De last man I wuk'd fer wuz at de Link Hotel. Den I started keepin'
boarders. Hab fed all deze Nashville police. De police ez de ones dat
hep'ed git deze relief orders fer me. I hab lived on dis street fer 60
years. I lived 22 y'ars whar de Hermitage Laundry ez. Dat ez whar I
got de name "Mammie." W'iles livin' dere I raised eighteen chilluns
white en black, en sum ob dem iz good ter me now.
I had sum papah's 'bout mah age en diff'ent things, but w'en de back
waters got up, dey got lost. I didn't hab ter move but I kep prayin'
en talkin' ter de Lawd en I b'leeve he 'Yeard me fer de water didn't
git in mah house.
I member w'en de yellow fever en de cholera wuz 'yer, in 1870 en 1873.
Dey didn't hab coffins nuff ter put dem in, so dey used boxes en piled
de boxes in waggins lak hauling wood.
I'se aint worth a dime now w'en hit kums ter wukin' fer I'se aint able
ter do nuthin, thoo I can't complain ob mah livin' since de relief has
bin takin' keer ob me.
Dis young peeples, "Oh mah Lawd!" Dey ain' worth talkin' 'bout. I
tries ter shame deze 'omen, dey drink (I call hit ole bust haid
whiskey), en do such mean things. I'se disgusted at mah own color. Dey
try ter know ter much, en dunno muthin', en dey don' do 'nuff wuk.
I nebber voted en dunno nothin' 'bout hit. Hab nebber had any frens in
office. Cain' member nothin' 'bout re'structon. I hab bin sick en
still don' feel right. Sumtimes I feels krazy.
Hab bin tole dat black cat crossin' road in frunt ob you wuz bad luck.
I nebber did b'leeve in any signs. Ef I ez ter hab bad luck, ah'll hab
hit.