Annotation:Kemo Kimo
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KEMO, KIMO. AKA and see "Polly Kimo." American, Dance and Song tune; English, Air and Morris Dance Tune (2/4 time). D Major (Ford, Raven): B Flat Major (Scott). Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Raven, Scott): AABB (Ford). A black-face minstrel song, popularized in England in the nineteenth century by the vocalist Sam Cowell.
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In South Car'lina the darkies go
Sing song, Kitty, can't you ki'me, oh!
That's whar the white folks plant the tow,
Sing song, Kitty, can't you ki'me, oh!
Chorus:
Kemo, Kimo! Dar! Oh, whar?
Wid my hi, my ho, and in come Sally, singing,
Sometimes penny-winkle-lingtum, nip-cat.
Sing song, Kitty, can't you ki'me, O! (Ford).
Ford also prints the words to a blackface minstrel song to the same tune called "Polly Kimo" (Ford, 1940; p. 540).
Source for notated version:
Printed sources: Ford (Traditional Music in America), 1940; p. 106 (additional verses on page 418). Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; p. 154. Scott (English Song Book), 1926; p. 82.
Recorded sources:
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