Folktales

One day the snake climbed up the gum mallimie tree to take a nap. As soon as he went to sleep, he fell out of the tree and sprained his back. He got very angry for he believed that the tree deliberately threw him out. So he cursed the tree. The tree tried to explain, but the snake wouldn’t listen. He kept on cursing the tree. So the tree got mad, too, and told the snake: ‘Well, if you want to believe I hurt you purposely, do so. And since you cheek me about it I’m going to be hard on you and your children.

So that is why no snake will climb the gum mallimie tree. And since the snake cheeked the tree, if you touch a snake with a gum mallimie twig, it will paralyze him.

Do you know why Solomon said, ‘Vanity of vanities; all is vanity and a vexation of spirit?’ Well, you see, Solomon married up thousands of women. They say them folks way back didn’t have no sense, but Solomon was the wisest man that ever lived.

He had a room in that gold palace with a glass ceiling in it. Whenever one of his new wives would be brought to him, before he would see her he would sit and talk with her awhile in that room over the glass floor. If she looked to suit him, he would excuse himself and make out he had some business out in the yard. Then he would go into that room with the glass ceiling and look up at the girl sitting upstairs.

Well, after he had done married hundred of girls he got a little old. He wasn’t so old in years, but he was all tired out.

Then here comes the Queen of Sheba to visit him. She was very beautiful and everything, and Solomon took her right up to the room and entertained for a while. Then he went downstairs and peeped up.

She was beautiful every way he looked at her, but he realized his constitution wore away. Then Solomon took off his crown and dashed it against the wall and said: ‘All is vanity and vexation of spirit.

When the Queen of Sheba visited Solomon she fell in love with him right away, but he talked very slow. So she said to him: ‘King Solomon, I want something.

He said, ‘You can have anything you want, even to half of my kingdom. What is it you want?’ She says: ‘I want some water to drink.’

Old Solomon called a man and told him to bring her some water in a golden goblet.

She said, ‘No, I don’t want no water out of no golden goblet. I want a drink of living water, and I don’t want no water out of no well; I don’t want no water out of no lake; I don’t want no water out of no river, nor no stream, nor no pump. But I am thirsty, I want a drink!’

So Solomon called one of his men and told him to take his fastest race horse and put him on the track and to take a basin with him and to run that horse until he sweat that full bowl of sweat.

After a while the man come back with the bowl of horse-sweat and Solomon put it in a golden bowl and handed it to Sheba to drink.

She throwed it on the ground and told him: ‘I heard that you was a very wise man, but you don’t know how to quench thirst.’

So she went on home.

When the Queen of Sheba come to Solomon he loved her soon as he saw her, but she acted so indifferent he didn’t know how to get up to her.

So you know he was a very wise man, so he thought up a scheme. So he told her: ‘Now, Queen of Sheba, you mustn’t steal nothing while you are here in my kingdom. If you do, I will punish you in any way I want to. You will have to do anything I say.’

She said, ‘Oh no, I don’t steal.’

So he give her a great banquet, and everything was salty. He didn’t have a drop of drinking water nowhere. There was a fountain out on the lawn and that was the only water to be found around the palace.

After the dinner was over, Solomon run out and hid in the bushes close to the fountain and waited. Pretty soon the Queen sneaked up to the fountain and got a drink of water.

Soon as she got through, Solomon rose up and said, ‘Unh hunh, Queen of Sheba, I told you not to steal and here you are stealing my water.’

He called the servants and had her took right into the palace. She was in his power then.

Once Brer Anansy cooked some dunkanoo (a sort of pudding) and wrapped it up in pieces of banana leaves to cool. He went on back into the house. The dog sneaked up and swallowed five of the dunkanoo, and was about to swallow all, when Brer Anansy came out and caught him. He grabbed Brar Dog around the waist and squeezed three of the dunkanoo out of Brer Dog and that left that sunken space in his flanks. That is why dogs have neat waists.

Once God went to Nassau and walked all around the island of New Providence. The Devil was in Cat Island when he heard that God was in the Bahamas. So he hurried to New Providence to see what God was doing there, but God wouldn’t let him come ashore, so he ran along the west coast as God walked along the road. If you don’t believe it, you can go there now and see his tracks.

