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6-16-1905 Hippocrene Guide; The ndeU rground Railroad; 1994 Charles Blockson

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HIPPOCRENE GUIDE TO THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

Charles L. Blockson

',

HIPPOCRENE BOOKS New York STEAL AWA Y TO JESUS =--

1 1 L I - 0 oy L J.. SLlS I Sl-tc1l o· way, srea Q• "'ay, •rwcu.. · w .. "' Songs of the Underground Railroad

For those travelers who would like to experience the sense of community and the full spirit of the Underground Railroad, there are a number of coded that could give them the feeling of the adventure as they are traveling between sites. These coded spirituals conveyed every hidden signal imaginable, signals for escaping, hiding, and expressing danger. Slaves used the Bible as a source for the religious interpretation of lyrics, when singing innocent seeming spirituals. One song, for example, "Steal Away," was an obvious invitation to the slave to steal way to freedom. Steal away, steal away Steal away to Jesus Steal away, steal away The ln.1m-pehoinow,"1 in- a my soul I Qini-crHong ~o slay here. 1 I ain't got long to stay here , the noted Underground Railroad con- ductor, composed her original spiritual: Lie de friends ofendless days Dark and thorny is the path, Where the Pilgrim make his way But beyond this vale of sorrow "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," the song, beloved by Har-

337 THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD Songs of the Underground Railroad

Wade in the water children Wade in the water God's gonna trouble the water . The time of the meeting and plans for escape were coded m the verses of many spirituals: Let us break bread together on our knees When I fall on my knees With my face to the rising sun 0 Lord have mercy, if you please. ...,...... n On the eve of the planned escape, when fear engulfed cuunun!i a. -41.,r.:a:llll. :.l.":1Llt.JJ:.l!l:fD LJ:k :.u r.ru 0:..c..ii:.:.:.:J them, these words gave courage as well as dignity to the - . } ,-.,.,~'.!.:.''' (r,• ,u 11,r - ~ ~a.••••&1'9•,u• :Y.!lC'tr.L:1.!l:.li :U'f.::~':1Ttr~':1U'.!.'f~ ...... , ...... , .. , 1, ...... possibility of death. ., ...... , .. ~- . ' • , • r. ' • The Underground Rail Car was a Sinner please don't let this harvest pass ; · :,;, ,. popular song sung by abolition­ and die and lose your soul at last. The Fugitive's Song, dedicated ists and other friends offreedom. to was sung Those who remained in slavery would have been con­ at many anti-slavery meetings. soled by such spirituals as "You'd Better Get Ready"; "Go Where I Send Thee, Deep River"; "The Gospel Train is riet Tubman was sung by her friends the evening that she Coming"; "I have a Robe"; "Go Down Moses"; "There is a died March 10, 1913. Highway to Heaven, Oh, Sinners, You'd Better Get Ready"; Frederick Douglass once said, "A keen observer might "Good News, de Chariot's Coming"; and "I Hear from have detected [Canada] in our repeated singing of: O' Ca­ Heaven To-Day"; "This Train; and "Many Thousands naan, sweet Canaan, I am bound for the land of Canaan." Gone." "Follow the Drinking Gourd," for example was a meta­ The song "John Brown's Body" is recommended when phoric allusion to the Big Dipper and North Star. Knowl­ visiting Harpers Ferry, West Virginia and his grave at North edge of the North Star was shared by most slaves. This Elba, Near Lake Placid, New York. traditional spiritual served as a map for escaping slaves. Upon reaching their final destination, they sang the spiri­ Slaves took advantage of every possible opportunity to tuals "Great Day" and the soul stirring words of"Amazing escape from bondage, and when their owners deployed Grace." packs of bloodhound dogs to track them down, fellow If books about African-American spirituals and slave slaves alerted them to the oncoming peril so that they could songs are not found in bookstores; they should be available elude their would-be captors by singing: for copying in local libraries. C~atham Hill Games produces an adventure game and music cassette set entitled "The Underground Railroad

338 339 THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD Songs of the Underground Railroad

Game and Songs." For more information about the set con­ Southern, Eileen. The Music of Black America. New York, tact: 1971. Chatham Hill Games Work, John Wesley and Work, Fredrick J. Folk Songs of the P.O. Box253 American Negro. Nashville, 1907. Chatham, NY 12037 Work, John Wesley. American Negro Songs and Spirituals. New York, 1940.

Suggested Reading for Slave Songs and Spirituals

Allens, William, Ware, Charles, and Garrison, Lucy Mc.Kim, eds. Slave Songs of the United States. New York, 1867; modern paperback ed. with arrangements by Irving Schlein, New York, 1965. Barton, William F. Old Plantation Hymns, Boston, 1899. Douglass, Fredrick. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Boston, 1845, New York, 1969. Fisher, Miles. Negro Slave Songs in the United States. Ithaca, New York, 1953. Frances, Mary and Ludlow, Helen. Hampton and Its Stu­ dents with Fifty Cabin and Plantation Songs, arranged by Thomas P. Fenner (New York, 1874). Higginson, Thomas Wentworth. "Negro Spirituals." At­ lantic Monthly Magazine (1867), Army Life in a Black Regiment, Boston, 1870; reprinted New York 1962. Johnson, James Weldon and Johnson, J. Rosamond. The Book ofAmerican Negro Spirituals and the Second Book of Negro Spirituals. New York, 1925, 1926, issued in one volume, New York, 1969. Lomax, John A. and Lomax, Alan, eds. Folk Songs; U.S.A. New York. Marsh, J.B. The Story of the Jubilee Singers, with Their Songs. (Boxton, 1880). Odum, Howard W., and Johnson, Guy B. The Negro and His Songs. Chapel Hill, 1925. Parrish, Lydia. Slave Songs of the Georgia Sea Islands. New York, 1942, 1965.

