Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadow/Trouble in de Kitchen

by Paul Laurence Dunbar

Layout 2

TROUBLE IN DE KITCHEN

DEY was oncet a awful quoil 'twixt de
 skillet an' de pot;
De pot was des a-bilin' an' de skillet sho'
 was hot.
Dey slurred each othah's colah an' dey called
 each othah names,
W'ile de coal-oil can des gu-gled, po'in oil
 erpon de flames.

De pot, hit called de skillet des a flat, disfig-
 gered t'ing,
An' de skillet 'plied dat all de pot could do
 was set an' sing,
An' he 'lowed dat dey was 'lusions dat he
 wouldn't stoop to mek
'Case he reckernize his juty, an' he had too
 much at steak.

Well, at dis de pot biled ovah, case his tempah
 gittin' highah,
An' de skillet got to sputterin', den de fat
 was in de fiah.
Mistah fiah lay daih smokin' an' a-t'inkin'
 to hisse'f,
W'ile de peppah-box us nudgin' of de gingah
 on de she'f.

Den dey all des lef' hit to 'im, 'bout de trouble
 an' de talk;
An' howevah he decided, w'y dey bofe 'u'd
 walk de chalk;
But de fiah uz so 'sgusted how dey quoil an'
 dey shout
Dat he cooled 'em off, I reckon, w'en he
 puffed an' des went out.