Once upon a time was a good old time. Monkey chew tobacco and spit white lime. Now it was Brer Bookie and Brer Rabbit used to go out stealing. Go to the sperrit house and this night Brer Bookie see Brer Rabbitt coming down wid a dray load of things. Brer Bookie say: ‘Brer Rabbit, where you get all these good things from?’ He scratch he head.

Brer Rabbit tell him: ‘From de sperrit house and tomorrow morning at six o’clock I will take you get something, too.’

Bookie wake up at five o’clock and say to Brer Rabbit: ‘Six o’clock now time to go. Six o’clock now time to go.’

Rabbit say: ‘Naw, it ‘tain’t six o’clock yet.’

So Bookie ketch a big fire in de yard to say daylight come. Rabbit say: ‘No, mon, daylight ain’t come yet.’

So when six o’clock come, Brer Rabbit put on his clothes and both of them went till they come to the sperrit house. When they come there Rabbit say: ‘My house come down so low.’ And the house come down and they went in and Brer Bookie say: ‘Mon, good food in here, good food in here. I will cook a pot of peas and rice.’

And he did and both of them sit down and eat. And when it was time for them to go, Brer Bookie didn’t went. He say: ‘Mon, I got to stay and eat.’

And Brer Rabbit went out and said: ‘My house, my house, go up so high.’ And the house went up.

And when it was time for the sperrits to come, they said: ‘My house, my house, come down so low.’ And they went in and said: ‘Someone has been in here.’

They begin to cook peas and rice and salt, but when it was finish the sperrit give his little girl a pan full and she went by de bed to sit down and eat. Bookie had done hid under the bed from the sperrits.

Bookie say to her: ‘Gimme some, gimme some.’ And he beg and beg all from her. And she went and ax her father for more and the father give it to her, and he eat all that from the little girl. And she went and ax for more and her father say: ‘Your gut must be as a barrel eh?’ After Bookie done eat all dat from her, she say: ‘I got two papa. One on top de bed and one underneath de bed.’

Then de sperrit get a sea rod and beat him – Bookie -- wid it. All de time the house going up, going up, and he t’row him out and broke Bookie neck.

Biddy, biddy bend, My story is end.

Turn loose the rooster And hold the hen.

Once upon a time was a good old time, Monkey chew tobacco and split white lime.

There was a man. He had three sons. One day he send the eldest out into the woods to feed the goat. And the son looked for the greenest place to feed the goat. And when he was ready to go home he axed de goat have he had sufficient and the goat said: ‘I had enough till I hardly can pull.’

When the goat went home, the father axed the son if he give the goat a plenty of food. And the son said: ‘Yes, I have give it plenty.’ And the father axed the goat had he have enough and the goat said: ‘I hadn’t hardly anything.’ So he beat that son out and drove him away.

And the next day he sent the other son wid de goat and the son looked for the greenest place to feed the goat. And when he was going home he axed the goat if he had sufficient and the goat said: ‘I had enough till I hardly could pull.’

When the son went home the father asked if he give the goat plenty and he said: ‘I have give him enough till he said he hardly could pull.’ The father asked the goat if he had sufficient and he said: ‘I had hardly anything.’ And he beat that son and he stoned him away.

The next day he sent the last son and when the son went and looked for the best spot he could find. And when he was going home he axed the goat if he had sufficient and the goat said the same as he told the other two. When he got home the father asked the son, who said: ‘I gave the goat plenty so he hardly could pull.’ ‘And when he asked the goat he said he hardly had anything. So he stoned that son out.

And the next day the father went and he looked for the best place and when he was coming home he axed the goat if he had sufficient and the goat said: ‘I had enough till I hardly could pull.’ And when he get home he axed the goat had he had enough and the goat said: ‘I hadn’t hardly anything.’

So he said: ‘You was the cause of my three sons not being here today,’ and he killed the goat and sent it away. And the eldest son was coming home then, and the man who he was working with give him a table. And he said, ‘This is not an ordinary table. Just as you say ‘Table be covered’ the table will have all kind of nice food on it.’

