My Old Aunt Sally
(Alternately: Aunt Sally, My Aunt Sally, Old Aunt Sally, Ole Aunt Sally)

For information on this song as part of the blackface minstrel tradition, please see
its page in The Juba Project's Minstrelsy Database.

Credits

Art Babayants, piano; Alison Jutzi, vocals; Dennis Patrick, sound technician.

Lyrics

Image c. British Library, all rights reserved. Further reproduction is prohibited

Verse 1
A gwine down to new Orleans,
I gets up on de landin,
I run again a cotton bale
it fetch my up a ‘standin.
Alamode de duck soup
de corner of an alley,
I’ll tell you ob a row I had
wid my lubly Sally.
oh! Sally! oh! Sally!
My old Aunt Sally
I’ll tell you ’bout a row I had
wid my lubly Sally,

Verse 2
I ax’d her wont you take a ride
wid me upon de lebby,
She turn’d roun an’ crack her heel
an towld me she was ready
I neber spoke anoder word
nor shall I gib de reason;
why I lite on her ’fections for
de ballance ob de season,
de season, de season, de ballance ob de season,
Why I lite on her ’fections for de ballance ob de season.

Verse 3
I hitch’d de Bull before de Cart like a cleber fellor,
Hit’ im a cut to make em go, de Bull began to bellar;
I turnd around to look for Sal I neber shall forget ’em.
Dere I see her makin’ tracks across de Sandy bottom,
de bottom, de bottom, Across de Sandy bottom;
Dere I see her makin tracks across de sandy bottom.

Verse 4
Up de hill an’ down de dale I didn’t seem to mind her,
De Bull’s tail stuck out behind, as he kept up behind her;
He ran slap agin a stump, an’ found himself mistaken,
Sal dodge on tudder side, an’ tried to save her bacon,
her bacon, her bacon, Sal tried to save her bacon
Sal dodge on tudder side, an’ tried to save her bacon;

Verse 5
Now I want to hab you all pay particlar ’ttention,
To a circumstantial fact I’m gwine to mention;
I want to hab you all to know for stength I isn’t a lacking,
Sept when I’m gwine to hab a fite, and den I wants good backin
good backin, good backin, I wants good backin,
Sept when I’m gwine to hab a fite an den I wants good backin.

Verse 6
I brace my back agin a stump de Bull he look so sabbage;
Sez he ole horse I’ll eat you up, just like I would a cabbage;
I sofly creep up to him, den like a nigger stealin;
I lite upon him like a Pig upon a tater peelin;
de peelin, de peelin, upon a tater peelin
I lite upon him like a Pig upon a tater peelin.

Verse 7
I gib her a piece ob my advice, to hunt some oder lodgin;
De Bull kept gwine round de stump an Sally kept a dodgin
She jump a rod or two a side you ought to ’a seen her bound it
If de Bull aint broke de stump he still is gwine round it;
gwine round it_ gwine round it he still is gwine round it
and if de Bull aint broke de stump he still is gwine round it;

Chorus
Sally, Sally, My old Aunt Sally
I’ll tell you ’bout a row I had wid my lubly Sally,
Sally, Sally, my old Aunt Sally.
Ra ree ri ro round de corner Sally.

Publication Information

Published by Lewis and Co. Music Publishers, & Musical Instrument Makers, 509 NewOxford Street, London.

British Library Shelf Number: H.1435(18)