340 341 THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD Songs of the Underground Railroad

GIT 0-/~ DOARD, LI'l"l'LE UlIIL L l~N ,., . - - ' ' • ..I. ~ ·- -~ .-t rra,,y,·,l l,y I.nu r,·11 ,·c B roten To Laun:, J. 11,·athfu:lJ. I t.l ,.. , ·r - ·,, ,, r board, lit-tie chil-lcn, Dere's room for nrn-ny ll 1110: Do fore is cl1e,1p! an' :ill can go, Do Allcgr 0 ,, A I > =-~~ ' > > ' ' > tJ ---.,. Oil on board, lit-tie chil-len, Git on boar d, lit-tie chil-len, Git on Ill . ... 7 ...... : . 0-L..., :or > > > > ;.. r-T'"'M ,j_ ---~ > > - 11 Ill . .... "'P+; ,, . -· ... l 7F ... r ----· ~ > > ...... -- r . -; -; ~ !,...... :i-TkJ;:-- l • ..J, - ~ ~ ~ ~=I V I I\ ' ' ' ' I rich nn• poor nre de------re,- -No sec - 011 ,t class a • bo.1 ril dis train, No ,. > > IV , > > board, lit - tie ~hil - ! en, D~re's room for m~ , riy ~ mo! llo > > > > > --.: . . ·-: ...... l:~ > > > > r ¥ , I\ ' "'P .

/I I ' Ill ·r -, Yr r f' bonrd, Iii-tie chil-len, Git on ~ dift-r wice in de fare. Gi t on board, lit-tie cl1iJ.len, Git Oil tJ - - ---~ I i"j ·gos • pal trains n~om-in', I hear it jus' nt hnn:- I hear de par wheels mov-in', An' /I =; =; =; > ::,- > ·:::,.. - I\ ' :::r- > Ill r .... ,., mp - - .... r--r-r-, ---- -· - -· - > > > > > > - - I , -,f L...J,.,,1-1 r l , .. ' -- ;, ' ' p oco r if. /I I I . .. ' , ,, y ,, mu! _ _ ,, p ,, y " bo:ird, lit-tie cltil . leu, D~rc'~ room for 111a . 11y ,. r umb ~I in'thro de nn! Git on board, lit-l!e chil-_len, Gi t on board, lit-tie chil-len, Oil on > "' _o.,.., ..., _ "T I ~ > > > I\ ' > > " tJ .. .,.. • · 4 # ,u - ...... p oco__., r il. - -· -· tq:-:;:n:· . I . ~ ... .,. , -; -- T 1..-1--" -I -- -

342 343 THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD THE BALLAD OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD by Charles L. Blockson Running from the whip The Ballad And the overseer, From the slave block of the Underground Railroad And the Auctioneer.

Charles Blockson and James McGowan The Underground Train, They didn't want their masters Strange as it seems, To catch them again, Carried many passengers So the men dressed as women And never was seen. And the women as men.

It wasn't made of wood, They hid in churches, It wasn't made of steel; Cellars and barns, A man-made train that Waiting to hear the Ran without wheels. ,.,., D J J. )· I n n J. ;, I n n J. ), I J J J J I D J J.ij Train's alarm. The train was known Sleeping by day, Chorus: n J By many a name. 11 And traveling by night, f , 1111 j, I J J J .h I n J J. ), I J J J n I J. ~ I Bu the greatest of all Was the best way they knew Was "The Freedom Train." To- night we ride the underground train. It runs on tracks that are covered with pain. Tot To keep out of sight. ,,Jn[)J JDQ, J> ,,, I - I n.nn n- The Quakers, the Indians, They waded in the waters Gentiles and Jews, whole of Humanity makes up the crew, and Uberty's the engineer to To hide their scent, Were some of the people And fool those bloodhounds , ••• , n J a , J> I J n [J , Ji I J .n O t Who made up the crews. The slavemasters sent. Lrry us through. The North Star will lead us and Freedom will greet us Free Blacks and Christians 1 11 They spoke in riddles , 1, , n n a I J. , :11 And Atheists, too, And sang in codes, Were the rest of the people when we reach the end or the line. To understand the message, Who made up the crews. You had to be told.

Conductors and agents Those who knew the secret Led the way at night, Never did tell Repeat chorus after every 3 verses. Guiding the train The sacred message Music arranged by B. David Krivit. By the North Star Light. Of the "Freedom Train's" bell.

The passengers were Riding this train The fugitive slaves Broke the laws of the land, Running from slavery But the laws of God And its evil ways. Are higher than man's.

344 345 Songs of the THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD Underground Railroad

0, WASN'T DAT A WIDE RIVERT

riv -.er or Jor • ciao h1 Arrangtd by J. 1/osamo,ul John1on so ttide, Oac mo' riv .. er to cross . Sat · an am ootb. io' but a snake io de grass, One mo• riv. er to cros, . Mo

riY .. er1 Drre's

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cross. 01', cross. 0, was-rit dat a wide riY - er, dat riY- er of J or-dan, L ord,

ooe r:c.0 1 ri• .. er to «oss.

I\ - - rtv - er! DcrtS ooc mo' riY .. ,r to ltJ - -i J or .dao, Lord, WiJ.! __, ri'f .. er! Dere'9 one mo' ri•· er to cross . o, de I\ .,--.,, -- I I tJ I I # .. I ---== --= TI~ ._ei I. U - L ~ , - .. ·- .., l - - .-... I I "#-

346 347 BUFFALO AND ERIE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY

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