Songs of Jamaica (1912)

Jubba

[Footnote on the title: “Jubba”[1]]

My Jubba waiting dere fe me;
Me, knowin', went out on de spree,
An' she, she wait deh till midnight,
Bleach-bleachin' in de cold moonlight:
An' when at last I did go home
I found out dat she had just come,
An' now she tu'n her back away,
An' won't listen a wud I say.

Forgive me, Jubba, Jubba dear,
As you are standing, standing there,
An' I will no more mek you grieve,
My Jubba, ef you'll but forgive.

I'll go to no more dancing booth,
I'll play no more wid flirty Ruth,
I didn' mean a t'ing, Jubba,
I didn' know you'd bex fe da';
I only took two set o' dance
An' at de bidding[2] tried me chance;
I buy de big crown-bread fe you,
An' won't you tek it, Jubba ? —do.

Forgive me, Jubba, Jubba dear, etc.

It was a nice tea-meeting though,
None o' de boy dem wasn' slow,
An' it was pack' wid pretty gal,
So de young man was in dem sall;[3]
But when I 'member you a yard[4]
I know dat you would t'ink it hard,
Aldough, Jubba, 'twas sake o' spite
Mek say you wouldn' come te-night.[5]

Forgive me, Jubba, Jubba dear, etc.

l Ief' you, Jub, in such a state,
I neber knew dat you would wait i
Yet all de while I couldn' res',
De t'ought o' you was in me breas';
So nummo time I couldn' was'e,
But me go get me pillow-case[6]
An' put in deh you bread an' cake
Forgive me, Jubba, fe God sake!

Forgive me, Jubba, Jubba dear, etc.


  1. The 'u' has the value of the 'oo' in look
  2. An auction of loaves of fine bread, profusely decorated by the baker's art, is a feature of rustic dances
  3. So the young men had a fine time of it
  4. In the yard, i.e., at home
  5. Out of caprice Jubba had refused to go to the dance; she was jealously watching outside the booth, while her young man imagined she was at home
  6. The usual receptacle for bread

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