Negro Spirituals

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OfteninthestarliteveningIhavereturnedfromsomelonelyridebytheswiftriver,oronthe
plover-hauntedbarrens,and,enteringthecamp,havesilentlyapproachedsomeglimmeringfire,round
whichtheduskyfiguresmovedintherhythmicalbarbaricdancethenegroescalla"shout,"chanting,often
harshly,butalwaysinthemostperfecttime,somemonotonousrefrain.Writingdowninthedarkness,asI
bestcould,--perhapswithmyhandinthesafecovertofmypocket,--thewordsofthesong,Ihave
afterwardscarriedittomytent,likesomecapturedbirdorinsect,andthen,afterexamination,putitby.Or,
summoningoneofthemenatsomeperiodofleisure,--CorporalRobertSutton,forinstance,whoseiron
memoryheldallthedetailsofasongasifitwereafordoraforest,--Ihavecompletedthenewspecimen
bysupplyingtheabsentparts.ThemusicIcouldonlyretainbyear,andthoughthemorecommonstrains
wererepeatedoftenenoughtofixtheirimpression,therewereothersthatoccurredonlyonceortwice.
Thewordswillbeheregiven,asnearlyaspossible,intheoriginaldialect;andifthespellingseems
sometimesinconsistent,orthemisspellinginsufficient,itisbecauseIcouldgetnonearer.Iwishedto
avoidwhatseemstometheonlyerrorofLowell's"BiglowPapers"inrespecttodialect,--theoccasional
useofanextrememisspelling,whichmerelyconfusestheeye,withouttakingusanyclosertothe
peculiarityofsound.
Thefavoritesongincampwasthefollowing,--sungwithnoaccompanimentbutthemeasuredclapping
ofhandsandtheclatterofmanyfeet.Itwassungperhapstwiceasoftenasanyother.Thiswaspartlydue
tothefactthatitproperlyconsistedofachorusalone,withwhichtheversesofothersongsmightbe
combinedatrandom.
I.HOLDYOURLIGHT.
"Holdyourlight,BrudderRobert,--
Holdyourlight,
HoldyourlightonCanaan'sshore.
"WhatmakeoleSatanforfollowmeso?
Satanain'tgotnotin'fordowidme.
Holdyourlight,
Holdyourlight,
HoldyourlightonCanaan'sshore."
Thiswouldbesungforhalfanhouratatime,perhaps,eachpersonpresentbeingnamedinturn.It

seemedthesimplestprimitivetypeof"spiritual."Thenextinpopularitywasalmostaselementary,and,like
this,namedsuccessivelyeachoneofthecircle.Itwas,however;muchmoreresoundingandconvivialin
itsmusic.
II.BOUNDTOGO.
"JordanRiver,I'mboundtogo,
Boundtogo,boundtogo,--
JordanRiver,I'mboundtogo,
Andbid'emfareyewell.
"MyBrudderRobert,I'mboundtogo,
Boundtogo,&c.
"MySisterLucy,I'mboundtogo,
Boundtogo,"&:c.
Sometimesitwas"tink'em"(thinkthem)"fareyewell."Theyewassodetached,thatIthoughtatfirstitwas
"very"or"varywell."
Anotherpicturesquesong,whichseemedimmenselypopular,wasatfirstverybewilderingtome.Icould
notmakeoutthefirstwordsofthechorus,andcalleditthe"Romandar,"beingremindedofsomeRomaic
songwhichIhadformerlyheard.ThatassociationquitefellinwiththeOrientalismofthenewtent-life.
III.ROOMINTHERE.
"O,mymudderisgone!mymudderisgone!
Mymudderisgoneintoheaven,myLord!
Ican'tstaybehind!
Dere'sroomindar,roomindar,
Roomindar,indeheaven,myLord!
Ican'tstaybehind,
Can'tstaybehind,mydear,
Ican'tstaybehind!
"O,myfaderisgone!"&c.
"O,deangelsaregone!"&c.
"O,I'sebeenonderoad!I'sebeenonderoad!
I'sebeenonderoadintoheaven,myLord!
Ican'tstaybehind!

O,roomindar,roomindar,
Roomindar,indeheaven,myLord!
Ican'tstaybehind!"
Bythistimeeverymanwithinhearing,fromoldesttoyoungest,wouldbewrigglingandshuffling,asif
throughsomemagicpiper'sbewitchment;foreventhosewhoatfirstaffectedcontemptuousindifference
wouldbedrawnintothevortexerelong.
...
VI.RIDEIN,KINDSAVIOUR.
"Ridein,kindSaviour!
Nomancanhinderme.
O,Jesusisamightyman!
Noman,&c.
We'remarchingthroughVirginnyfields.
Noman,&c.
O,Satanisabusyman,
Noman,&c.
Andhehashisswordandshield,
Noman,&c.
O,oldSeceshdonecomeandgone!
Nomancanhinderme."
Sometimestheysubstituted"hinderwe,"whichwasmorespicytotheear,andmoreinkeepingwiththe
usualhead-over-heelsarrangementoftheirpronouns.
Almostalltheirsongswerethoroughlyreligiousintheirtone,howeverquainttheirexpression,andwerein
aminorkey,bothastowordsandmusic.Theattitudeisalwaysthesame,and,asacommentaryonthe
lifeoftherace,isinfinitelypathetic.Nothingbutpatienceforthislife,--nothingbuttriumphinthenext.
Sometimesthepresentpredominates,sometimesthefuture;butthecombinationisalwaysimplied.In
thefollowing,forinstance,wehearsimplythepatience.
VII.THISWORLDALMOSTDONE
"Brudder,keepyourlamptrimmin'anda-burnin',
Keepyourlamptrimmin'anda-burnin',
Keepyourlamptrimmin'anda-burnin',
Fordisworldmostdone.
Sokeepyourlamp,&c.
Disworldmostdone."

