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Title
Every nigger had a lady but me
Additional title: De coons gave a ball de other night. [first line]
Additional title: Eb'ry nigger had a lady, but me. [first line of chorus]
Names
St. Clair, Karl (Lyricist)
St. Clair, Karl (Composer)
Collection

American popular songs

Sheet music, 1895

Dates / Origin
Date Issued: 1895
Place: New York ; London
Publisher: W.B. Gray & Co. ; Howard & Co.
Library locations
Music Division
Topics
Songs
Poor African Americans
Dating (Social customs)
Genres
Scores
Notes
Content: On cover: Good title. God story. Goods diction. Good melody. All the above qualities are to be found in Lew Dockstader's splendid Ethiopian song and chorus....The very best coon song of the year.
Content: Signature of former owner (illegible) written across lower right of photograph with the date '98.
Content: Cover includes a photograph of a singer in blackface (possibly Lew Dockstader).
Statement of responsibility: words and music by Karl St. Clair.
Physical Description
Extent: 1 score (8 p.) ; 34 cm.
Type of Resource
Notated music
Languages
English
Identifiers
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b10826013
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b21757200
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 2d42e290-c590-012f-f9cd-58d385a7bc34
Rights Statement
The New York Public Library believes that this item is in the public domain under the laws of the United States, but did not make a determination as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. This item may not be in the public domain under the laws of other countries. Though not required, if you want to credit us as the source, please use the following statement, "From The New York Public Library," and provide a link back to the item on our Digital Collections site. Doing so helps us track how our collection is used and helps justify freely releasing even more content in the future.

Item timeline of events

  • 1895: Issued
  • 2016: Digitized
  • 2024: Found by you!
  • 2025

MLA Format

Music Division, The New York Public Library. "Every nigger had a lady but me" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1895. https://qa-digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/63ec9a7c-a9fc-8783-e040-e00a180675fc

Chicago/Turabian Format

Music Division, The New York Public Library. "Every nigger had a lady but me" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed December 19, 2024. https://qa-digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/63ec9a7c-a9fc-8783-e040-e00a180675fc

APA Format

Music Division, The New York Public Library. (1895). Every nigger had a lady but me Retrieved from https://qa-digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/63ec9a7c-a9fc-8783-e040-e00a180675fc

Wikipedia Citation

<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://qa-digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/63ec9a7c-a9fc-8783-e040-e00a180675fc | title= (notated music) Every nigger had a lady but me, (1895) |author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library |accessdate=December 19, 2024 |publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>

Every nigger had a lady but me