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Camptown Races

Stephen C. Foster 1826 (Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania) – 1864 (New York City, New York)

De Camptown ladies sing dis song -- Doo-dah! doo-dah!
De Camptown racetrack five miles long -- Oh! doo-dah day!
I come down dah wid my hat caved in -- Doo-dah! doo-dah!
I go back home wid a pocket full of tin -- Oh! doo-dah day!

Chorus

Gwine to run all night! Gwine to run all day!
I'll bet my money on de bob-tail nag -- Somebody bet on de bay!

De long tail filly and de big black hoss -- Doo-dah! doo-dah!
Dey fly de track and dey both cut across -- Oh! doo-dah day!
De blind hoss sticken in a big mud hole -- Doo-dah! doo-dah!
Can't touch bottom wid a ten foot pole -- Oh! doo-dah day!

Chorus

Old muley cow come on to de track -- Doo-dah! doo-dah!
De bob-tail fling her ober his back -- Oh! doo-dah day!
Den fly along like a rail-road car -- Doo-dah! doo-dah!
Runnin' a race with a shootin' star -- Oh! doo-dah day!

Chorus

Seen dem flyin' on a ten mile heat -- Doo-dah! doo-dah!
Round de race track, den repeat -- Oh! doo-dah day!
I win my money on de bob-tail nag -- Doo-dah! doo-dah!
I keep my money in an old tow-bag -- Oh! doo-dah day!

Chorus

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:03 min read
129

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAB BB ABAB ABAB ABAB
Closest metre Iambic heptameter
Characters 1,039
Words 211
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 4, 2, 4, 4, 4
Full analysis for Camptown Races »

Stephen C. Foster

Stephen Collins Foster, known as "the father of American music", was an American songwriter known primarily for his parlor and minstrel music. more…

All Stephen C. Foster poems | Stephen C. Foster Books

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    "Camptown Races" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. Web. 29 Sep. 2023. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/35638/camptown-races>.

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    Who wrote the poem "The Road Not Taken"?
    • A. Langston Hughes
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