A Little Cabin

Des a little cabin
Big ernuff fur two.
Des awaitin’, honey,
Cozy fixt fur you;
Down dah by de road,
Not ve’y far from town,
Waitin’ fur de missis,
When she’s ready to come down.

Des a little cabin,
An’ er acre o’ groun’,
Vines agrowin’ on it,
Fruit trees all aroun’,
Hollyhawks a-bloomin’
In de gyahden plot—
Honey, would you like to
Own dat little spot?

Make dat little cabin
Cheery, clean an’ bright.
With an’ angel in it
Like a ray of light?
Make dat little palace
Somethin’ fine an’ gran’.
Make it like an Eden,
Fur a lonely man?

Des you listen, Honey,
While I ’splain it all,
How some lady’s go’nter
Boss dat little hall;
Des you take my han’
Dat’s de way it’s writ,
Des you take my heart,
Dat’s de deed to it.

From The Book of American Negro Poetry (Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1922), edited by James Weldon Johnson. This poem is in the public domain.