Subject:Cuss
Entries
Entry 5371
Yo' kin take a person's foot track an' ran 'em away. Well, perhaps some time we cain't find 'em [tracks] an' sometimes it be's so dat we cain't git de dirt from undah 'is track. Yo' might watch an' see jes' he put his feet on de concrete. Yo' kin take a clean pocket han'- ke'ch'ef an' yo' kin go dere an' jes' wipe dat track tuh yo' - wipe dat track tuh yo'. An' den yo' kin take dat han'ke'ch'ef an' yo' kin take it home. Set down wit it an' buy yo' a bran'-new box of red cayenne peppah, an' yo' kin take a teaspoon of dat cayenne peppah an' tie in de - yo' might say in de east corner of dat han'ke'- ch'ef. Dat track is all ovah dat han'ke'ch'ef [because] quite natchly [naturally] yo' wipe it lak dat, see. An' yo' take dat teaspoon of cayenne peppah an' yo'tie hit up in dere wit 'is name wrote. Yo' cross 'is name an' yo' tell 'im tuh go an' yo' put a bad name - yo' put a bad word tuh hit, on dere name. '[Bad name] an' ah wish yo'd go an' don' stay nowhere yo' go in peace." An' tie it up an' carry it tuh de rivah 'fore de sunrise. Throw it in runnin' watah an' he'll leave.
Entry 5375
Dey take de dirt out of a right-foot track, an' yo' take it an' throw it in runnin' watah, an' cuss de person an' tell 'em tuh leave out of town. (Get the dirt from the right foot track?) Yes.
Entry 5376
Ah heard 'em say dat dey kin git chure right-foot track an' run yo' 'way from town. Dey kin take chure right-foot track an' sprinkle some cayenne peppah in dat dirt an' mix it up good. Take it tuh a stream of runnin' watah an' jes' throw it in de watah an' jes' cuss. Make a mean cussword an' pitch dat sand in de watah an' walk off from it an' don't look back at it.
(You pitch it up over your shoulder?)
Dat's it, up ovah de shouldah. Jes' pitch it an' don' even look back at it, jes' walk on off from dere.
Entry 5378
If it's a man - someone yo' love, if yo' kin ketch 'is track an' jes' have a piece of newspapah wit yo', an' de minute chew pick it up, say, Come heah tuh me; yo' dirty son of a bitch. Sompin lak dat, an' put dat track in dere. An' yo' put dirt daubah wit it, an' some kinda sweet stuff lak yo' put in pies an' thin's. Yo' mix all dat tuhgethah an' put it in de mattress an' lay on it. An' ah don' care where he go, he comin back.
(You take up either track?)
Jes' take up de track an' put it in newspapah.
(Either track, it doesn't make any difference?)
Yes, it don't make no diff'rence, eithah track.
(Coming or going, it doesn't make any difference?)
Yes, it don't make no diff'rence jes' since yo' git dat track an' have dat newspapah an' put it in dere right den soon as yo' pick it up. An' yo' fix lak spice.
Entry 5488
Well, dey say yo' could take three dips of earth outa dey right track, an' take a gunshot an' take some of de shots out of it, an' put dat dirt in dere an' covah it back up, an'.shoot it anywhere, object dat chew want 'em tuh go, an' cuss 'em. Tell 'em tuh go.
(You put that into a gun. That's to make them move out?)
Yes.
Entry 9535
Take salt an' trō' [throw] roun' de house an' cuss 'em, den sweep it - sweep dey tracks. Dey say dey won't come back den.
(What will that do then?) Dey say dey won't come back.
Entry 9571
When dey come, jes' mix a little salt an' red peppah tuh- gethah, an' as dey goes yo' sprinkle it right on behin' de do'h an' sweep out - sweep behin' dem. Cuss dem' some. Say, "Go an' stay an' nevah come back." (They will never come back again.) [Charleston, S. Car., No.518, Doctor Nelson, 610:11.]
Entry 9572
Take salt an' peppah. See, evah time yo' come tuh yore house yo' jes' throw it behin' 'im an' yo' cuss 'im out. Don't say nuthin good, jes' cuss 'im out, jes' say, "Go on! Don' chew come back heah tuh mah house no mo'." Jes' sweep 'im on out de street. An' he stay 'way from dere.
Entry 9679
Well, den ah goes tuh work den an' ah worked a few plans. A fellah followed me an' ah tried it tuh see would it work. De fellah - ah wen' tuh work an' ah took dis heah sul- phuh an' ah took dis heah potash an' dis cookin' salt, an' put it in dis box an' where dis man place of business was. Ah went down dere an' turnt roun' nine times an' made a oath - cuss, cussed dis fellah. In three day's time dis fellah was out of dat place an' done moved. Had tuh move, he couldn't stay down dere. He had tuh move.
