Songs of Historical and Social Significance From United States History (The beginnings of the colonies to the Civil War) A Project of Centerville-­‐Farmington Rotary Recorded and Distributed by Davis School District Recorded at Bountiful Community Church Rev. Dr. F. Russell Baker of Centerville-­‐Farmington Rotary Project Coordinator and Author of Resource Booklet Order of Songs Early Colonial Period: Let’s Go A-­‐Hunting Old Man Who Lived in the Woods Jenny Jenkins Paper of Pins Old Ship of Zion American Revolution Period: Rich Lady Lived Over the Sea High Barbary Sea and Immigration: Cape Cod Girls (Bound Away for Australia) Blow the Man Down Rio Grande Essequibo River Wearing of the Green Orange and the Green Westward Movement: Boatman Oh, California Steals of the White Man Songs of Slavery and Freedom: Lord, If I Got My Ticket Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel Hush-­‐a-­‐bye Civil War: Congo River Pay Me My Money Down General Lee’s Wooing Pea Bread This project is for educational use only. These songs (video or audio) may be reproduced only if the written commentary is distributed with them. They may not be reproduced for commercial purposes under any circumstances because they are a project of the Centerville-­‐Farmington Rotary Club. 1 EARLY COLONIAL PERIOD:
Let’ Go a-­‐Hunting English and Early American (roots in 13th century) Let’s go a-­‐huntin’ said Risky Rob, Let’s go a-­‐huntin’ said Robin to Bob, Let’s go a-­‐huntin’ said Dan’l to Jo, Let’s go a-­‐huntin’ said Billy Barlow. What shall we hunt for? said Risky Rob, What shall we hunt for? said Robin to Bob, What shall we hunt for? said Dan’l to Jo, Let’s hunt for a rat, said Billy Barlow. How shall we kill him? said Risky Rob, How shall we kill him? said Robin to Bob, How shall we kill him? said Dan’l to Jo, Borrow a gun, said Billy Barlow. How shall we haul him? said Risky Rob, How shall we haul him? said Robin to Bob, How shall we haul him? said Dan’l to Jo, Borrow a cart, said Billy Barlow. How shall we divide him? said Risky Rob, How shall we divide him? said Robin to Bob, How shall we divide him? said Dan’l to Jo, Borrow a knife, said Billy Barlow. How shall we cook him? said Risky Rob, How shall we cook him? said Robin to Bob, How shall we cook him? said Dan’l to Jo, Over a fire, said Billy Barlow. I’ll roast shoulder, said Risky Rob, I’ll boil legs, said Robin to Bob, I’ll bake back, said Dan’l to Jo, Tail bone raw, said Billy Barlow. I feel sick, said Risky Rob, I gotta bellyache, said Robin to Bob, OOOOOOps!!!!!! said Dan’l to Jo, I feel fine, said Billy Barlow. As John Anthony Scott notes: “This song is as old as the country and followed the frontier all the way to Texas.” There it was recorded by John A. Lomax. As Scott further notes: The English “Cutty Wren”, from which “Let’s Go a-­‐
Huntin’” is derived, is a peasant song of elaborate symbolism dating back to a period several hundred years before the founding of the American colonies. Thus, in one form or another, this song has been in continuous oral tradition for the better part of seven centuries and is one of the very oldest in our heritage. As silly as this song is, and it has been a favorite of children wherever it is sung, there is an underlying theme of desperation in it. Here children are conspiring to find something to eat, presumably because they are desperately hungry. They are going after something, a rat, that is plentiful and no one will care if they kill it. This song reveals the conditions of England from which so many people fled, and it reveals them in a way that children can understand. 2 Old Man Who Lived in the Woods (Early Colonial Period) There was an old man who lived in the woods
As you can plainly see, Who said he could do more work in a day Than his wife could do in three. “If that be so,” the old woman said, “Then this you must allow, “You shall do my work for a day “While I go follow the plow.” (repeat) “Now don’t forget to milk the cow “For fear she should go dry, “And you must feed the little pigs “That are within the sty, “And you must watch the bracket hen “Lest she should lay astray, “And you must wind the ball of yarn “That I spun yesterday.” (repeat) The old woman took the reins in her hand And went off to drive the plow. The old man took the pail in his hand And went off to milk the cow. But Tiny hinched and Tiny flinched And Tiny turned up her nose. She gave the old man such a kick on his shin That the blood ran down to his toes. (repeat) It’s “Hey my good cow,” and “Ho my good cow, “You silly cow……STAND STILL!” “If I ever milk this cow again, ‘Twill be against my will.” And when he milked the Tiny cow For fear she should go dry, He plumb forgot to feed the pigs That were within the sty. (repeat) And then he watched the bracket hen Lest she should lay astray. But he forgot the ball of yarn That his wife spun yesterday. He swore by all the leaves on the trees And all the stars in heaven, That his wife could do more work in a day Than he could do in seven. (repeat) (Other verses) And then he went to feed the pigs That lived within the sty; The old sow ran against his legs, And threw him in the mire. And when he saw how well she plowed, And ran the furrows even, He swore she could do more work in a day Than he could do in seven. As John Anthony Scott has noted: “The story of the man who competed with his wife to see which of them
could do more work came from the Old World. Evidently, it was a favorite of the American settlers, for it has
been found everywhere – in the North, South, and Midwest. During its travels, the song picked up unique and
original American lyrics, loading upon the wretched husband’s shoulders as many chores as there were in a
woman’s day. Such versions are of great length, but they give a vivid impression of the endless toil that fell to
a woman’s lot on the average pioneer farm: washing the dirty laundry, churning the cream, milking the cow,
feeding the animals, spinning and winding the yarn.”
Two things are noteworthy. First is the planting and harvesting of the crops. Since there is a limited amount of
time when this must be done, it was not uncommon for the woman to stop what she would normally do and
assist with this work. Thus she became familiar with what the man did. Even on farms today, when the crops
need harvesting, everyone assists. It is not uncommon for the children to be taught to drive the tractor so that
when harvesting occurs the youngest would drive and everyone else would work beside or behind it.
Secondly, animals get comfortable with the person who cares for them and can develop an “unhealthy” attitude
towards anyone who might take their place. Thus, the woman knew that Tiny, the cow, would not cooperate.
(And in the extra verse that the sow also had her ways.) She must have been chuckling to herself because
she knew that her husband was in for some big surprises.
(The following is reproduced from “Folksong in the Classroom” Volume I Issue 3, Feb 1981 “A Network of
Teachers of History, Literature, Music and the Humanities – a Newsletter”)
The story of man and wife who competed to see which was the better worker comes from the Old World: but
evidently it was a favorite with the colonists, for variants of the song have been collected in every region of the
3 country. During the colonial period many pioneers lived on farms that were pretty much self-sufficient. This
meant that in daily life men and women lived essentially upon a footing of equality. Where the family had to do
everything for itself the woman’s work was different from the man’s, but it was just as important as his and,
indeed, indispensable to the family’s survival. The song, too, helps children understand how in time of war,
when the man went off, many women shouldered the entire burden of running the farm. Abundant testimony
from other sources assures us that colonial women were often every bit as good a men in driving the plough and
wielding the ax. Add to woman’s daily labor the work of bearing, birthing and raising children: and you will be
able to convince young people today how formidable was woman’s contribution to the founding of the
American Republic during the colonial period.
At the elementary level the song fits in neatly with activities that help familiarize children with fundamental life
processes – the planting of seed, the growing of corn, the production of eggs and the mating of animals; also
with the milking of cows, the spinning of thread, the winding of yarn and the weaving of cloth. As the children
become familiar with these activities the latter can, in the most literal sense be used to transport the students
through the song back to the experience of people in colonial times.
