plantation ‘s callin’ to me, Come, come back,
    Hyeah ‘s de place fu’ you to labouh an’ to res’,
      ‘Fu my sandy roads is gleamin’ w’ile de city ways is black;
    Come back, honey, case yo’ country home is bes’.

  I know de moon is shinin’ down erpon de Eastern sho’,
    An’ de bay ‘s a-sayin’ “Howdy” to de lan’;
  An’ de folks is all a-settin’ out erroun’ de cabin do’,
    Wid dey feet a-restin’ in de silvah san’;
      An’ de ol’ plantation ‘s callin’ to me, Come, oh, come,
    F’om de life dat ‘s des’ a-waihin’ you erway,
      F’om de trouble an’ de bustle, an’ de agernizin’ hum
    Dat de city keeps ergoin’ all de day.

  I ’s tiahed of de city, tek me back to Sandy Side,
    Whaih de po’est ones kin live an’ play an’ eat;
  Whaih we draws a simple livin’ f’om de fo’est an’ de tide,
    An’ de days ah faih, an’ evah night is sweet. 
      Fu’ de ol’ plantation ‘s callin’ to me, Come, oh, come. 
    An’ de Chesapeake ‘s a-sayin’ “Dat’s de t’ing,”
      W’ile my little cabin beckons, dough his mouf is closed an’ dumb,
    I ‘s a-comin, an’ my hea’t begins to sing.

RELUCTANCE

  Will I have some mo’ dat pie? 
  No, ma’am, thank-ee, dat is—­I—­
    Bettah quit daihin’ me. 
  Dat ah pie look sutny good: 
  How ’d you feel now ef I would? 
  I don’ reckon dat I should;
    Bettah quit daihin’ me.

  Look hyeah, I gwine tell de truf,
  Mine is sholy one sweet toof: 
    Bettah quit daihin’ me. 
  Yass’m, yass’m, dat’s all right,
  I ’s done tried to be perlite: 
  But dat pie ’s a lakly sight,
    Wha ‘s de use o’ daihin’ me?

  My, yo’ lips is full an’ red,
  Don’t I wish you ‘d tu’n yo’ haid? 
    Bettah quit daihin’ me. 
  Dat ain’t faih, now, honey chile,
  I ’s gwine lose my sense erwhile
  Ef you des set daih an’ smile,
    Bettah quit daihin’ me.

  Nuffin’ don’ look ha’f so fine
  Ez dem teef, deah, w’en dey shine: 
    Bettah quit daihin’ me. 
  Now look hyeah, I tells you dis;
  I ’ll give up all othah bliss
  Des to have one little kiss,
    Bettah quit daihin’ me.

  Laws, I teks yo’ little han’,
  Ain’t it tendah? bless de lan’—­
    Bettah quit daihin’ me. 
  I ’s so lonesome by myse’f,
  ‘D ain’t no fun in livin’ lef’;
  Dis hyeah life’s ez dull ez def: 
    Bettah quit daihin’ me.

  Why n’t you tek yo’ han’ erway? 
  Yass, I ‘ll hol’ it:  but I say
    Bettah quit daihin’ me. 
  Holin’ han’s is sholy fine. 
  Seems lak dat ‘s de weddin’ sign. 
  Wish you ’d say dat you ’d be mine;—­
    Dah you been daihin’ me.

BALLADE

  By Mystic’s banks I held my dream. 
    (I held my fishing rod as well,)
  The vision was of dace and bream,
    A fruitless vision, sooth to tell. 
    But round about the sylvan dell
  Were other sweet Arcadian shrines,
    Gone now, is all the rural spell,
  Arcadia has trolley lines.