Slavery's Passed Away and Other Songs

Excerpt

Slavery's Passed Away.

As sung in Edward Harrigan's Drama,

Words by EDWARD HARRIGAN.

Music by DAVE BRAHAM.

Copyright, 1887, by Wm. A. Pond & Co.

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1. Oh child come to me and just sit down by my knee,
I'll tell that same old story just once more;
Of dark, clouded years, oh, so full of bitter tears,
In those bondage days of long before the war.
In rice-field and in cane, there the black man felt the pain,
The driver's whip it cut him ev'ry day;
Our good Lord above, with his never dying love,
Made that cruel, cruel slavery pass'd away.

2. Oh child, in those times then I liv'd among the pines,
Yes, in an old log cabin I was born;
Then I heard the moan when the mothers lost their own,
In those bondage days, oh thank the Lord they're gone.
That Iron chain and band they grow rusty in this land,
No more the blood hound hold the slave at bay;
So we bend the knee to the Lord that made us free,
For that cruel, cruel slavery pass'd away.

3. Oh I don't complain, it will never come again,
So all our little children, black and brown;
They ne'er can be sold for that yellow shining gold,
For sweet Freedom, child, she has put on her crown.
She came here in the night, oh then might gave in to right,
Old Abra'm Lincoln brought about the stay;
So shout Hallelu—there's a lot of work to do,
For that cruel, cruel slavery pass'd away.

CHORUS.

Oh shout Hallelujah, Freedom ever rules the land,
Go bend your knee, black people for to pray;
The shackle and the band has fell from the Bondsman's hand,
And that cruel, cruel slavery's pass'd away.

THE SONG OF THE CONTRABAND.

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Oh! yah! yah! darkies laugh wid me,
For de white folks say Ole Shady's free,
So don't you see dat de jubilee
Is a coming, coming,
Hail mighty day.

CHORUS.

Den away, away, for I can't wait any longer,
Hooray, hooray, I'm going home.
Den away, away, for I can't wait any longer,
Hooray, hooray, I'm going home.

2. Oh, Mass' got scared and so did his lady,
Dis chile breaks for Ole Uncle Aby,
"Open de gates out here's Ole Shady a
coming, coming,"
Hail mighty day.

Chorus.

3. Good bye Mass' Jeff, good bye Mis'r Stephens,
'Scuse dis niggah for takin his leavins,
'Spect pretty soon you'll hear Uncle Abram's
coming, coming,
Hail mighty day.

Chorus.

4. Good bye hard work wid never any pay,
Ise a gwine up North where the good folks say,
Dat white wheat bread and a dollar a day,
Are coming, coming,
Hail mighty day.

Chorus.

5. Oh, I've got a wife, and I've got a baby,
Living up yonder in Lower Canady,
Won't dey laugh when dey see Ole Shady
A coming, coming,
Hail mighty day.

Chorus.

Canada.

THE LITTLE LOG CABIN ON THE HILL.

Words by ARTHUR W. FRENCH.

Music by HERBERT HERSEY.

Copyrighted, 1876, by JOHN P. PERRY & Co.

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1. 'Twas many years ago I left de sunny South, to roam
Up North, de happy day dat I was free;
From massa an' ole missus, too, and all de folks at home,
Whose faces now I neber more shall see;
I'se trabeled night and day to see de dear old place once more;
De cotton fields, de ribber, and de mill;
But most of all, where I was born, in happy days before,
In de little log cabin on de hill...!