The song like so many in the folk heritage, presents almost no vocabulary difficulties, even for very young
children. In this case we need perhaps to discuss: ‘yonder,’ ‘speckled,’ [‘bracket’ in this version], ‘kick on the
shins,’ ‘mire,’ ‘astray,’ [also perhaps ‘sow’ and ‘sty’.] Note how glad the woman is to do her husband’s work
(‘With all my heart! [another version] the old woman said.’): what knowledge does she, as a woman have, that
makes her so eager for the exchange.?
In 1778 a Philadelphian noted in his diary: “My wife did the baking and the cooking; made twenty cheeses from
one cow; was gardener and apple butter maker; kept the house clean, cut and dried apples; made cider without
tools for the constant drink of the family; attended to the washing and ironing; sewed and knit for us all….I
think she hath not been four times since her residence here, to visit the neighbors. When one is sick, she is a
faithful nurse, night and day. She rose at daybreak, at her age and went to the wharves to buy wood. The horse
would have died if she had not skirmished for hay for him. Beyond all this she suffers and instructs Poll, our
pestiferous hired girl.” (From Alan Lomax, Folk Songs of North America. Pp.21-22)
The theme of The Old Man in the Woods is an ancient subject and there are ballads about this dating back to the
earl 1500’s. The American version is of Scottish origin, John Grumlie.
If you would like to read a similar theme in an African folktale, you’ll find it in the book Lion Outwitted by
Hare and Other African Tales, by Phyllis Savory (Albert Whitman Co., 1971). The title of the story is “When
the Husband Stayed at Home,” only here, the lazy husband ends up accidentally hanging himself. Folksong
themes transcend cultural barriers.
I found another version in a children’s book of nursery rhymes “Four and Twenty Blackbirds,” by Helen Dean
Fish, beautifully illustrated by Robert Lawson, and published in 1938. Here it is presented under the title Joe
Dobson who according to the rhyme was an Englishman living in the days of Robin Hood.
Suggested activities suitable for various grades:
1) Have the children make a list of their parent’s daily activities at
work. Many children have only the vaguest idea of what mother and father actually do on the job.
2) Compare the tasks of the colonial housewife with those of today’s houseworker.
3) Make a list of the machines that now do much of what was formerly done by hand in the house. (be
sure to include the source of heat for cooking, lighting and warmth)
4) What duties were children responsible for in colonial days: what are those of the modern child?
5) Have children interview grandparents and find out what their daily lives were like.
6) Why was it important to milk the cow; to watch the ‘speckled hen’ [‘bracket hen’]; to wind the yarn?
What is a ‘furrow,’ and how long is it? How does a farmer plough land these days?
4 7) Have children wind some yarn, do some weaving; go to a farm and watch how cows are milked,
chickens raised, eggs collected.
One of our students, Ida Jean Schroy (Ballad of America course, C. W. Post College) has written a parody of
The Old Man in the Woods entitled The Young Man in the Town. Here it is:
There was a young man who lived in the town,
As you shall surely see,
Who said he could do more work in a day
Than his wife could do in three.
“You may be right,” his pretty wife said,
“But then you must allow,
“That you must do my work for a day
“And I’ll in your office stay.”
“You must take John to the ball game,
“And Mary to the Girl Scouts,
“And you must go to the teacher at three
“With Kay Lou and her doubts,
“The dishes to do, the beds to make
“The washing and bake a cake,
“The dinner will be hot, of course,
“And never will be late.”
The young woman took the bus to the train,
To his office she did go.
The young man looked about him and said
“Oh, where do I begin?”
John bit the dentist, Mary was late,
Joe howled at the doctor, “STOP!”
The dishwasher broke and flooded the floor
And the big cake was a flop.
Her chores are hopeless, how can I live
To do all those things in a day?
Then the young man decided that he would be
Better off far, far away.
And when he saw how smoothly she ran
His office with all its chores;
He swore she could do more work in a day
Than he could do in four.
5 Jenny Jenkins Boys: Oh will you wear white, of my dear, oh my Will you wear orange, Jenny Jenkins? dear, Girls: Orange I despise: it’s the color of your eyes, Will you wear white, Jenny Jenkins? Everyone: Chorus: Girls: No, I won’t wear white, cause the color is too bright, Boys: Oh will you wear green, of my dear, oh my Everyone: I’ll buy me a foldy – roldy, tiddidy – toldy, dear, Seek-­‐a-­‐double use-­‐a-­‐cause-­‐a roll to find me, Will you wear green, Jenny Jenkins? Roll, Jenny Jenkins, roll. Girls: No, I won’t wear green like a limp string bean, Everyone: Chorus: Boys: Oh will you wear red, of my dear, oh my dear, Will you wear red, Jenny Jenkins? Boys: Oh will you wear turquoise, of my dear, oh my Girls: No, I won’t wear red, its the color of my bed, dear, Everyone: Chorus: Will you wear turquoise, Jenny Jenkins? Girls: Turquoise I like: it’s the color of my bike, Boys: Oh will you wear shoes, of my dear, oh my Everyone: Chorus: dear, Will you wear shoes, Jenny Jenkins? Boys: Oh will you wear cotton, of my dear, oh my Girls: No, I won’t wear shoes, and that’s bad news, dear, Everyone: Chorus: Will you wear cotton, Jenny Jenkins? Girls: No, I won’t wear cotton, cause cotton feels Boys: Oh will you wear a coat, of my dear, oh my rotten, dear, Everyone: Chorus: Will you wear a coat, Jenny Jenkins? Girls: No, I won’t wear a coat, cause I’d look like a Boys: Oh will you wear a hat, of my dear, oh my dear, goat, Will you wear a hat, Jenny Jenkins? Everyone: Chorus: Girls: No, I won’t wear a hat, cause I’d look like a rat, Everyone: Chorus: Boys: Oh will you wear rose, of my dear, oh my dear, Will you wear rose, Jenny Jenkins? Boys: Oh will you wear violet, of my dear, oh my Girls: No, I won’t wear rose, it’s the color of your dear, nose, Will you wear violet, Jenny Jenkins? Everyone: Chorus: Girls: Violet I hate it’s the color of the gate, Everyone: Chorus: Boys: Oh will you wear orange, of my dear, oh my dear, As John Anthony Scott has noted: “’Jenny Jenkins’ is a courting song that in colonial days enjoyed widespread popularity. It has none of the stateliness of ‘The Keys of Canterbury,’ but exhibits instead a typical American bounce. It is based upon traditional color symbolism: red stands for sin, blue for faithfulness, white for purity, and so on. By asking the girl what dress she intends to wear, the young man hopes to learn something of her attitude toward him. But some of the colors used are merely an excuse for a nonsense rhyme, which makes it immediately appealing to children.” But the song also evolved into a game in which the girls were decidedly at a disadvantage, because the boys called the colors or fabric or whatever, and the girls had to quickly come up with the rhyme. If the girls were quick enough they could turn the “hard-­‐to-­‐rhyme” color or fabric back on the boys as is illustrated in the song. The song also has a deeper underlying current, in that it reflects the early European-­‐American society in which they lived, where the women had to constantly respond to the men’s wishes and had no rights whatsoever. If a woman was to achieve anything, she must constantly rely on her charm and wits. 6 Paper of Pins Early American (Girls are in bold type) I’ll give to you a paper of pins, And that’s the way my love begins, If you will marry me, If you will marry me. I’ll not accept your paper of pins, If that’s the way your love begins, And I’ll not marry you, And I’ll not marry you. I’ll give to you a dress of red All bound round with golden thread, If you will marry me, If you will marry me. I’ll not accept your dress of red All bound round with golden thread And I’ll not marry you, And I’ll not marry you. I’ll give to you a dress of green, That you may be as any queen, If you will marry me, If you will marry me. I’ll not accept your dress of green, That I may be as any queen, And I’ll not marry you, And I’ll not marry you. I’ll give to you a blue silk gown With golden tassels hanging down, If you will marry me, If you will marry me. I’ll not accept your blue silk gown With golden tassels hanging down, And I’ll not marry you, And I’ll not marry you. I’ll give to you a coach and four That you may visit from door to door, If you will marry me, If you will marry me. I’ll not accept your coach and four That I may visit from door to door, And I’ll not marry you, And I’ll not marry you. I’ll give to you the keys to my chest That you may have money at your request, If you will marry me, If you will marry me. I will accept the keys to your chest That I may have money at my request, And I will marry you, And I will marry you. Sugar and spices, coffee and tea, You love my money but you don’t love me, And I’ll not marry you, And I’ll not marry you. (The following is reproduced from “Folksong in the Classroom” Volume I Issue 3, Feb 1981 “A Network of Teachers of History, Literature, Music and the Humanities – a Newsletter”) Paper of Pins is one of the most charming of many delightful courting songs (in our view) which the colonial period has left us. The song cannot be categorized as appropriate for any particular grade; it has a universal appeal and is appropriate for people to sing at any age from the cradle (well, almost) to the grave. At the elementary level you can teach the song by dividing up the boys and girls, and having them sing the dialog back and forth to each other. Or boys and girls may pair off with each pair assuming responsibility for a single verse. This procedure will work even if the group is large: simply have the children decide what extra “gifts” they would like the boy to offer the girl. In this way, with an inventive class, the song can go on forever, practically, or until everybody is out of breath. 