The Rivals Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AA BB CC DD EE FF GG HH GG GG II HH JJ KK HH LL GG HH HM CC NN HO PI HH LL BH HH GG GG HH GG GG QQ RR RR SS RR HL HH HH GG QQ TT UV MM CC WW GG GG HH GG| Look heah Is I evah tole you 'bout de curious way I won | A |
| Anna Liza Say I nevah Well heah's how de thing wuz done | A |
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| Lize you know wuz mighty purty dat's been forty yeahs ago | B |
| 'N 'cos to look at her dis minit you might'n spose dat it wuz so | B |
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| She wuz jes de greates' 'traction in de county 'n bless de lam' | C |
| Eveh darkey wuz a co'tin but it lay 'twix me an' Sam | C |
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| You know Sam We both wuz wukin' on de ole John Tompkin's place | D |
| 'N evehbody wuz a watchin' t'see who's gwine to win de race | D |
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| Hee hee hee Now you mus' raley 'scuse me fu' dis snickering | E |
| But I jes can't he'p f'om laffin' eveh time I tells dis thing | E |
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| Ez I wuz a sayin' me an' Sam wuked daily side by side | F |
| He a studyin' me a studyin' how to win Lize fu' a bride | F |
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| Well de race was kinder equal Lize wuz sorter on de fence | G |
| Sam he had de mostes dollars an' I had de mostes sense | G |
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| Things dey run along 'bout eben tel der come Big Meetin' day | H |
| Sam den thought to win Miss Liza he had foun' de shoest way | H |
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| An' you talk about big meetin's None been like it 'fore nor sence | G |
| Der wuz sich a crowd o' people dat we had to put up tents | G |
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| Der wuz preachers f'om de Eas' an' 'der wuz preachers f'om de Wes' | G |
| Folks had kilt mos' eveh chicken an' wuz fattenin' up de res' | G |
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| Gals had all got new w'ite dresses an' bought ribbens fu' der hair | I |
| Fixin' fu' de openin' Sunday prayin' dat de day'd be fair | I |
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| Dat de Reveren' Jasper Jones of Mount Moriah it wuz 'low'd | H |
| Wuz to preach de openin' sermon so you know der wuz a crowd | H |
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| Fu' dat man wuz sho a preacher had a voice jes like a bull | J |
| So der ain't no use in sayin' dat de meetin' house wuz full | J |
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| Folks wuz der f'om Big Pine Hollow some come 'way f'om Muddy Creek | K |
| Some come jes to stay fu' Sunday but de crowd stay'd thoo de week | K |
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| Some come ridin' in top buggies wid de w'eels all painted red | H |
| Pulled by mules dat run like rabbits each one tryin' to git ahead | H |
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| Othah po'rer folks come drivin' mules dat leaned up 'ginst de shaf' | L |
| Hitched to broke down creaky wagons dat looked like dey'd drap in half | L |
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| But de bigges' crowd come walkin' wid der new shoes on der backs | G |
| 'Scuse wuz dat dey couldn't weah em 'cause de heels wuz full o' tacks | G |
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| Fact is it's a job for Job a trudgin' in de sun an' heat | H |
| Down a long an' dusty clay road wid yo' shoes packed full o' feet | H |
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| 'Cose dey stopt an' put dem shoes on w'en dey got mos' to de do' | H |
| Den dey had to grin an' bear it dat tuk good religion sho | M |
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| But I mos' forgot ma story well at las' dat Sunday came | C |
| And it seemed dat evehbody blin' an' deef an' halt an' lame | C |
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| Wuz out in de grove a waitin' fu' de meetin' to begin | N |
| Ef dat crowd had got converted 'twould a been de end o' sin | N |
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| Lize wuz der in all her glory purty ez a big sunflowah | H |
| I kin 'member how she looked jes same ez 'twuz dis ve'y houah | O |
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| But to make ma story shorter w'ile we wuz a waitin' der | P |
| Down de road we spied a cloud o' dus' dat filled up all de air | I |
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| An' ez we kep' on a lookin' out f'om 'mongst dat ve'y cloud | H |
| Sam on Marse John's big mule Caesar rode right slam up in de crowd | H |
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| You jes oughtah seed dat darkey 'clar I like tah loss ma bref | L |
| Fu' to use a common 'spression he wuz 'bout nigh dressed to def | L |
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| He had slipped to town dat Sat'day didn't let nobody know | B |