...
Butofallthe"spirituals"thatwhichsurprisedmethemost,Ithink,--perhapsbecauseitwasthatinwhich
externalnaturefurnishedtheimagesmostdirectly,--wasthis.Withallmyexperienceoftheiridealwaysof
speech,IwasstartledwhenfirstIcameonsuchaflowerofpoetryinthatdarksoil.
XVIII.IKNOWMOON-RISE.
"Iknowmoon-rise,Iknowstar-rise,
Laydisbodydown.
Iwalkindemoonlight,Iwalkindestarlight,
Tolaydisbodydown.
I'llwalkindegraveyard,I'llwalkthroughdegraveyard,
Tolaydisbodydown.
I'lllieindegraveandstretchoutmyarms;
Laydisbodydown.
Igotodejudgmentindeevenin'ofdeday,
WhenIlaydisbodydown;
Andmysoulandyoursoulwillmeetindeday
WhenIlaydisbodydown."
"I'lllieindegraveandstretchoutmyarms."Never,itseemstome,sincemanfirstlivedandsuffered,was
hisinfinitelongingforpeaceutteredmoreplaintivelythaninthatline.
Thenextisoneofthewildestandmoststrikingofthewholeseries:thereisamysticaleffectanda
passionatestrivingthroughoutthewhole.TheScripturalstrugglebetweenJacobandtheangel,whichis
onlydimlyexpressedinthewords,seemsallutteredinthemusic.Ithinkitimpressedmyimagination
morepowerfullythananyotherofthesesongs.
XIX.WRESTLINGJACOB.
"Owrestlin'Jacob,Jacob,day'sa-breakin';
Iwillnotlettheego!
Owrestlin'Jacob,Jacob,day'sa-breakin';
Hewillnotletmego!
O,Iholdmybrudderwidatremblin'hand;
Iwouldnotlethimgo!
Iholdmysisterwidatremblin'hand;
Iwouldnotlethergo!
"O,Jacobdohangfromatremblin'limb,

Hewouldnotlethimgo!
O,Jacobdohangfromatremblin'limb;
DeLordwillblessmysoul.
Owrestlin'Jacob,Jacob,"&c.
Of"occasionalhymns,"properlysocalled,Inoticedbutone,afuneralhymnforaninfant,whichissung
plaintivelyoverandover,withoutvarietyofwords.
...
Thesuspicioninthiscasewasunfounded,buttheyhadanothersongtowhichtheRebellionhadactually
givenrise.Thiswascomposedbynobodyknewwhom,--thoughitwasthemostrecent,doubtless,ofall
these"spirituals,"--andhadbeensunginsecrettoavoiddetection.Itiscertainlyplaintiveenough.The
peckofcornandpintofsaltwereslavery'srations.
XXXV.MANYTHOUSANDGO.
"Nomorepecko'cornforme,
Nomore,nomore,--
"Nomorepecko'cornforme,
Manythousandgo.
"Nomoredriver'slashforme,(Twice.)
Nomore,&c.
"Nomorepinto'saltforme,(Twice.)
Nomore,&c.
"Nomoremistress'callforme,
Nomore,nomore,--
Nomoremistress'callforme,
Manytousandgo."
Evenofthislastcomposition,however,wehaveonlytheapproximatedate,andknownothingofthemode
ofcomposition.AllanRamsaysaysoftheScotchsongs,that,nomatterwhomadethem,theyweresoon
attributedtotheministeroftheparishwhencetheysprang.AndIalwayswondered,aboutthese,whether
theyhadalwaysaconsciousanddefiniteorigininsomeleadingmind,orwhethertheygrewbygradual
accretion,inanalmostunconsciousway.
...

Thesequaintreligioussongsweretothemenmorethanasourceofrelaxation;theywereastimulusto
courageandatietoheaven.Ineveroverheardinacampaprofaneorvulgarsong.Withthetrifling
exceptionsgiven,allhadareligiousmotive,whilethemostsecularmelodycouldnothavebeenmore
exciting.AfewyouthsfromSavannah,whowerecomparativelymenoftheworld,hadlearnedsomeofthe
"EthiopianMinstrel"ditties,importedfromtheNorth.Thesetooknoholduponthemass;and,ontheother
hand,theysangreluctantly,evenonSunday,thelongandshortmetresofthehymn-booksalwaysgladly
yieldingtothemorepotentexcitementoftheirown"spirituals."Bythesetheycouldsingthemselves,as
hadtheirfathersbeforethem,outofthecontemplationoftheirownlowestate,intothesublimesceneryof
theApocalypse.Irememberthatthisminor-keyedpathosusedtoseemtomealmosttoosadtodwell
upon,whileslaveryseemeddestinedtolastforgenerations;butnowthattheirpatiencehashadits
perfectwork,historycannotaffordtolosethisportionofitsrecord.Thereisnoparallelinstanceofan
oppressedracethussustainedbythereligioussentimentalone.Thesesongsarebutthevocalexpression
ofthesimplicityoftheirfaithandthesublimityoftheirlongresignation.

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