7 Paper of Pins provides an opportunity to stimulate the children’s imaginations with the help of art. Have them draw and paint the lovely dresses red, blue, green, and gold, the coach and four, the silver coins with which the man is tempting the lady. [Be aware that as was pointed out in “Jenny Jenkins” that there is a traditional color symbolism involved in the colors: red stands for sin, blue for faithfulness, white for purity, and so on.] Encourage the boys to see these beautiful things in their mind’s eye as they sing about them; ask the girls to imagine that they are themselves dressed in these gorgeous garments. Paper of Pins, at the elementary level, is a song where the vocabulary problems are minimal; paper of pins, tassel, gown, coach and four, request. The line “that you may have money at your request” is quite a mouthful, but if the boys sing it slowly at first they will soon be able, with a little practice, to speed it up to a normal tempo. In colonial days young people were seldom left alone – many people lived in cabins with just one room, [They climbed a ladder to an open area above that room where they slept.] so there really was not much privacy for anybody. When a young man came calling he had to do his courting in public, under supervision. Answer-­‐back songs became popular: the boy sang one verse, and the girl answered back with another. Paper of Pins has been traced back to England, where it was known as The Keys of Canterbury. In that song the young man wins his lady because he promises her the “keys to his heart,” and she accepts. In the colonial version, it is only when he promises her the keys to his chest that she accepts and then he scornfully rejects her. Why does he offer her “a paper of pins?” In the 16th and 17th centuries a pin was a rare and valuable thing, made by hand and also scarce. Pins were, indeed, once so valuable that when a woman married she was given “pin money.” In France the people were taxed to provide the Queen with pins for her boudoir. Pins as they are now known were first made in France about the 14th century. In 1775 the Continental Congress offered a prize for the first twenty-­‐
five dozen pins equal in quality to those imported from England. But the song also has considerable social relevance underneath the courting game. European-­‐American women, from which this song emerges, had no rights whatsoever. Native American women had considerable rights, including a voice in their communities, and African American slave women were at the complete mercy of their masters and overseers. So what is being offered here is important. The young man begins with something valuable, but underneath this “gift” is an expectation that she will do what a normal woman does, namely be the caretaker of clothes. The young man is of considerable substance, and he continues offering her “gifts” that signify his wealth. The “blue silk gown” is a rare and expensive cloth imported from China. The “coach and four” is an extravagant vehicle that few owned at that time. So when he offers her the “keys to his chest” it is about the most opportunity she could expect. For a woman with few rights, he is offering her something that goes beyond clothes: a freedom that most women could never even dream of. She accepts and then he slams the door in her face. Children laugh, but this is an act of cruelty because he has built up her expectations and expanded her vision and then withdrawn it all. This song must also be viewed in the light of all the struggles that women have waged for even the slightest bit of equality. 8 Old Ship of Zion Chorus: It’s the old ship of Zion, It’s the old ship of Zion, It’s the old ship of Zion, Get on board, get on board. It has landed many-­‐a thousand, (etc) Chorus: There’s no danger in the water, (etc.) Chorus: It was good for my dear father, (etc.) Chorus: It was good for the Hebrew children, Chorus: It was good for Paul and Silas, (etc) Chorus: It will take us home to glory, (etc.) This is one of the oldest of the “freedom song” spirituals. Much of the documentation for this song is found in the book Black Hands, White Sails by Patricia C. & Frederick L. McKissack. The old ship of Zion was code for a whaling ship that was off loading its precious cargo. Inevitably some of the white seamen decided to sign on with other ships rather than go back to the cold and dangerous Arctic waters. In order to fill out the crew, free African American seamen were sent to entice slaves onto the ship. They found willing recruits. Because of the danger the whaling ships normally encountered, crews had a habit of accepting anyone, and training them in seamanship as they made their way back to the Arctic waters. It wasn’t long before the southern states discovered slaves missing once the whaling ships left port. In order to remedy this situation they passed laws stating that if African American seamen came ashore, they would be arrested and sold into slavery. The whaling ships then sent trusted white seamen into the slave community with the message that the whaling ship would pay wages for work. Furthermore, the song had spread throughout the slave community and there continued to be a flow of those who would “get on board.” Early in the song is the verse: “There’s no danger in the water,” which was probably inserted to counter the stories the slaves were told of all the monsters that inhabited any body of water. Since no master would knowingly allow any slave to learn to swim, this verse helped counter the fear of water. Also no slave would misunderstand the meaning of “It was good for the Hebrew children” who as slaves, according to the Bible, escaped from the Egyptians through the waters of the Red Sea. The reference to “Paul and Silas” was again, according to the Bible, were imprisoned yet their chains were broken because of an earthquake. Thus, the “Ship of Zion” would release them from their imprisonment, namely slavery. Later this song was used on the underground railroad. It should be noted that the African American merchant seamen were only found on the whaling vessels, because no one else would hire them. But they became excellent sailors, indeed the commander of the U. S. fleet on Lake Ontario wrote in a letter to Congress that his African American seamen were “amongst my best men.” This is a title of a book by Gerard T. Altoff which is about the African Americans and the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. It is estimated that between 15-­‐20% of the sailors in the U. S. Fleet in the War of 1812 were of African descent and on some ships they were 50%. It is also estimated that one of the reasons African Americans joined the U. S. Navy was because they were the ones most likely to be impressed by the English Fleet leading up to the War of 1812. Because the African Americans had fewer rights, they were therefore, easy targets for being impressed by the English. (see: Amongst My Best Men for further information.) 9 American Revolution Period:
