Ya bwa, ya bwa, ya bwa, ya bwa.
Raise up an' you, ma-dam
Fan, you. Raise up an' you, ma-dam Sal, you.
Raise up an' you, ma-dam Queen Anne,
An' me name An', an me name An-drew, an' me name An'.
Thomas White, Maroon Town.
A woman have t'ree daughter an' one son, an' de son was a yawzy 'kin.[2] De t'ree sister, one name Madame Sally, one name
[1. The proverb is added from an old mammy of over a hundred years.
2. Framboesia, popularly called "yaws" is a contagious though curable skin disease common among young negroes of the West Indies. It begins with a blister and spreads over the whole body. See Lewis, West Indies, p. 208.]
{p. 100}
Madame Queen Anne, one name Madame Fanny, an' de brudder name Andrew. De free sister don' count much by de brudder. An' one day dem goin' out to see frien', an' bake pone an', in de mo'ning, tell der mudder good-by an' tell der fader good-by; dey never speak to de yawzy boy Andrew. Travel de whole day till late tek dem. An' dey look out on a common, dey saw a big white house an' dey call up an' ax fe a lodging fe de night, an' de woman in de house tell dem yes. An' it was an Ol' Witch house dem goin' to sleep. De Ol' Witch woman cook dinner give dem, an' bed-time get a nice bed to sleep in. An' de Ol' Witch woman drug dem, an' dey fallen in sleep.
At de said time, de yawzy 'kin brudder Andrew was half Ol' Witch an' he know what his sister was goin' to meet in de night. An' he follow dem whole day, until night, when de girl gone to bed, de Ol' Witch brudder fin' himself under de Ol' Witch house. An' dis Ol' Witch woman had t'ree copper hung up into her house. An' part of de night when de girl were in sleep, Ol' Witch went to kill one of de girl. As him catch de girl t'roat for go cut i', yawzy boy Andrew cry out,
Ya bwa, ya bwa, ya bwa, ya bwa.
Raise up an' you, ma-dam
Fan, you. Raise up an' you, ma-dam Sal, you.
Raise up an' you, ma-dam Queen Anne,
An' me name An', an me name An-drew, an' me name An'.
As him sing out, razor-mout' tu'n over. Ol' Witch woman said, "But, bwoy, whe' you come from come here?" Andrew say, "Hi, Nana! me follow me sister dem come deh. But I have yawzy an' when de yawzy bite me, me mudder kill a cow an' tek de blood an' wash me." De Ol' Witch kill a cow an' tek de blood an' wash de boy, an' de boy fall in sleep back. So she go an catch Madame Queen Anne to cut him t'roat, an' de boy Andrew bawl out again,
"Ya, bwoy, ya, bwoy, a me name o
a me name Andrew,
Rise up, Madame Fanny,
Rise up, Madame Queen Anne,
Rise up, Madame Sally, {p. 101}
A me name o,
A me name Andrew, a me name o."
Ol' Witch razor mout' tu'n over. Ol' Witch gi' out, "Bwoy, whe' you come from, torment me so?" Boy said, "Hi, Nana! when me to home, when me yawzy bite me, if it is de bigges' barrow me mamma got, 'm kill him an' tek de blood wash me." An' Ol' Witch kill a barrow an' wash him, an' de boy gone to bed, gone sleep. Day coming fast, Ol' Witch mad to eat de girl. When she t'ink dat Andrew asleep, him not sleeping. Well, de ol' lady wait for a good time an' him went in de room an' him catch Madame Fanny t'roat to cut him. An' him hear,--
"Ya, bwoy, ya, bwoy,
A me name Andrew, a me name o
Rise up, Madame Fanny,
Rise up, Madame Queen Anne,
Rise up, Madame Sally,
A me name o
A me name Andrew, a me name o."
Boy jump out an' say, "Hi, Nana! de yawzy bite me dat I kyan' sleep. Nana, when I to home me mamma tek de bigges' sheep, tek de blood wash me." Dat time, Ol' Witch copper deh 'pon fire was boiling hard, an' Andrew ketch de Ol' Witch an' knock him down in de copper an' kill him dead. An' Andrew detain de t'ree sister 'pon Ol' Witch property, an' him claim de property as his own, an' sen' away for his mudder an' his fader, an' tek all de Ol' Witch riches an' live upon it, mek himself a man.
Jack man dory, choose none!