Analysis of Oh! Susanna
Stephen C. Foster 1826 (Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania) – 1864 (New York City, New York)
1 I came from Alabama
2 wid my ban jo on my knee,
3 I'm g'wan to Louisiana,
4 My true love for to see,
6 It raind all night the day I left
7 The weather it was dry,
8 The sun so hot I frose to death
9 Susanna dont you cry.
10 [Chorus] Oh! Susanna Oh! dont you cry for me
11 I've come from Alabama wid mi ban jo on my knee.
12 [Solo] I jumped aboard de telegraph,
13 And trabbelled down de riber,
14 De Lectric fluid magnified,
15 And Killed five Hundred Nigger
16 De bullgine buste, de horse run off,
17 I realy thought I'd die;
18 I shut my eyes to hold my breath,
19 Susana, dont you cry.
20 [Chorus] Oh! Susana Oh! dont you cry for me
21 I've come from Alabama wid mi ban jo on my knee.
22 [Solo] I had a dream de odder night,
23 When ebery ting was still;
24 I thought I saw Susana,
25 A coming down de hill.
26 The buckwheat cake war in her mouth,
27 The tear was in her eye,
28 Says I, im coming from de South,
29 Susana, dont you cry.
30 [Chorus] Oh! Susana Oh! dont you cry for me
31 I've come from Alabama wid mi ban jo on my knee.
32 [Solo] I soon will be in New Orleans,
33 And den I'll look all round,
34 And when I find Susana,
35 I'll fall upon the ground.
36 But if I do not find her,
37 Dis darkie 'l surely die,
38 And when I'm dead and buried,
39 Susana, dont you cry.
40 [Chorus] Oh! Susana Oh! dont you cry for me
41 I've come from Alabama wid mi ban jo on my knee.
Scheme | ABABXCDC BB XCXEXCDC BB XFAFGCGC BB XHAHECXC BB |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (28%) |
Metre | 111010 1111111 11110010 111111 11110111 010111 01111111 010111 11010111111 1110101111111 11101110 01111 111010 0111010 1111111 11111 11111111 010111 11010111111 1110101111111 111011101 11111 1111010 010111 0111001 011001 11110111 010111 11010111111 1110101111111 1111101100 011111 0111010 110101 1111110 1101101 0111010 010111 11010111111 1110101111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,470 |
Words | 305 |
Sentences | 19 |
Stanzas | 8 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 2, 8, 2, 8, 2, 8, 2 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 26 |
Words per line (avg) | 10 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 128 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 50 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 14, 2023
- 1:34 min read
- 95 Views
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"Oh! Susanna" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/35646/oh%21-susanna>.
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