Rich Lady Lived Over the Sea Revolutionary War There was a rich lady lived over the sea, And she was an island queen; Her daughter lived off in the new country With an ocean of water between, With an ocean of water between. The old lady’s pockets were filled with gold, Yet never contented was she; So she ordered her daughter to pay her a tax Of thruppence a pound on the tea, Of thruppence a pound on the tea. “Oh mother, dear mother,” the daughter replied, “I’ll not do the thing that you ask, “I’m willing to pay a fair price on the tea, “But never the thruppeny tax, “But never the thruppeny tax.” “You shall!” cried the mother, and reddened with rage, “For you’re my own daughter, you see; “And it’s only proper that daughter should pay “Her mother a tax on the tea, “Her mother a tax on the tea.” So she ordered her servant to be called up To wrap up a package of tea; And eager for threepence a pound, she put in Enough for a large family, Enough for a large family. She ordered her servant to bring home the tax, Declaring her child must obey, Or, old as she was, and woman most grown, She’d half whip her life away, She’d half whip her life away. The tea was conveyed to her daughter’s own door, All down by the oceanside, But the bouncing girl poured out every pound On the dark and boiling tide, On the dark and boiling tide. And then she called out to the island queen, “Oh mother, dear mother,” called she, “Your tea you may have when ‘tis steeped enough But never a tax for me, But never a tax for me. 10 As John Anthony Scott has noted: (Ballad of America) “As everyone knows, the tea tax was the spark that set off the revolutionary explosion. In 1770, Britain withdrew all of the obnoxious Townshend duties except the tax on tea. Three years later, British interests moved to dump quantities of Indian tea on the American market at prices which would have destroyed the colonists’ own trade and established a British monopoly of the market. This threat led to the famous Boston act of defiance of December 16, 1773. “Britain reacted to the Boston Tea Party in the spring of 1774 by suspending Boston’s town meeting, closing its port to commerce, and establishing direct military rule under General Gage himself. Three British generals, Henry Clinton, John Burgoyne, and William Howe, were dispatched across the Atlantic with reinforcements to put down the rebellion. “These measures let to the Revolution because it was clear to all the colonists what was intended for them, as well as for Boston, should they be rash enough to incur the royal displeasure. Thus, Boston’s cause became the national cause, the Continental Congress was convened in Philadelphia in September 1774, and measures to organize resistance were initiated. The war began in earnest the following year with the skirmishes at Lexington and Concord. By May 1775, all of New England was in arms, and the British found themselves besieged in Boston. “’The Rich Lady over the Sea’ is perhaps the best of many songs about the tea party; its message is expressed in vivid terms that even a child can understand. The little girl has grown up. She is going to assume a position of equality and independence in relation to her mother.” Another commentary is “Folksong in the Classroom” Volume III, Number 1, Fall 1982: “THE BOSTON TEA PARTY “Due to the boycott and the Boston Massacre, taxes on all British exports to the Colonies were repealed, except for a small tax on tea. Tea drinking had been introduced into Great Britain around 1650 and within a century, was the most popular drink in England. When the first colonists came to America they took their tea with them and soon they drank almost as much tea as the mother country. By law, the colonists could only import tea from Great Britain, but most of their supply was smuggled in from Holland, due to England’s high taxes. “Then the East India Company got into financial troubles. A committee of Parliament, chaired by ‘Gentleman’ Johnny Burhoyne, came up with the perfect plan to help both the company and the Crown: remove most to the taxes on tea and ship it directly to America. Thus the colonists would be bound to buy the tea since it would be as cheap as smuggled tea. The company could sell its tea and relieve its financial distress, while the colonists by buying the tea would be admitting England’s right to tax them. Not even these mad colonials would haggle over getting such a bargain just because of a mere three-­‐
pence tax! “The company shipped over 600,000 pounds of tea on seven ships to the four leading ports in the Colonies – New Your, Boston, Philadelphia, and Charleston. As soon as the colonials learned about these shipments, an uproar arose. “Pilots were told not to guide the tea ships into the harbors; merchants were ordered not to handle the cursed tea and warnings were issued to the captains of the ships of what would happen if they sailed their ships in and unloaded the tea. The Captain of the ‘Polly’, the ship sailing for Philadelphia was told: ‘What think you, Captain, of a halter around your neck, then gallons of liquid tar decanted on your pate – with the feathers of a dozen live geese laid over that to enliven you appearance? COMMITTEE FOR TARRING AND FEATHERING’ “The Captain evidently thought twice, for within less than two days later, the ‘Polly’ turned around and sailed back to England. The ships bound for New York did likewise. In Charleston the tea was landed only to be seized by the Custom officials and stored in a warehouse where it was kept under lock and key. Not until the Declaration of Independence was the tea, somewhat moldy, sold at auction to raise money to fight Great Britain – not quite what Parliament had in mind. 11 “Thus all eyes were upon Boston. Only here did the tea commissioners, appointed by the East India Company, stand firm and defy the patriots. “Their homes were attacked, meetings were held demanding that they resign, and they had to flee for their lives to Fort Williams Castle where they could be protected by the British troops in Boston. “By December 3rd, three tea ships had arrived and were anchored out in the harbor, guarded by the British fleet’s guns. What would the people do? The Boston patriots tried to persuade the ship’s owners, the ship’s captains and Governor Hutchinson to allow the ships to sail back to England with the hated tea. Finally, on the evening of December 16, 1773, a huge mass meeting dispersed down to the docks and silently watched a small group of men, disguised in blankets and with greased faces, board the three tea ships. “The patriots hauled up from the holds of the ships, 398 lead lined chests of tea and emptied them into the water. Within three hours over 100,000 pounds of tea, worth 15,000 British pounds, a great deal of money for that time, was destroyed. “Legend has it that the British Admiral Montagu was one of the onlookers, having spent the night ashore at a friend’s house near the docks. Looking out of the window over the crowd, he is reported to have said, ‘Well, boys, you have had a fine pleasant evening for your Indian caper, but mind, you have got to pay the fiddler, yet!’ “The next morning, John Adams was to write in his diary: ‘This is the most magnificent movement of all. This destruction of the tea is so bold, so daring, so firm and it must have important consequences and so lasting that I cannot but consider it an epoch in history.’ “How right he was, even he did not know! “Many of the colonists, as well as Englishmen, were dismayed by this destruction of private property. It confirmed their beliefs that the colonies, especially Massachusetts, were ruled by and uncontrollable mob and that the property of the upper classes would not be safe among them. It also helped to unite the colonists and rally them together. The event brought forth many songs and this is one of the best of them. “This ballad is of first-­‐rate importance for classroom use. The dialogue between mother and daughter is something that the children will at once understand and the message is the same today as then. When you grow up as a person or people, you become independent. Your mother can no longer tell you what to do. “In the spring of 1774 the British closed the port of Boston as punishment for the Tea Party, and passed the Fisheries Act closing the Newfoundland to American seamen. As colonial resistance stiffened and the trained bands began to march on New England village greens, Britain dispatched reinforcements to quell its rebellious subjects.” 