When he come that night he stopped at the restaurant and then he begin to eat. He say to the landlord: ‘I could get better food then all of you all.’ Just as he say ‘Table be covered’ the daintiest food come on and everybody wanted some, and he give everybody some. And after he lodged there that night, while he was asleep the landlord stole away his table and put his table there and when he wake up that morning, he didn’t notice this table. He just take it up and went on and when he get home told his father he have got a table can be covered with the best food. Just as I say: ‘Table be covered’ the best food come on. So he called all the neighbors around and people was saying: ‘We won’t have to eat no dinner at home then.’ So he said: ‘Table be covered,’ and nothing come on the table. He was shame and the people had to went back without anything. And the father said: ‘I have to take up my needle and thread again.’

Next day the other son come. And when he was leaving his master give him a donkey and he told him: ‘This is not an ordinary donkey. Soon as you say ‘brickle-a-brick,’ piles of gold will come.’ So he came to the same restaurant. When he get his food he give the man a piece of gold he axed the boy where he get it. And he didn’t say anything. He went outside and said ‘brickle-a-brick’ and piles of gold come on the table cloth. And the landlord was peeping through a hole and he saw him, and after that he tied his donkey and that night he went to bed. While he was sleep the landlord went and stole his donkey and put his donkey in place. And the next morning he didn’t notice the donkey. He went home and told his father about his donkey and he called all the neighbors around. When the neighbors came he said ‘brickle-a-brick’ and the donkey didn’t do anything. And he was so shame and he wrote to the youngest brother and telling him what the landlord had stole from the two brothers.

So when the last son was leaving his master give a stick in the sack. He said: ‘This is not an ordinary stick. Just as you say ‘Stick out the sack’, it will jump out and beat your enemies.’” “And when he come the landlord was watching this bag. When he went to bed he played sleep. The landlord went and take the bag away and the boy get up and say ‘stick out de sack’ and the stick jumped out and beat up the man. He had to plead for mercy. The boy say: ‘Stick in de bag, if you promise togive me two things you stole from my brothers I’ll have mercy on you.’ And he promise him that he will give back the table and the donkey. And he give it to him.

And he went home with all to his father and brothers and the father said: ‘At last I will put down my needle and thread.’

Biddy, biddy biddy, my story is ended. I let go Dorothy and hold you.

Once upon a time Brer Tiger and Mrs. Tiger invite all the creatures in the world to come to a party, but only Brer Dog and Brer Goat came.

So now Miss Tiger and Brer Tiger wanted them all to eat. So Miss Tiger and Brer dog begin to dance together. Brer Tiger began to sing: ‘Push him in the room door, oh, my wife, oh my, oh my wife.’ Brer dog switch his tail round and Miss Tiger could not get him in. So Brer dog sing this time and Miss Tiger and Brer goat dance. So Brer dog sing: ‘The man who can’t run better go before (they) rig (up) plan.’

So Brer goat ran away and went to the side of a river until Brer dog came. So Brer dog said: ‘I am going, Miss Tiger and Brer Tiger.’ They asked: ‘You going already?’ He said, ‘Yes.’

So they wait until he got a little way and they started behind him. So Brer dog went and cover up Brer Goat, only leaving his horn and his hind feet out. So Brer dog swim across in time.”

“Brer Tiger said: ‘Come here, Brer Dog, I got something to tell you good.’ (Min,’ Brer Tiger ain’t got nothing to tell him – just want to eat him.)

So he said, ‘Throw me that log side your feet so I can swim over on it.’ So Brer Tiger throw it to him. (In vain – it was Brer Goat.) Brer dog and Brer Tiger said, ‘One time you had your fortune in your hand, but you lose it.’

Once upon a time was a good old time, the monkey chew tobacco and he spit white lime.

Once upon a time the woman had one daughter and everytime she go out to pick berries for her and her daughter, and everytime she come back she sing a sing:

‘Angelecky mammy die-er

Blessed me coomby deer Sin sin barney a, brinna day.’

Every time she hear her mother sing she run down and open the door.

So somebody tell the devil she got this pretty daughter in the house. She don’t go out. So he send the white bird to learn this sing so he can get in.

And after that the white bird went and learn the sing and teach it to the devil, and after that he have to go to hisself and sing. After the white bird tell de sing, de devil went to see if he could sing, but he voice too heavy and she don’t let him in.

