“Little Brown Baby” is a poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872 – 1906). Dunbar was an American poet, novelist and playwright. His parents had been slaves before the Civil War. He started writing as a child and had his first poems published at age 16.

Dunbar wrote in both standard English and the dialect known as Black English. Black English is also known as African-American English. According to Wikipedia it’s “the set of English dialects primarily spoken by most black people in North America; most commonly, it refers to a dialect continuum ranging from African-American Vernacular English to a more standard English.”

On Mama Lisa’s World, we refer to the dialect that Dunbar sometimes wrote in as “Historical Black American English” to distinguish it from what’s spoken today. We added “American” so that our international audience will know at a glance where it was spoken. We have a whole section on the site devoted to Songs & Rhymes in Historical Black American English. This material dates back over a century.

“Little Brown Baby” was written in Historical Black American English. In the YouTube video below you can watch a wonderful rendition of the poem by Phillip Cherry Sr. You’ll find the text after the video.

Little Brown Baby

Little brown baby wif spa’klin’ eyes,
Come to yo’ pappy an’ set on his knee.
What you been doin’, suh — makin’ san’ pies?
Look at dat bib — you’s es du’ty ez me.
Look at dat mouf — dat’s merlasses, I bet;
Come hyeah, Maria, an’ wipe off his han’s.
Bees gwine to ketch you an’ eat you up yit,
Bein’ so sticky an sweet — goodness lan’s!

Little brown baby wif spa’klin’ eyes,
Who’s pappy’s darlin’ an’ who’s pappy’s chile?
Who is it all de day nevah once tries
Fu’ to be cross, er once loses dat smile?
Whah did you git dem teef? My, you’s a scamp!
Whah did dat dimple come f’om in yo’ chin?
Pappy do’ know you — I b’lieves you’s a tramp;
Mammy, dis hyeah’s some ol’ straggler got in!

Let’s th’ow him outen de do’ in de san’,
We do’ want stragglers a-layin’ ‘roun’ hyeah;
Let’s gin him ‘way to de big buggah-man;
I know he’s hidin’ erroun’ hyeah right neah.
Buggah-man, buggah-man, come in de do’,
Hyeah’s a bad boy you kin have fu’ to eat.
Mammy an’ pappy do’ want him no mo’,
Swaller him down f’om his haid to his feet!

Dah, now, I t’ought dat you’d hug me up close.
Go back, ol’ buggah, you sha’n’t have dis boy.
He ain’t no tramp, ner no straggler, of co’se;
He’s pappy’s pa’dner an’ play-mate an’ joy.
Come to you’ pallet now — go to yo’ res’;
Wisht you could allus know ease an’ cleah skies;
Wisht you could stay jes’ a chile on my breas’—
Little brown baby wif spa’klin’ eyes!

We have posted more Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poems in the past. Check them out!