bladen county. No date given.

I'm a-living high till I die.

Bet your life I'm a-living mighty high;

Oh, sticks and stones for to breaker my bones,

I know you'll talk about me when I'm gone

But I'm a-living high till I die.


'Ise Gwine to Live in de Harvest.' Reported by Julian P. Boyd as obtained from Duval Scott, one of his pupils in the school at Alliance, Pamlico county.

1 Ise gwine to live in de harvest.
Till I die, till I die ;

Life Ise livin' is not so very high ;

Sticks and stones gwine break my bones,

I know you gwine talk about me when Ise gone ;

Ise gwine live in de harvest till I die !

2 Ise gwine build me a graveyard
Of my own, of my own !

Ise gwine build me a graveyard of my own.
Sticks and stones gwine break my bones,
I know you gwnne talk about me when Ise gone.
Ise gwine live in de harvest till I die !



72 NORTH CAROLINA FOLKLORE

40
Just Kick the Dust over my Coffin

In form this is akin to 'Pickle My Bones in Alcohol,' above ; but its spirit is somewhat different, the speaker being about to die of love, and perhaps it should not be here among the drinking songs. I have not found it elsewhere. The manuscript is without name in the Collection, but from surrounding circumstances it is believed to have come from Obadiah Johnson of Crossnore, Avery county.

1 Just kick the dust over my coffin.
Say, 'There lies a jovial young lad :'
Pile the earth upon my carcass/
Then carve on the stone at my head :

Chorus:

Oh, ain't it a wonderful story
That love it will kill a man dead.

2 Oh, none of you bawling and squalling
Around me as tho' you'd gone mad ;
Just kick the dust over my coffin

And tell my true love that I said : " "

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ADDENDUM- AN EXAMPLE OF THE "WHEN I DIE" SONG/RHYME FROM THOMAS WE. TALLEY'S 1922 BOOK "NEGRO FOLK RHYMES: WISE AND OTHERWISE"
From https://archive.org/stream/negrofolkrhymesw00talluoft/negrofolkrhymesw00talluoft_djvu.txt

[page] 25

"WHEN MY WIFE DIES

WEN my wife dies, gwineter git me anudder one;
A big fat yaller one, jes lak de yudder one.
I'll hate mighty bad, w'en she's been gone.
Hain't no better 'oman never nowhars been bo'n.

Wen I comes to die, you mus'n' bury me deep,
But put Sogrum molasses close by my feet.
Put a pone o' co'n bread way down in my han'.
Gwineter sop on de way to de Promus' Lan'.

Wen I goes to die, Nobody mus'n' cry,
Mus'n' dress up in black, fer I mought come back.
But w'en I'se been dead, an' almos' fergotten;
You mought think about me an' keep on a-trottin'.

Railly, w'en I'se been dead, you needn* bury me

at tall.

You mought pickle my bones down in alkihall ;
Den fold my ban's "so," right across my breas';
An* go an' tell de folks I'se done gone to "res'.""
-snip-
Here are my explanation for the word followed by an asterisk and the descriptor "yaller".

*needs= don't need to

"Yaller" = a light skinned Black person

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