After he went to the blacksmith – axed him to chop off half his tongue. After the blacksmith chop it off it was still too long it was still too heavy. He sent de white bird to sing and the white bird sing and the girl jump down and open the door and de devil take the girl on his back and went with her.

When the girl mother come she didn’t meet her daughter and she start crying. And the berries whut she bring for her daughter all grow on her and she went peeping through de bushes growing on her body looking for her daughter. And when she went way through, her daughter servant was at the sea taking bath and she hear the mother sing and she went and tell the mistress and she mistress say: ‘Can you say a word whut you hear the lady sing?’

And she sing: ‘Angelecky mammy die-er.’

De lady daughter run. She say it was her mother. She pull all de vine off her mother and she clean her all up. And she leave her mother there till she went home and pick up all her things and de devil had a witch rooster. And the rooster tell her: ‘You wash out your bloomers and sprinkle the water all over the grass.’ If she don’t do dat de devil smell all their foot track and know where they went. So she did dat and they left. After they be gone, de devil come home. She had carried de devil rooster wid her.

Usually when de devil come home he crow and do rooster crow back. But when he come dat day de rooster don’t crow, so he couldn’t follow, ‘cause she done took his witch rooster.

Biddy, biddy bend My story is end.

Once all the animals walked erect and looked forward as men do now. But after the snake seduced Eve, God fixed it so all animals look down. So that they would know that they were different from man.

Once there was a little boy who had the habit of telling very large stories. If he saw a squirrel in the woods he would come home and tell his father that he had seen something as big as a bear. If he kill two birds at a shot, he will boast that he has killed a couple of dozen. One day this boy came home and told his father that he have seen a big rat as big as an ox.

‘Oh no,’ said the father, ‘not as big as an ox.’ ‘Yes,’ said the boy, ‘as big as an ox.’

‘Well,’ the father said – no more.

But next day he and his son started out upon a joiney. They traveled on foot and soon come to a broad river.

‘What stream is this?’ asked the boy.”

‘It is a dangerous one for those who tell large stories,’ said the father. ‘Come, my son we must swim across it.’

The boy began to shake his head as if he were ill. ‘What the matter with you?’ said the father. ‘Why, I am thinking of that rat,’ said the boy. ‘Well, what of the rat?’

‘I don’t think it was bigger than a sheep,’ said the youth.

At the time the water was coming up to his neck. He cried out: ‘Father, father, help, help, for I am going to drown.’

Then the father said: ‘What about the rat?’ ‘Father,’ said the boy, ‘after all it was only a mouse.’

A over-average size man he walked up to de boy and say: ‘Boy, whut is yo name?’ ‘My name is Sense-more-than-man, sir. Whut is yo name, sir?’

‘My name is Man-more-than-boy.’

He give the boy some money and sent him to the market. He told him to bring six cents worth of everything he could find and he says: ‘The last of all, bring me six cents worth of god damn…’ (gesture of slinging something distasteful from fingers).

Boy goes to the market and get those things all right. When he comes back the man said: ‘Did you get those things?’

He had there prickly pears and he put ‘em just midway of his basket. Now the boy stood at a distance while he is taking the things from the basket. When he got to these prickly pears he (makes gesture). The boy says: ‘Yessuh, that’s it right now, sir.’

Now when he sent him on another errand. He says: ‘Four o’clock in the morning I want you to go milk dat bull cause I want dat milk to put in my coffee.’

He had a coconut palm right over his window had some coconut on it. De boy goes up, commence to pickin coconuts and drop’em down on de ground.

Looked out de window, did the man: ‘Whut are you doin there?’

‘My father had a birth and I am getting coconuts to give him some milk!’ ‘Whoever heard of a man having birth?’

‘Whoever heard of a bull having milk?’

Now then the last errand. He give him three sacks of money and sent him off to buy some sheeps. He says: ‘Buy me some sheeps, but don’t buy me no rams, don’t buy me no ewes, don’t buy me no lambs, but buy me some sheeps.’

The boy written back to him. ‘I got yo sheeps. I cannot come. You will have to send for them. But don’t send sunshine, don’t send midnight, don’t send midday, don’t send moonshine, don’t send dark night. But send.’

So he had ‘Sense-more-than-man.’