12 High Barbary (Late 16TH century sea song) Look ahead, look astern, look a-­‐weather and a-­‐lee, BLOW HIGH, BLOW LOW, AND SO SAILED WE, I see a wreck to windward and a lofty ship to lee, A-­‐SAILING DOWN ALL ON THE COAST OF HIGH BARBARY “Oh are you a pirate or a man o’ war?” cried we. (etc.) “Oh no! I am not a pirate, but a man o’ war,” cried he. (etc.) Then back up you topsails and heave your vessel to, (etc.) For we have got some letters to be carried home by you, (etc.) We’ll back up our topsails and heave our vessel to, (etc.) But only in some harbor and along the side of you, (etc.) “For I am not a man o’ war nor privateer,” cried he, (etc.) “But I am a deep sea pirate, a-­‐looking for my fee.” (etc.) If you are a jolly pirate, we’d have you come this way, (etc.) Bring out all your quarter guns, we’ll show you pirates play! (etc.) For broadside for broadside, they fought all on the main, (etc.) Until at last the frigate shot the pirate’s mast away, (etc.) “For quarters!For quarters!”the saucy pirate cried, (etc.) But the quarters that we showed them was to sink them in the tide, (etc.) And oh it was a cruel sight and grieved us full sore, (etc.) To see them all a-­‐drowning as they tried to swim ashore, (etc.) With cutlass and gun, oh we fought for hours three, (etc.) The ship is was their coffin, and their grave it was the sea, (etc.) The following is gleaned from Wikipedia: This is a traditional song which was popular among British and American sailors. While it was mostly sung as a ballad, it is presently sung as a story set into a long haul halyard shanty, which was a work song designed for raising the yardarm to which the sails were attached. It is widely believed these lyrics refer to the problems European and North American traders had with the North African pirates in the second half of the 18th and early 19th centuries, which lead to the Barbary wars. First Barbary War (1801-­‐1805) This was fought against the Barbary States (Tripoli, Tunis, Morocco and Algiers). The Barbary corsairs and crews were the scourge of the Mediterranean. “Capturing merchant ships and enslaving or ransoming their crews provided the rulers of these nations with wealth and naval power….Barbary corsairs led attacks upon American merchant shipping in an attempt to exhort ransom for the lives of captured sailors, and ultimately tribute from the United States.” During the Revolutionary War, American shipping was under the protection of France, but once the U. S. gained independence, then piracy began to occur against American shipping. At the beginning America could do little but pay. Indeed in 1795 we paid over $1 million for release of sailors which was about one sixth of the entire 13 U. S. budget. And that was just a drop in the bucket! “The continuing demand for tribute ultimately led to the formation of the United States Department of the Navy, founded in 1798 in order to prevent further piracy attacks upon American shipping as well as to end the extremely large demand for tribute from the Barbary States.” The U. S. continued to pay up to $1 million per year over the next 15 years to the Barbary States. “Immediately prior to Jefferson’s inauguration in 1801, Congress passed naval legislation that, among other things, provided for six frigates that ‘shall be officered and manned as the President of the United States may direct.’…. In the event of a declaration of war on the United States by the Barbary powers, these ships were to ‘protect our commerce & chastise their insolence – by sinking, burning or destroying their ships & vessels wherever you shall find them.” Once Jefferson was inaugurated Tripoli demanded a new ransom which Jefferson refused, so they declared war on the U. S. In response “Jefferson sent a small force to the area to protect American ships and citizens…” Although Congress did not vote a declaration of war they authorized Jefferson’s action. In August the schooner USS Enterprise defeated the Tripolitan corsair Tripoli. Then in 1802 Jefferson sent a deployment of many of the Navy’s best ships: The USS Chesapeake, Argus, Constellation, Constitution, Enterprise, Intrepid, Philadelphia and Syren. This enabled them to blockade the Barbary ports and execute a campaign of raids and attacks against the cities’ fleets. In October 1803 the USS Philadelphia ran aground and was captured. In February 1804 a Tripolitan ketch was captured and the Americans used this to sneak into the harbor. Then the US Marines overwhelmed the guards aboard the Philadelphiaand set her on fire, thus denying her use to their enemy. Upon hearing of this action, British Admiral Horatio Nelson, is said to have called this “The most bold and daring act of the age.” Then followed a series of inconclusive battles until in April-­‐May of 1805 when a small group of US Marines and a much larger group of mercenaries made a march across the desert from Alexandria, Egypt to capture theTripolitan city of Derna. The words “the shores of Tripoli” in the Marines’ Hymn –refers to this battle, which became the turning point in the war. As a result a treaty was made and all the prisoners returned. This treaty lasted until the U. S. began the War of 1812 with England. The Barbary States took advantage of America’s troubles with England and reverted to their old ways. The United States could not do anything about this until 1815 when they sent a squadron composed of the frigates USS Guerriere, Constellation and Macedonia along with other ships. After capturing the Algerian flagship Meshuda and the brig Estedio, another treaty was quickly settled which ended the disputes with the Barbary States. Some definitions are in order: Man o’ war: is a fighting ship, often at least a three-­‐masted frigate (36-­‐44 guns) Privateer: is a ship that has a license from a government to attack enemy merchant ships of that government, and only enemy merchant ships. Pirate: is a ship that will attack and hold for ransom any ship it can conquer. 14 Sea and Immigration:
Cape Cod Girls Sea Shanty Cape Cod girls don’t-­‐ah use no combs, Haul away, haul away, They comb their hair with – ah cod fish bones, And we’re bound away for Australia. Chorus: So heave her up my bully, bully boys, Haul away, haul away, Heave her up and don’t-­‐cha make a noise And we’re bound away for Australia. Cape Cod cats don’t – ah have no tails, Haul away, haul away, They lost them all in the northeast gales, And we’re bound away for Australia. Chorus: Cape Cod kids don’t – ah use no sleds Haul away, haul away, They slide down the hills on the cod fish heads, And we’re bound away for Australia. Chorus: Cape Cod girls don’t-­‐ah have no frills, Haul away, haul away, They’re plain and skinny as the cod fish gills, And we’re bound away for Australia. Chorus: Cape Cod girls don’t-­‐ah have no beds, Haul away, haul away, They go to sleep on the cod fish heads, And we’re bound away for Australia. Chorus: Cape Cod doctors don’t –ah have no pills, Haul away, haul away, They comb their hair with – ah cod fish bones, And we’re bound away for Australia. Chorus: This early American sea shanty has two areas of significance. The first is its silly rhyming sequence. Things didn’t have to make sense, so long as they rhymed. Sometimes the point was to have them rhyme and be completely absurd, which was a challenge. The theme, of course, for something that came from Cape Cod was the cod fish, hence all the silly and absurd rhymes, of which these are only a few. Secondly, the mention of Australia has considerable significance. As we all know the jails in England were grossly overcrowded because of the suffocating poverty. If you were hungry then you would do anything to gain food for your family including stealing. If you were caught then you might be sentenced to hang, which was a common punishment. Or you might take the opportunity to be shipped to Australia. England thought it could rid its problems by shipping all the “criminals” to Australia. It is easily believable that some of the citizens of Massachusetts at this time had relatives who were shipped to Australia, hence the part of the chorus “And we’re bound away for Australia.” 