A wonderful poem by Paul Lawrence Dunbar (best read aloud . . .):
The Little Black Sheep
Po’ lil’ brack sheep dat strayed away,
Done los’ in de win’ an’ de rain–
An’ de Shepherd He say, “O, hirelin’,
Go fin’ my sheep again.”
An’ de hirelin’ say, “O, Shepherd,
Dat sheep am brack an’ bad.”
But de Shepherd He smile, like dat lil’ brack sheep
Wuz de onliest lamb He had.An’ de Shepherd go out in de darkness
Where de night wuz col’ and’ bleak,
An’ dat lil’ brack sheep, He fin’ it
An’ lay it agains’ His cheek.
An’ de hirelin frown, “O, Shepherd,
Don’ bring dat sheep to me!”
But de Shepherd He smile, an’ He hol’ it close.
An’–dat lil’ brack sheep–wuz–me!
Witnesses to Hope 
Thank you for posting the true written word of this poem, so many times it is rewritten for a song, and the words are changed or not spelled as Dunbar had written them. Also, others have taken credit for this poem, because they rewrite the English. A beautiful poem in the original format.
I’ve loved this poem for a long time. Nice to meet someone else who does, too.
Since you only copied out the first and last stanza, let me assume that’s all you have, and so you are working from a copy. It is possible that Mr. Dunbar also copied it. It is originally ascribed, as a poem and also as a gospel song, to Ethel Maude Colson Brazelton; and music was put to it by Lucy Rider Meyer. All the dialect was kept intact. I find special comfort that it is composed by a woman, and in the second stanza the sheep is said to be lonesome, old and gray. Being beyond middle-age myself, I often wonder about my value to the Shepherd, since I am also bad and old and lonesome and cold. But that’s not too bad, considering God called Jacob a worm! And he still has a purpose for us, and plans to bring us to glory.
Poor Lil’ Brack Sheep –by Ethel M. C. Brazelton
POOR LIL’ BRACK SHEEP dat stray’d away,
Done los’ in de win’ and rain,
An’ de Shepherd He say, ” O hirelin’,
Go fin’ my sheep again. ”
An’ de hirelin’ frowns, ” O Shepherd,
Dat sheep am brack an’ bad. ”
But de Shepherd He smile like de lil’ brack sheep
Is de onliest lamb he had,
Is de onliest lamb he had.
An’ he say, ” O hirelin’, hasten!
For de win’ an’ de rain am col’,
And dat lil’ brack sheep am lonesome
Out dere so far from de fol’. ”
An’ de hirelin’ frown, ” O Shepherd,
Dat sheep am ol’ an’ gray. ”
But de Shepherd He smile like de lil’ brack sheep
Wuz fair as de break ob day,
Wuz fair as de break ob day.
An He say, ” O hirelin’, hasten!
Lo, here is de ninety an’ nine,
But dere way off from de sheep fol’
Is dat lil’ brack sheep ob mine. ”
An’ de hirelin’ frown, ” O Shepherd,
De rest ob de sheep am here. ”
But de Shepherd He smile like de lil’ brack sheep
He hol’ it de mostes’ dear,
He hol’ it de mostes’ dear.
An’ de Shepherd go out in de darkness,
Where de night was col’ an’ bleak,
An’ de lil’ brack sheep He fin’ it,
An’ lay it agains’ His cheek.
An’ de hirelin’ frown, ” O Shepherd,
Don’t bring dat sheep to me. ”
But de Shepherd He smile, an’ He hol’ it close,
An’ de lil’ brack sheep — is me!
An’ de lil’ brack sheep — is me!
Nancy, thank you so much for this! I am sure that He is holding you right against His Heart. May you have a blessed Christmas.
Is the Poem, L’il Brack Sheep now in Public Domain?
When I was a young girl (1950,’s) in Lichtenburg RSA,my Sunday School teacher dear Mary Clulee, used to recite this poem to us in an amazing “Deep South” American African accent. We little ones just loved it. I am now 77 years old and still get that warm fuzzy “Jesus Loves Me feeling”.