(What did you do with that box when you turned around nine times?)
Dat box? Ah took de box an' throwed it away. Ah had it in mah han' when ah wus turnin' roun' do [though]. But ah took de box an' throwed it away an' nobody knows whut it was all about.
Entry 9706
If yo' stayin' in a house an' de rent man wanta come dere tuh put chew oot an' yo' don' wanta git out, why yo' ain't gotta git out. Yo' kin fix a way tuh stay dere. Yo' kin go evah mawnin' jes' 'bout time fo' him tuh come - jes' lak if he dowp dere an' yo' see him comin', yo' jes' go tuh work an' take some sulphuh an' salt an' throw it in de fiah. Boa't let no one see yo' an' make a path. He'll ride right on by yuh house. "Caz why ah know dat? "Cuz de girl ah stayed wit she done dat, an' we didn't pay rent fo' God knows how long. An' ah axed 'er why she do dat, an' she say dat's luck.
Entry 9882
If yo're poisoned yo' use a frog. Yo' take dat frog an' yo' cut 'im half in two, an' lay 'im on de place where - yo' know, jis' lak it wuz a li'l swollen or sompin lak dat some place. Yo' lay dat frog on top dat place an' de one dat chew had a idea dat did do it, yo' jis' cuss 'em out an' tell 'em, "Ah want chew tuh be jis' lak dis frog is, daid an' in he-ell." An' he'll swell up jis' lak de frog would. Jis' lak yo' are, dat's jis' how it would be happen tuh dem.
Entry 10497
Those forks of the road? If a man wants to join in with the order world work, he want to go to the forks of the road at between twelve and one o'clock at night. He'd want to take his guitar and he'd want to play it at twelve or one o'clock at night; see, at the forks of the road. And cuss The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, and he'd get them. His sight would come through his eyes [sight would be only guide] where he could be a underworld man and anything don't bother him - the worry. And he'd just say he joined the devil and anything that he'd take, that Wasn't right, well he'd be successful at it.
Entry 10546
Dance and cuss God for nine Sunday mornings at fork of a road sells you to the devil.
Entry 10547
If yo' wanta be a guitar picker or sompin lak dat. If yo' wanta be a guitar picker, yo' go to de fo'ks of de road fo' nine mawnin's. An' when yo go dere fo' nine mawnin's wit chure guitar, yo' be standin' in de fo'k of de road tryin' tuh be pickin' on it, an' dere will be a man come up an' pick on yore box, axe yo', say, "How long dat chew wanta do dis?" An' so yo' tell him, "Well, ah wanta do dis fo' sech an' sech a time." An' he say, "Yo' gotta cuss God an' give solomn warnin' an' tell Him yo' goin' sell yore soul to de devil. Den yo' kin pick de guitar." Dat whut ah heard about dat.
Entry 10876
Ah heered people say tuh ketch a black cat, hold him back of his neck an' strip yore han' down de tail seven times an' count 'em, an' throw him from yo' an' cuss at him, an' don't look back at him. An' dat as good a luck fo' work as a man could do. (Well, after you have done this with the cat, then what do you do?) After ah throwed de cat away, yo' [ah] cuss at him. Why zh'd git out an' go an' ask some man fo' a job, an' ah would be lucky enough to git a job by dat.
Entry 10883
If yo' wuz in dis house an' ah wuz in dis house an' ah wanted tuh make yo' move. Yo' know a cat an' a dog can't git 'long, if both stay at de same place, unless dey's raised tuhgethah, an' dey enemies against each othah anyway. Well, yo' take de dog hair an' de cat hair an' put it together. Take yo' some Red Devil Lye an' cuss 'em out. Tell 'em, "Go, yo'all can't stay tuhgethah, mus' go." Call his Dame. Jes' yo' wanted tuh move 'em an' cuss dem out. Sprinkle it down where dey gotta walk at, see. Cuss 'em out.
Entry 13260
Yo' take red peppah, cayenne peppah, hot, an' table salt. Let it all be new. Take table salt jes' new an' dis sulphur brand-new, nevah been opened befo' yo' know. Well, yo' take it an' mix it up, an' yo' jes' throw it all round yore house, an' dat's good tuh keep de law from comin' in annoyin' yo'. An' den if a person is comin' tuh yore house an' yo' don't want dem tuh go dere, yo' kin jes' throw dat out behin' dem in de chair where dey sit at in de room. Den when dey git ready tuh git up an' go out, den yo' kin take it an' go on out an' jes' throw it de way dey went, an' cuss 'em, an' dey'll not come back any mo'. Dey won't come back any mo'. If dey do', dey'll come right in an' dey cain't stay dere no time. Yo' gotta git out an' sweep behin' dem.