15 Blow the Man Down Sea Shanty Come all you young fellows that follow the sea, TO ME WAY, HAY, BLOW THE MAN DOWN, And pray, pay attention and listen to me, GIVE ME SOME TIME TO BLOW THE MAN DOWN. I’m a deep water sailor just in from Hong Kong TO ME WAY, HAY, BLOW THE MAN DOWN, If you’ll give me some grog, I’ll sing you a song, GIVE ME SOME TIME TO BLOW THE MAN DOWN. ‘Twas on a Black Baller I first served my time, (etc.) And on a Black Baller I wasted my prime, (etc.) ‘Tis when a Black Baller’s preparing for sea, (etc.) You split your sides laughing at the sights that you’ll see, (etc.) With tinkers and tailors and soldiers and all, (etc.) That ship for prime seamen on board the Black Ball, (etc.) “Lay aft”, is the cry, “to the break of the poop!” (etc.) “Or I’ll help you along with the toe of my boot!” (etc.) ‘Tis larboard and starboard on the deck you will sprawl, (etc.) For “Kicking Jack” Williams commands the Black Ball, (etc.) Pay attention to orders, now you one and all, (etc.) For right there above you flies the Black Ball, (etc.) Blow the man down, bullies, blow the man down, (etc.) Blow him right back to Liverpool town, (etc.) This long haul halyard shanty has so many versions that some merge into others. Stan Hugill (Shanties from the Seven Seas) lists six main versions with many variants. It is said to have been used on the whaling vessels to hoist the blubber on board the ships so it could be boiled down into usable whale oil. That means it has been used for a long time. These verses come mainly from the whaling ships, which became know as “Black Ballers”. Legend has it that so many white seamen would “jump ship” when given the slightest chance that the captains of the whalers would run up the quarantine flag to keep them on board. The verse that mentions “for right there above you there flies the black ball,” is the reference to he quarantine flag which was a bright yellow flag with a black ball in the middle. There was no need to worry about the non-­‐white seamen because only the whaling ships would hire them. Indeed, the whaling ships would hire anyone, which is what is meant by the verse “with tinkers and tailors and soldiers and all.” 16 Rio Grande Oh say, were you ever in Rio Grande? AWAY FOR RIO, It’s there that the river runs down golden sand, WE ARE BOUND FOR THE RIO GRANDE. CHORUS: IT’S AWAY, BOYS AWAY. AWAY FOR RIO. SO FARE THEE WELL MY ‘FRISCO GIRLS, WE ARE BOUND FOR THE RIO GRANDE. Our anchor is weighed and the sails they are set, (etc) And the girls we are leaving we’ll never forget, (etc) CHORUS: Oh ‘Frisco town is not place for me, (etc) I’ll pick up my dunnage and go off to sea, (etc) CHORUS: So it’s pack up your donkey and get under way, (etc) The girls we are leaving can take half our pay, (etc) CHORUS: We’re a jolly good ship and a jolly good crew, (etc) A jolly good mate and a good skipper too, (etc) CHORUS: Well goodbye to Sally and goodbye to Sue, (etc) And you who are listening, well goodbye to you, (etc) CHORUS: Heave with a will and heave long and strong, (etc) Sing the good chorus, for ‘tis a good song, (etc) CHORUS: We’re a deep water ship and a deep water crew, (etc) We can stick to the coast but that’s not what we’ll do, (etc) CHORUS: The chain’s up and down so the bosun did say, (etc) Heave up to the hawsepipe, the anchor’s aweigh, (etc) CHORUS: According to Stan Hugill, Shanties from the Seven Seas, this shanty has its origins in the Rio Grande river of Brazil, not of Mexico, where gold was found in the 18th century. The song became established at that time. Then gold was discovered in the Mexican Rio Grande and in California and the song took on a new life. So now it became associated with the Mexican war and the California gold rush. There are many versions depicting scenes from many cities and countries. Some of the main patterns of the many versions are: Leaving Liverpool, Gold Rush Version, The Milkmaid, Leaving New York, and The Fishes, to name a few. It was always sung at the anchor capstan and was an outward-­‐bound song. But like so many sea shanties, the sailors altered the pronunciation of words. Please notice the change in the words “Rio Grande”. One must remember that theses sailors were a “pre-­‐literate” group, as opposed to an “illiterate” group. The difference being that most of them, like so many of their countrymen and countrywomen, never had the opportunity to learn to read or write. This stigma could be exhibited in many ways. One was the altering of the pronunciations of many words, so common in the sea songs. Another was the use of non-­‐sensible words frequently found in many of the songs of early America. (see “Jenny Jenkins” use of “I’ll by thee a foldy roldy seek a double use a double roll to find thee” as an example.) Some have attributed the non-­‐sensible words to an abuse of Latin or other languages used by those in authority. One must also remember that sailors, particularly the whalers who roamed the dangerous Arctic regions, took great pride in their abilities as seamen. They knew that they were essential to the nation’s success and they, therefore, to establish their own language much like the language of other profession like doctors and lawyers. 17 Essequibo River Essequibo River is the queen of rivers all, Chorus: Bud-­‐dy tah-­‐nah-­‐nah we are some-­‐body-­‐o! Essequibo River is the queen of rivers all, Essequibo bosun is the king of bosuns all, (etc) Essequibo bosun is the king of bosuns all, (etc) Chorus: Bud-­‐dy tah-­‐nah-­‐nah we are some-­‐body-­‐o! Chorus: Some-­‐body-­‐o, Johnny, some-­‐body-­‐o, Bud-­‐dy tah-­‐nah-­‐nah we are some-­‐body-­‐o! Some-­‐body-­‐o, Johnny, some-­‐body-­‐o, Bud-­‐dy tah-­‐nah-­‐nah we are some-­‐body-­‐o! Essequibo sailor is the best of sailors all, (etc) Essequibo sailor is the best of sailors all, (etc) Chorus: Essequibo judies are the queen of judies all, (etc) Essequibo judies are the queen of judies all, (etc) Chorus: Essequibo captain is the king of captains all, Essequibo River is far as I can see, (etc) Essequibo River is muddy as can be, (etvc) Bud-­‐dy tah-­‐nah-­‐nah we are some-­‐body-­‐o! Essequibo captain is the king of captains all, Bud-­‐dy tah-­‐nah-­‐nah we are some-­‐body-­‐o! Chorus: The Essequibo River is in the former British colony of Guyana, South America. Centuries ago in many of the areas in and around the Caribbean, including Texas and Louisiana, sugar cane plantations were established for the purpose of making rum. Of all the activities the African American slaves engaged in, that of the sugar cane plantations has been considered the most brutal. The verses of other songs attest to this fact: “Wish you were here when the shore winds came, left a man lying dead and they cut him off the chain.” Or another testifies to the fact there was “a man lying dead at every turn row.” (“Ain’t No Mo’ Cane on the Brazos” [Brazos River, Texas]) This is perhaps one of the oldest songs we have, going back to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It comes to us from the sailors who certainly heard it sung by the dock workers and recognized it could be adapted and used as a halyard chantey. The dock workers, no doubt, learned it from the field workers. But these African American slaves were making a statement about human dignity that has echoed through the centuries: “We are somebody!” They had been deprived of every shred of human decency, yet their cry echoes on. This cry was re-­‐emphasized by the Memphis sanitary workers as they marched in 1968 with the signs hung around their neck that said: “I AM A MAN”. Martin Luther King, Jr. was so moved by that sign that he told his people that “we must go to Memphis,” where he was killed. The word “judies” refers to the women who would often be in the fields along-­‐side the men, receiving the same treatment, or as another song notes: “They was driving the women just like they was men.” The only thing they could do about their condition, was to sing about it and declare that: “We are somebody – o”. 18 Wearing of the Green Irish Street Ballad, 1798 Oh, Paddy dear, and did you hear the news that’s goin’ ‘round? The shamrock is forbid by law to grow on Irish ground. St. Patrick’s Day no more we’ll keep, his colors can’t be seen, For there’s a cruel law against the wearin’ o’ the green. I met with Napper Tandy, and he took me by the hand, And he said, “How’s poor ole Ireland, and how does she stand?” She’s the most distressful country that ever yet was seen, They’re hanging men and women there for wearin’ o’ the green. Then since the color we must wear is England’s cruel red, Sure Ireland’s sons will ne’er forget the blood that they have shed. You may take the shamrock from your hat and cast it on the sod, But ‘twill take root and flourish there, tho’ underfoot ‘tis trod. When law can stop the blades of grass from growing as they grow, And when the leaves in summertime their verdue dare not show, Then I will change the color that I wear in my caubeen, But ‘till that day, please God, I’ll stick to wearin’ o’ the green. But if at last our color should be torn from Ireland’s heart, Her sons, with shame and sorrow, from the dear ole isle will part. I’ve heard whisper of a country that lies beyond the sea, Where rich and poor stand equal in the light of freedom’s day. Oh Erin, must we leave you, driven by a tyrant’s hand? Must we ask a mother’s blessing from a strange and distant land? Where the cruel cross of England shall never more be seen, And where, please God, we’ll live and die still wearin’ o’ the green. There is little one can add to the lyrics of this song other than to say that “The Wearing of the Green” is an Irish street ballad that remembers the repression of supporters of the Irish Rebellion of 1798. “The revolutionary Society of United Irishmen adopted green as its colour, and supporters wore green-­‐coloured garments, ribbons or cockades. This was considered sedition by the Dublin Castle administration which included British occupying forces, and often resulted in prosecution by the authorities or violent reprisals by loyalist mobs.” (Wikipedia.org The Wearing of the Green) The last verses indicate leaving Ireland for “a country that lies beyond the sea, where rich and poor stand equal in the light of freedom’s day.” The Irish were welcomed to America like so many other people desperate for freedom from either tyrants, persecution or poverty. “Nearly 35 million people came to America in the one hundred years from the 1820’s until 1924.” (Ellen Levine, “…If Your Name Was Changed at Ellis Island”) Those who came were examined to see if they were healthy, and if they were not then they were placed in a hospital so that they could recover from their illness, usually due to malnutrition. People “were deported if the inspectors thought a person: 1) had committed crimes in the old country 2) had come to America with a promise of a job 3) wouldn’t be able to support themselves or their family 4) had certain mental or physical problems that would keep a person from being able to work.” (Ellen Levine, “…If Your Name Was Changed at Ellis Island”) Fully ninety eight per cent of the immigrants who came here ultimately were allowed to enter. 