Old Josh, in: The White Nigger, 1840

Old Josh, in: The White Nigger 1840


Josh Jefferson is visiting Amos Jackson
Down in Shantytown, about four miles outside of Ozark, Alabama
Standing outside Amos’ shack having a conversation…


Josh: I sees it with me own eye Amos, an’ he a slave, I dont believe it!
Amos: I done hear a heap ‘bout Old man Ritt J.R. and his young-in, Hank, he but ten-year old…dey aint no friend to de nigger, I hear.
Josh: Dat’s de trouble an’ I reckon some er de things I hear is de worse, all bad intentions, like that there sheriff in Ozark, but I has my own idea ‘about da reasons, he rich and wants to be de man, and da Sheriff, wants to impress J.R.
Amos: Wuh de story of de white slave?
Josh: He come from de North he say, and he come to visit his kin, down yonder by Goose Creek, and he stop in Ozark, he a free slave from up in that there Minnesota…so he say, and he lost his paper so he say so, and Old man Ritt, see him walkin’ like he a proud nigger by da sheriff office, but he lookin’ white, hard to tell him from de white man, and da sheriff say, ‘Does you want to buy a nigger cheap?”.
Amos: a white nigger, I’ll be dogged!
Josh: And Old J.R. he say: Who is dat man? An’ he is a gentleman, and lookin’ fine, da white nigger don’t say a word, he scared like a jackrabbit from de wolf.
An’ da sheriff Parker say, ‘He a runaway slave from up North Carolina way, and he wiggle his finger say, ‘Come her’ nigger, open de mouth!’ An’ da nigger he obey, and when da nigger open hisn mout’ and when he do that, the sheriff spit down his th’oat an’ laugh, say: ‘I told you so…!”
Amos: What da white nigger say?
Josh: He dont say nothin’ he jes’ get onto the jail, and sweep it out.
Amos: What old man Ritt says?
Josh: he say, ‘That one humble nigger, I likes him, how much?’ and da sheriff say, ‘How much Youall give me?” And Ritt say, “I give you any hoss Youall wants from my stable.” And I is down there cleaning out his stable. And da sheriff say, “Okey, Youall got a deal.”

Josh: I wrote a poem down at the barn last nigh, Youall want to hear it?
Amos: If-in it aint too long!


The Stable Barn
And da White Nigger
By Josh Jefferson

I work dis barn here
Lookin’ out its iron doors
Its walls er brick?
An’ its roof got rafters
An’ I hear da hosses
Day wail an’ moan
Sound like day in Af’ica
Louder then da lion
And da white nigger
I hears his tale,
An’ I sings his song
Er misery to a nigger from
Up in da Minnesota way,
Here way down in
Ozark, Alabama!

Poem No: 2640 6-17-2009

Note: 414 (Episode: 81 of “Old Josh”) 6-17-2009