Brer Rabbit Meets Tar Baby

Just as it happened in Texas, one St. Pat’s Day, a long, long time ago. Texas, would not exist, of course, without the direct contributions of the Irish.

One day Brer Fox thought of how Brer Rabbit had been showing off and jumping around until Rabbit had come to act like he was the boss of the whole gang in the woods thereabouts. Brer Fox thought of a way to show that uppity Brer Rabbit that bossy rabbits weren’t so smart after all.

So Fox went to work and got some sticky tar and mixed it with some turpentine to help make it even sticker than ever. He fixed up a trap that looked sort of like a doll and he named it Tar Baby cause it was made of sticky-as-everything tar.

When he finished making the Tar Baby, he put a fairly good straw hat on its head; and he sat the little Tar Baby in the middle of the road.

Then Brer Fox, he strayed off the road and into some bushes to see what would happen when Brer Rabbit came hip hopping along.

Well, he didn't have to wait very much long either, 'cause in jus’ a little bit here came Brer Rabbit, smart-alecky like, down the road—jumpity, jumpity, jumpity—and you know how a rabbit can jump just like he was strutting. And Brer Rabbit was acting just as high-toned as a human person with a gold watch and acting real proud like and all that. Brer Fox, he kept quiet and low in dem bushes. Brer Rabbit came on jumpity-hopping along until he saw that really interesting looking Tar Baby just setting in the road like as if Tar Baby owned that road.

Brer Rabbit, he sat back on his hind legs and just looked because, as he had never seen a Tar Baby, he was completely amazed. Brer Rabbit looked at the Tar Baby. The Tar Baby just sat there, it did, and Brer Fox, he laid low in de bushes and kept very quiet.

"Morning, Good Morning!" sez Brer Rabbit, “It surely is fair weather we're having this day,".

Tar-Baby didn't say a word, and Brer Fox, he stayed quiet and laid low and hid out in the bushes but he was a watchin’ and a listenin’ and a grinning and a sniggering to himself.

"How are you doing this fine morning?" sez Brer Rabbit.

Brer Fox, he chuckled to hisself quiet like and laid low. The Tar-Baby didn't say one word.

"Say, cain’t you speak? Are you deaf?" sez Brer Rabbit to the Tar Baby. "Cause if you are deaf, I can speak a lot louder," sez Brer Rabbit.

The Tar-Baby did not say a word back to Brer Rabbit; of course the Tar Baby could not talk as it was neither a human person nor even an animal. Brer Fox, he laid low and kept quiet in the bushes.

"You're a stuck-up and smart-alecky, that's what's wrong with you. You think you're too good for us woodsy folks," sez Brer Rabbit. "But I got a cure for uppity folks staying in the middle of the road where they don’t belong and I am a’fixin’ to give you the cure” sez Brer Rabbit to the Tar Baby.

Brer Fox almost started to laugh, he did, but he caught himself and laid low and stayed quiet. And that Tar-Baby didn't say a word.

"I see I have to teach you some manners about how to act towards us respectable woodsy folks, and I’m gonna do it right now today, if I never do nothing else,” sez Brer Rabbit. "Now, if’n you don't take off that straw hat and say howdy like you should do, I'm gonna give you a good poke in the nose," sez Brer Rabbit.

Tar-Baby stayed still and Brer Fox, he laid quiet and low in de bushes.

Brer Rabbit went on and kept on asking the Tar Baby why it wouldn't talk but the Tar-Baby kept quiet and said absolutely nothing because, of course, the Tar Baby could not talk. At last Brer Rabbit made a big fist, Brer Rabbit did, and wham--he boxed Tar-Baby smack on the nose. But Brer Rabbit’s fist stuck tight to the sticky Tar Baby and he couldn't pull loose. The very sticky tar held him tight. But the Tar-Baby, it stayed still, and Brer Fox, he laid very quiet and low in weeds and laughed to himself.
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"You turn me loose right now and if you don’t I'm going to slug you again," sez Brer Rabbit, and with that he drew back and boxed the Tar-Baby with the other hand and that hand stuck fast too. Now both of Brer Rabbit’s hands were stuck to the very sticky Tar Baby.

Tar Baby stayed quiet and still, and Brer Fox, he laid low in the bushes but he was laughin’ to hisself and it was hard for him to be quiet.
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"Turn me loose right now, this very minute or I will have to kick the fire out of you," sez Brer Rabbit, but the Tar-Baby just sat there and he did not seem a’feared of Brer Rabbit nor even concerned about being hit or kicked by Brer Rabbit.
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Tar Baby kept on holding on to Brer Rabbit so then, with a mighty kick, and rabbits can kick hard, Brer Rabbit kicked Tar Baby with both his rabbit feet. And what do you know? Both of Brer Rabbit’s feet stuck to the very sticky Tar Baby. And Brer Fox, he laid low in de bushes about ready to bust out laughing.

