Song of the South

Uncle Remus:
There's other ways of learnin' 'bout the behind feet of a mule than gettin' kicked by him, sure as I'm named Remus. And just because these here tales is about critters like Br'er Rabbit an' Br'er Fox, that don't mean it can't happen to folks! So 'scuse me for sayin' so, but them who can't learn from a tale about critters, just ain't got the ears tuned for listenin'.

Br'er Bear:
I'm gonna knock his head clean off!

Uncle Remus:
It happum on one ah dem Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Days. Now dat's the kinda day where you can't opem yo mouf widout a song jumpin right out of it!

Brer Rabbit:
Please don't throw me in dat briar patch!

Uncle Remus:
Miss Sally, Johnny didn't mean no harm. He was just tryin' to be like Brer Rabbit.

Uncle Remus:
You can't run away from trouble. There ain't no place that far.

Br'er Fox:
I got 'im this time!

Brer Rabbit:
Don't worry 'bout me! I can take care of myself!

Johnny:
I wish I had a Laughing Place.

Ginny:
Me, too.

Uncle Remus:
What makes you think you ain't? Course you got a Laughing Place.

Johnny:
Really, Uncle Remus?

Ginny:
Really?

Remus:
Everybody's got one. The trouble is, most folks won't take time to go look for it.

Johnny and Ginny:
Where's mine?

Remus:
Well, now, that I can't exactly say. 'Cause where 'tis for one mightn't be where 'tis for another.

Johnny:
Come on, Ginny. Let's start looking.

Uncle Remus:
Now, this here tale didn't happen just yesterday, nor the day before. 'Twas a long time ago. And in them days, everything was mighty satisfactual. The critters, they was closer to the folks, and the folks, they was closer to the critters, and if you'll excuse me for saying so, 'twas better all around.

Uncle Remus:
Once upon a time - not your time, nor yet my time, but one time - I was goin' fishin', and I was just thinking how the flowers and critters was curious things. They can look into your heart and tell when it sings, if it's whistling a tune, or singing a song, and they all say "Howdy" when you come along.

Uncle Remus:
Brer Rabbit, bein' little and without much strength, he's supposed to use his head 'stead of his foots.

Uncle Remus: It happened on one of them zip-a-dee-doo-dah days. Now that's the kind of day where you can't open your mouth without a song jumping right out of it! [sings] Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay My, oh, my, what a wonderful day Plenty of sunshine headin' my way Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay!

Uncle Remus:
[after telling the tale of the Tar Baby] Well, sir, you ain't never seen nobody that had humble-come-tumbledness down as fine as what Brer Rabbit had it then. Poor little critter, he learned a powerful lesson. But he learned it too late. But it just goes to show what comes of mixin' up with somethin' you got no business with in the first place. And don't you never forget it.

Uncle Remus:
Yes sir, that's the way with Br'er Rabbit, sure as I'm named Remus. About the time he get it stuck in his mind that there ain't nobody can outdo him, up somebody'd jump an' do him scan'lous. "What you laughin' 'bout?" says Br'er Fox, says he. An' Br'er Rabbit, he couldn't say nothin'. "Well, then," says Br'er Fox, says he, "I'll settle your hash right now!" And with that, he grab Br'er Rabbit by the tail and made for to dash 'im agin' the ground. But just then, Br'er Rabbit's tail snap off real short, an' he tuck through the cotton patch like the dogs was after 'im. An' from that day to this, the only tail that Br'er Rabbit's got to his name was a little ol' ball o' cotton.