Carve Dat Possum

"Carve Dat Possum"
Cover of "Carve Dat Possum", 1875
Song
LanguageEnglish
Published1875
Songwriter(s)Sam Lucas

"Carve Dat Possum" is a minstrel song attributed to Sam Lucas in 1875. Very popular in its time,[1] it tells of hunting and preparing a possum to eat. The chorus:

Carve dat possum, carve dat possum, children,
Carve dat possum, carve him to de heart;
Carve dat possum, carve dat possum, children,
Carve dat possum, carve him to de heart.[2]

The song, as published by Lucas, is in 2/4 time.

Although the song was first performed by Lucas, The Pacific Appeal (San Francisco, October 25, 1879) notes that "it was only after a long epistolary discussion that Henry Hart (musician) obtained a public acknowledgement that he was the genuine author."

References

  1. ^ Johnson, Black Manhattan, p. 118: "One of the most popular of the minstrel songs of the seventies was 'Carve dat 'Possum,' written by Sam Lucas."
  2. ^ Lucas, "Carve Dat Possum".

Bibliography

  • Johnson, James Weldon. Black Manhattan: Account of the Development of Harlem. New York: Alfred A Knopf (1930).
  • Lucas, Sam. "Carve Dat Possum" (sheet music). Boston: John F. Perry & Co. (1875).


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