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Alabama - No Lawd I ain't Ready 5

er foolishness, en dat all dat shoutin' en whoopin' en hollerin' whut
folks did, wa'n't nothin' but foolishness neither." She paused a moment,
then added "En I thought he knowed. No'm I didn't never jine en hits
too late now I reckon. I b'lieves Heaven's a good place to go though,
but I can't tell you how come, caze I doan know nothin' 'bout hit. I
ain't never 'fessed no hope in Christ, ain' never sung none uv dem
old songs lack I hear 'em sing.

'De folks keep a-crowdin' on de gospel ship
There's no use a-waitin' fer de 'scursion trip.'

"En I know dere ain't, dere sho' ain't but I feels de need ter be
baptized caze hit soon be time fer me ter ride on de Jurdan tide en I
ain't ready, no Lawd I ain' ready! I been settin' here thinkin' 'bout
dat en I b'lieves my time is mos' out. I sneezed las' night wid my
mouth full of vittles en dat's a sho' sign er death, hit doan never fail
hardly, en whut is I gonner do? I hear folks say Christians ken view
God-er-mighty, en git happy if dey jus' 'fesses Christ. Some folks tells
me dey kin hear little moans en kin walk 'cross hell on a spider web,
but I ain't never seen hit done. 'Fore mammy lef' she tole all us chillun
on de plantation ter live fer Christ, caze she said hit wus de onliest
way, but I didn't pay her no mind.

"You see, Miss, Marse Bob didn't 'low none uv his colored folks
to go ter no church in dem days, er to no meetin', en didn't 'low 'em
to have no books er no schoolin' cae they say he wus feared uv a uprisin'
mongst 'em. Dem wus sad times, en Marse Bob said 'ligion wus a lot er
trash jes' lack Mr. Charlie do now, en both them got book larnin', Mr.
Charlie en dem is, an' Mr. Charlie he know dem books by heart. I ain't
never been ter no school. I doan know whut de Bible say 'bout hit, cazze
I can't read no printin'. I used to try to pray sometimes when I get
lonesome lack, en I'd shut de door en put my head down in de wash pot so

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