19 The Orange and the Green Traditional Irish Chorus: Oh it is the biggest mix-­‐up that you have ever seen, My father, he was Orange, and my mother, she was Green, Oh it is the biggest mix-­‐up that you have ever seen, My father, he was Orange, and my mother, she was Green. Oh, my father was an Ulster man, a Protestant was he. My mother was a Catholic girl, from County Cork was she. They were married in two churches, and lived happily enough, Until the day that I was born, then things got rather tough. Chorus: Baptized by Father Riley, I was rushed away by car, To be made a little Orangeman, my father’s shining star. I was christened David Anthony, but still in spite of that, To my father I was “William,” while my mother called me “Pat. Chorus: With mother every Sunday to Mass I’d proudly stroll. Then after that the Orange Lodge would try to save my soul. While both sides tried to claim me, but I was smart because I’d play the flute or play the harp, depending were I was. Chorus: One day my mom’s relations came ‘round to visit me, Just as my father’s kinfolk were all sitting down to tea. They tried to smooth things over, but they all began to fight, And me, being strictly neutral, I “fis’t” everyone in sight. Chorus: Now my parents never could agree about my type of school. My learning was all done at home, that’s why I’m such a fool. They both passed on, God rest them, and left me caught between That awful color problem of the Orange and the Green. Chorus: The Irish are known for their sense of humor and this song seems to bring out the best. The struggles between the Protestants (Presbyterian) and the Catholics there are legendary. William of Orange led an army composed mostly of Scots and conquered Ireland. Then the southern portion was allowed to revert back to Ireland while the northern portion became Northern Ireland where much of the troubles occurred because of the large number of Protestants there who controlled everything. Here we have what the Irish call a “mixed race marriage” namely the man who is Protestant, exemplified by the color “orange” and the woman who is Catholic, exemplified by the color “green.” There are even instruments identified with each group: the flute is the “orange” instrument and the harp is the “green” instrument. His father calls him “William” for William of Orange and his mother calls him “Pat” for Saint Patrick, the patron saint of the Irish Catholics. Ulster is a heavily Protestant county in Northern Ireland and County Cook is a heavily Catholic county in Ireland. They were married in two churches because neither family would attend the ceremony in the others’ church. Silly, but this is the face and actions of bigotry. Lastly the word “fis’t” needs to be explained. Since he was neutral he was able to insult everyone, or better yet, tell each one what the other said of them to keep things stirred up. In other words he kept things stirred up properly so that each side could make a fool of themselves, despite his parent’s wishes. 20 Westward Movement:
Boatman Early American (Ohio River) Boatman dance, boatman sing, Boatman do most anything. Chorus: Dance boatman dance, Dance boatman dance, Dance all night ‘till broad daylight And go home with the girls in the morning. Heigh-­‐ho, boatman row, sailing down the river on the Ohio, Heigh-­‐ho, boatman row, sailing down the river on the Ohio. When the boatman gets on shore, He spends his money and he works for more, Chorus: Never saw a pretty girl in my life, But that she wasn’t a boatman’s wife, Chorus: Sky blue jacket and a tarpaulin hat, Look out, boys, for the nine – tail cat, Chorus: The Ohio River was a main route west and thus enabled the settlement of many states. As the song indicates, the boatmen were a rowdy fun loving lot, and they knew it. To say they loved “wine, women and song” would be an accurate description. But exploring the edges of civilization as the European Americans knew it, was also a dangerous activity. The nine tailed cat that they were to watch out for, represented some of that danger. This was a whip made out of nine leather strands on the end. It was used in standard punishment aboard ships, but could also be used on land. Twenty or thirty lashes with this whip was often standard punishment. Sometimes pieces of metal or bone were attached to the end strands making it a considerable weapon. Thus this verse presents and warning to those who travel the rivers. A verse was deliberately left out of this recording: “When the boatman blows his horn, look out old man your daughter’s gone.” This refers not to kidnapping, but to the fact the girls out on or near the frontier would follow him because there was so much fun and mystery attached to him. The whole song gives credence to the fact that there was a certain kind of man, or in some cases, woman who would go out on the edge of the frontier and expand it. This certainly wasn’t for the timid or cautious. 21 Oh, California (Parody) I come from Salem City with my wash bowl on my knee, I’m goin’ to Cal-­‐I-­‐for-­‐ni-­‐a, the gold dust for to see. It rained all night the day I left, the weather it was dry, The sun so hot I froze to death, oh brothers, don’t you cry! (*) I thought of all the pleasant times we’ve had together here. I thought I ought to cry a bit, but I could not find a tear. The pilot’s bread was in my mouth (***), e gold dust in my eye, And though I’m going far away, dear brothers, don’t you cry. Chorus: Oh, California, that’s the land for me! I’m goin’ to San Francisco with my wash bowl on my knee! (repeat) Chorus: I soon shall be in ‘Frisco, and there I’ll look around, And when I see the gold lumps there, I’ll pick them off the ground. I’ll scrape the mountains clean, my boys, I’ll drain the rivers dry. A pocket full of rocks bring home, so brothers, don’t you cry! I jumped aboard the ‘Liza ship and traveled on the sea, And every time I thought of home, I wished it wasn’t me! The vessel reared like any horse that had of oats a wealth, I found it wouldn’t throw me so I thought I’d throw myself! (**) Chorus:
Chorus: This parody of Stephen Foster’s ministrel ditty “Oh Susanna”, was called “Oh California” or “The California Immigrant”. There are many versions and they are similar in content. In the Laura Ingalls Wilder Songbook it states that this was first sung at the farewell banquet for a young man leaving on the ship “Eliza”. It became a theme song of the forty-­‐niners and was extremely popular. It was reportedly sung on land and sea. The hard realities of mining and those who had been disillusioned are not included in this song. This was a moment of euphoria not reality. Even though the ships were crowded, singing and dancing helped pass the great spans of time. Usually someone had a fiddle or another instrument and provided the music for these occasions. “Oh, California” and its absurdities was often a song of choice. The song tells of some of the occurrences that might take place on such a long voyage: miserable weather (see *), bucking seas and accompanying sea sickness (see **), as well as the appalling conditions on the ship (see ***). What made the trip worthwhile was the anticipation of what was to come – GOLD! The feeling that everyone would somehow magically “strike it rich”, is portrayed in the last verse, as they imagined gathering in the gold lumps from the streets of San Francisco. NOTE: pilot’s bread was hard tack General Introduction to the Gold Rush The Gold Rush was a time of high expectations, greed, and myth. Many people decided to move to California to strike it rich. The wealthy, the average and the poor person thought this would be a golden opportunity. The reality was that it was a time of hardship and losses. The greatest profits were made by the merchants. Some people lost everything they owned on this gamble. The songs of the era reflect the high expectation, the greed and the reality of disillusionment. The hard, cold fact that only a few “struck it rich” while the rest were left seeking and never finding became apparent, and many used the gold rush songs to overcome their despair. California’s population grew during this era. Many of those who came for the gold rush, stayed. They became farmers, merchants and continued some of the occupations they had prior to traveling “around Cape Horn” or across the nation for up to three thousand miles. Some of the miners came from other continents to seek their fortunes. Discrimination was practiced in some, but not all mining camps. The targets of this practice were African Americans, Mexicans, Chinese and Native Americans. In some cases Native American children were captured and forced to work as slaves for the miners. 