Paul Laurence Dunbar

Whip-Poor-Will and Katy-Did

Slow de night 's a—fallin’,
An’ I hyeah de callin,
Out erpon de lonesome hill;
Soun’ is moughty dreary,
Solemn—lak an’ skeery,
Sayin’ fu’ to 'whip po’ Will.'
 
Now hit 's moughty tryin’,
Fu’ to hyeah dis cryin’,
‘Deed hit ’s mo’ den I kin stan’;
Sho’ wid all our slippin’,
Dey 's enough of whippin’
'Dout a bird a’visin’ any man.
 
In de noons o’ summah
Dey 's anothah hummah
Sings anothah song instid;
An’ his th’oat 's a—swellin’
Wid de joy o’ tellin’,
But he says dat ‘Katy did.’
 
Now I feels onsuhtain;
Won’t you raise de cu’tain
Ovah all de ti’ngs dat 's hid?
W’y dat feathahed p’isen
Goes erbout a—visin’
Whippin’ Will w’en Katy did?
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