Me Bannabees

RUN ober mango trees,
‘Pread chock^[1] to kitchen doo’,
Watch de blue bannabees,
Look how it ben’ down low!

De blossom draw de bees
Same how de soup draw man;^[2]
Some call it “broke-pot” peas,
It caan’ bruk we bu’n-pan.^[3]

Wha’ sweet so when it t’ick?^[4]
Though some call it goat-tud,^[5]
Me all me finger lick,
An’ yet no chew me cud.^[6]

A mumma plant^[7] de root
One day jes’ out o’ fun;^[8]
But now look ‘pon de fruit,
See wha’ de “mek fun”^[9] done.

I jam de ‘tick dem ‘traight
Soon as it ‘tart fe ‘pread,^[10]
An begin count de date
Fe when de pod fe shed.^[11]

Me watch de vine dem grow,
S’er^[12] t’row dung a de root:
Crop time look fe me slow,
De bud tek long fe shoot.

But so de day did come,
I ‘crub de bu’n-pan bright,
An’ tu’n down ‘pon it^[13] from
De marnin’ till de night.

An’ Lard I me belly swell,
No ’cause de peas no good,
But me be’n tek^[14] a ‘pell
Mo’ dan a giant would.

Yet eben after dat
Me nyam^[15] it wid a will,
‘Causen it mek me fat;
So I wi’ lub it still.

Caan’ talk^[16] about gungu,^[17]
Fe me it is no peas
Cockstone^[18] might do fe you,
Me want me bannabees.