Sterling A. Brown - Slim In Atlanta

Down in Atlanta.

De whitefolks got laws

For to keep all de niggers

From laughin’ outdoors.

Hope to Gawd I may die

If I ain’t speakin’ truth

Make de niggers do deir laughin’

In a telefoam booth.

Slim Greer hit de town

An’ de rebs got him told,-

“Doncha laugh on de street,

if you want to die old.”

Den dey showed him de booth,

An’ a hundred shines

In front of it, waitin’

In double lines.

Slim thought his sides

Would bust in two,

Yelled, “Lookout, everybody,

I’m coming through!”

Pulled de other man out,

An’ bust in de box,

An’ laughed four hours

By de Georgia clocks.

Den he peeked through de door,

An’ what did he see?

Three hundred niggers there

In misery.-

Some holdin’ deir sides,

Some holdin’ deir jaws,

To keep from breakin’

de Georgia laws.

An’ Slim gave a holler,

An’ started again;

An’ from three hundred throats

Come a moan of pain.

An’ everytime Slim

Saw what was outside,

Got to whoopin’ again

Till he nearly died.

An’ while de poor critters

Was waitin’ deir chance,

Slim laughed till dey sent

Fo’ de ambulance.

De state paid de railroad

To take him away;

Den, things was as usural

In Atlanta, Gee A.