Hard to Be a Nigger

DESCRIPTION: "Well, it makes no difference How you make out your time. White man sho' to bring a Nigger out behind. Ain't it hard (x3) to be a nigger?" "Nigger makes do cotton, White folks get de money." The singer complains about unequal pay and unequal justice
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1934 (Lomax)
KEYWORDS: discrimination Black(s) hardtimes nonballad work
FOUND IN: US(So)
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Lomax/Lomax-AmericanBalladsAndFolkSongs, pp. 233-234, "Hard to Be a Nigger" (1 text)
Lomax/Lomax-OurSingingCountry, pp. 282-283, "AInt' It Hard to Be a Right Black Nigger?" (1 text, 1 tune)
Brown/Belden/Hudson-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore3 473 "White Folks Go to College" (1 fragment, at least tangentially related to this song); also 480, "Hard Times" (1 text, massively composite: Chorus from "Lynchburg Town" and verses from "Old Bee Makes the Honey Comb" and the "White Folks Go to College" version of "Hard to Be a Nigger")
Scarborough-OnTheTrailOfNegroFolkSongs, pp. 227-228, "Ain't It Hard to Be a Nigger" (1 text plus a possible fragment)
Roud #15555
File: LxA233

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