Then Brer Rabbit hollered at the top of his voice that if that Tar Baby didn't turn loose, he was going to butt Tar Baby just like a Billy Goat would and just as hard as a Billy Goat would. Tar Baby did not turn loose. And Brer Rabbit butted Tar Baby just like a Billy Goat would and his furry rabbit head got stuck to the Tar Baby.

Suddenly Brer Rabbit realized he was nearly helpless and almost a prisoner of the sticky Tar Baby.

About then Brer Fox strolled out from behind the bushes and walked casual like over to Brer Rabbit, and he just acting like he was innocent as one of God’s angels and just happened by there accidental like.

"Good Morning, Brer Rabbit," sez Brer Fox, "You look sort of hung up this fine morning, in fact you look sort of stuck up.” And Brer Fox laughed so much that he fell down and rolled on the ground and laughed and laughed.

By and by Brer Fox got over laughing and he said, “I got you this time, Brer Rabbit, you are in my power now." sez he. "You've been sassing me, smart-alecky like, a long, long time, but now I am going to get even. If you had been minding your own business you never would have gotten yourself stuck on the Tar-Baby.”

But, sez Brer Fox, there you are, stuck, and stuck good. And I am going to build myself a nice little stick fire and then I’m going to barbecue you this very day and that’s for sure!” sez Brer Fox.

Then Brer Rabbit, seeing that he was in trouble, started talking mighty nice and polite ‘til sugar wouldn’t melt in his mouth.

"Do what you will with me, Brer Fox, sez he, "Just please, please don't fling me in that stickery briar patch with all those sharp stickers. Barbecue me, Brer Fox, sez he, "But please don't pick me up and fling me into that briar patch with all the sharp stickers in there."

"It's a lot of trouble to kindle a fire cause I don’t have a match," sez Brer Fox, "so I suppose that I will just hang you," sez he.

"Hang me as high or hang me low, as you please, Brer Fox,” sez Brer Rabbit, "but for the sake of mercy, please, please don't fling me in that stickery briar patch."

"As I have no rope nor any string and not even a belt, I can’t really hang you, “sez Brer Fox, "So I think I will just drown you and get it over with."

"Drown me if you will, throw me into deep muddy waters, Brer Fox," sez Brer Rabbit, "But please, please do not throw me into that briar patch with all those really sharp stickers and briars.”

"Well, around here there is no muddy river," sez Brer Fox, "So guess the best idea is to skin you."

"Skin me if you must, Brer Fox," sez he. "Scratch out my eyes, pull my nose off," sez he, "but please, please, Brer Fox, don't pick me up and toss me into that stickery briar patch!”

Brer Fox wanted to get the best revenge on Brer Rabbit that he could, so thinking that Brer Rabbit really dreaded being tossed into the briar patch, Brer Fox caught Rabbit by his rabbit legs and flung him far out into the very middle of the stickery briar patch.

There was quite a commotion when Brer Rabbit struck the briar bushes, and Brer Fox hung around to see what was going to happen, and to see if Rabbit would cry out for help. But nothing happened. And it was very quiet.

By and by Brer Fox heard someone call his name and way up on the top of the hill that rose up behind the briar patch he saw Brer Rabbit sitting cross-legged on a big old log. Brer Rabbit was combing the tar pitch out of his hair with a briar twig just as pretty as you please.

Then Brer Fox knew that Brer Rabbit had tricked him.

Brer Rabbit shouted out to Brer Fox, "I was born and bred in the briar patch. I was born and bred in this very briar patch; and this briar patch and all its stickers are home to me!" And with that a very happy Brer Rabbit pulled a four-leaf clover out of his pocket, one that he had found that very morning and said what a lucky rabbit am I. Then, having been freed from the Tar Baby, Brer Rabbit too his four-leaf clover, and went jumpity, jumpity hopping away just as smart-alecky as ever

We do note, according toWikipedia, the free encyclopedia, the first Tar Baby story was originally published in Harper's Weekly by Robert Roosevelt. Then, several years, later Joel Chandler Harris wrote of the tar baby in his Uncle Remus stories. 

A similar tale from African folklore in Ghana has the trickster Anansi in the role of Br'er Rabbit.

The drawing of Rabbit and the tar baby is by E.W. Kemble from The Tar-Baby, by Joel Chandler Harris, 1904.