| An' had car'yd all his cash an' lef it in de dry goods sto' | H |
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| He had on a bran' new suit o' sto' bought clo'es a high plug hat | H |
| He looked 'zactly like a gen'man tain't no use d'nyin' dat | H |
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| W'en he got down off dat mule an' bowed to Liza I could see | G |
| How she looked at him so 'dmirin' an' jes kinder glanced at me | G |
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| Den I know'd to win dat gal I sho would need some othah means | G |
| 'Sides a hangin' 'round big meetin' in a suit o' homespun jeans | G |
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| W'en dey blow'd de ho'n fu' preachin' an' de crowd all went inside | H |
| I jes felt ez doh I'd like tah go off in de woods an' hide | H |
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| So I stay'd outside de meetin' set'n underneat' de trees | G |
| Seemed to me I sot der ages wid ma elbows on ma knees | G |
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| W'en dey sung dat hymn Nobody knows de trouble dat I see | G |
| Seem'd to me dat dey wuz singin' eveh word o' it fu' me | G |
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| Jes how long I might ha' sot der actin' like a cussed fool | Q |
| I don't know but it jes happen'd dat I look'd an' saw Sam's mule | Q |
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| An' de thought come slowly tricklin' thoo ma brain right der an' den | R |
| Dat perhaps wid some persuasion I could make dat mule ma fren' | R |
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| An' I jes kep' on a thinkin' an' I kep' a lookin' 'roun' | R |
| Tel I spied two great big san' spurs right close by me on de groun' | R |
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| Well I took dem spurs an' put em underneat' o' Caesar's saddle | S |
| So dey'd press down in his backbone soon ez Sam had got a straddle | S |
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| 'Twuz a pretty ticklish job an' jes ez soon ez it wuz done | R |
| I went back w'ere I wuz set'n fu' to wait an' see de fun | R |
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| Purty soon heah come de people jes a swa'min' out de do' | H |
| Talkin' 'bout de pow'ful sermon nevah heah'd de likes befo' | L |
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| How de monahs fell convicted jes de same ez lumps o' lead | H |
| How dat some wuz still a layin' same es if dey'd been struck dead | H |
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| An' to rectly heah come Liza Sam a strollin' by her side | H |
| An' it seem'd to me dat darky's smile wuz 'bout twelve inches wide | H |
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| Look to me like he had swelled up to 'bout twice his natchul size | G |
| An' I heah'd him say I'd like to be yo' 'scort to night Miss Lize | G |
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| Den he made a bow jes like he's gwine to make a speech in school | Q |
| An' walk'd jes ez proud ez Marse John over to untie his mule | Q |
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| W'en Sam's foot fust touched de stirrup he know'd der wuz sump'n wrong | T |
| 'Cuz de mule begin to tremble an' to sorter side along | T |
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| Wen Sam raised his weight to mount him Caesar bristled up his ear | U |
| W'en Sam sot down in de saddle den dat mule cummenced to rear | V |
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| An' he reared an' pitched an' caper'd only ez a mule kin pitch | M |
| Tel he flung Sam clean f'om off him landed him squar' in a ditch | M |
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| Wen dat darky riz well raly I felt kinder bad fu' him | C |
| He had bust dem cheap sto' britches f'om de center to de rim | C |
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| All de plug hat dat wuz lef' him wuz de brim aroun' his neck | W |
| Smear'd wid mud f'om top to bottom well he wuz a sight I 'speck | W |
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| Wuz de folks a laffin' Well su' I jes sholy thought dey'd bus' | G |
| Wuz Sam laffin' 'Twuz de fus' time dat I evah heah'd him cuss | G |
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| W'ile Sam slink'd off thoo de backwoods I walk'd slowly home wid Lize | G |
| W'en I axed her jes one question der wuz sump'n in her eyes | G |
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| Made me know der wuz no need o' any answer bein' said | H |
| An' I felt jes like de whole world wuz a spinnin' 'roun' ma head | H |
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| So I said Lize w'en we marry mus' I weah some sto' bought clo'es | G |
| She says Jeans is good enough fu' any po' folks heaben knows | G |
James Weldon Johnson
(1)
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