22 Steals of the White Man As sung by Yellowtail “Alas,” said an Indian, “I once had a home “In a fair forest glade where the wild deer did roam, “Where the socamite feast of a festival day, “But the steals of a white man have took them away.” “I once had a mother, the pride of my youth, “And a father who taught me the practice of truth, “Now their spirits have left them as cold as the clay, “For the steals of a white man have took them away.” “I once had a brother, the pride of the vale, “And a sister whose cheeks, they were ruddy and pale, “And I’d often join them in innocent play, “But the steals of a white man have took them away.” “And now I’m alone, the last of my race. “And I know in this world that I have no place. “My friends and relations have all passed away, “For the steals of a white man have took them away.” “And now I must follow, the Great Spirit calls, “To the Land of the Blest, where the brave never falls, “To that blissful green shore and the cool forest glade “Where the steals of a white man shall never invade.” Here someone has put together the most significant of puns. The theft (steals) of the Native American’s land was carried out in large part due to the ability of the Europeans to make steel from iron ore. This steel came in many forms: guns, bullets, knives, cannons, railroads, and of course the wires of the telegraph poles. Thus all things of value, including the lives of so many people, have been taken away. 23 Songs of Slavery and Freedom:
Lord, If I Got My Ticket Chorus: Lord, if I got my ticket, can I ride? Lord, if I got my ticket, can I ride? Lord, if I got my ticket, can I ride? Ride away to heaven that morning? You hear a-­‐big talk about a gospel train. Do you want to get on it? Yeah, that’s my aim! Stand at the station and patiently wait, The train is a-­‐comin’ and it’s never late. So long comin’ that it worried my mind. I thought it was late, but was just on time! Chorus: Any spiritual that used railroad terminology was making reference to the Underground Railroad. This song, in its first verse, uses several: ticket, train and station. It also has coded words that indicate a journey on the Underground Railroad: “ride” and “ride away”. It moderates this obvious intent by adding the word “heaven” to indicate that it is a religious song. Since the word heaven was frequently inserted to take the place of freedom, the north, or Canada, then slaves understood its meaning and also understood the need to speak in coded language. This song was sung when someone from the Underground Railroad was nearby, indicating that those who wished to escape would have assistance. The station, at which they “patiently wait”, would most likely be the slave graveyard, a place usually well away from the rest of the plantation. It was seldom a place one went at night. Upon arrival at the “station” their minds would certainly be “troubled” because if they were discovered, nothing good would happen. Once the guide arrived, they could say of the “train”: “I thought it was late, but was just on time.” The ticket would be those things they would need and be able to carry on this long and fear-­‐filled journey: certainly food, clothing, medicine and even water. 24 Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel Chorus: Didn’t my Lord deliver Daniel, deliver Daniel, deliver Daniel, Didn’t my Lord deliver Daniel, and why not-­‐a every man. He delivered Daniel from the lion’s den, Jonah from the belly of the whale, And the Hebrew children from the fiery furnace, And why not-­‐a every man. Chorus: The moon runs down in a purple stream, The sun forbears to shine, And every star disappears King Jesus shall-­‐a be mine. Chorus: The wind blows east and the wind blows west, It blows like the judgment day. And every poor soul that never did pray, Be glad to pray that day. Chorus: I set my foot on the gospel ship And the ship began to sail. It landed me over on Canaan’s shore, And I’ll never go back no more. Chorus: “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel” has been termed the best of the freedom song spirituals. The coded instructions cover many areas and it announces that it is a song of deliverance from its very beginning because it gives a list of those who have escaped from impossible circumstances. With this understanding established, the song starts its coded messages; beginning with the time a potential escapee needs to make their initial break, namely evening, when there is a moon to lend its light. The “purple stream” mentioned would be the route they needed to follow to the river. The dogs would be sent after them so it was necessary to neutralize their own scent, so going in water would help. The song subtly indicates rain through the phrase “and every star disappear” and then it reinforces this by telling that the time to escape is during a huge storm when “the wind blows east and the wind blows west, it blows like the judgment day.” Water, either in the form of a river or stream, or a storm, was a great friend to an escaping slave. The lines “and every poor soul that never did pray, be glad to pray that day,” indicates that if they were caught, they would most likely be executed and everyone who was escaping knew this. It shows the length the slaves would go to in their desire to escape slavery. It is also important to note that there is a Biblical mistake in the song, like in so many of the freedom song spirituals. This is the reference “King Jesus shall-­‐a be mine.” The whole of the song is about the Old Testament and then all of a sudden, Jesus is mentioned, which doesn’t make sense. That is, unless you view the song through the lens of it being a freedom song. The words “heaven”, and “King Jesus shall-­‐a be mine” were interchangeable words, meaning “freedom”, or “the north” or after 1850: “Canada.” These Biblical mistakes were certainly inserted by the authors of these songs to allow any slave who might be questioned about the meaning of the song to say: “Master, these silly slaves, they don’t what they’re singing about. They just can’t be taught anything. They’re just ignorant slaves.” Of course nothing could be further from the truth, because if the true meanings were discovered they, i.e. the singers and the authors, if they could be found, would be hung from the nearest tree. Thus, the authors built into the songs ways in which anyone questioned could escape with his or her life. The last verse is telling. “I set my foot on the gospel ship and the ship began to sail.” The gospel ship could be anything that assists across a body of water, but specifically this was across Lake Erie from Cleveland to Canada. Then it states: “It landed me over on Canaan’s shore, and I’ll never go back no more.” Not only is this a close spelling to Canada, but when the Israelites escaped from slavery in Egypt they ended up in the land of Canaan. This verse was written after the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 which stated that any slave apprehended in a northern state would be returned to the south and re-­‐sold into slavery. Canada was therefore, the place they must settle in order to gain freedom. 25 Hush-­‐a-­‐bye Hush-­‐a-­‐bye, don’t you cry, go to sleepy little baby. When you wake, you shall have all the pretty little horses; black ones and bays, dapples and grays, coach and six-­‐a little horses. Hush-­‐a-­‐bye, don’t you cry, go to sleepy little baby. Hush-­‐a-­‐bye, don’t you cry, go to sleepy little baby. Way down yonder, in the meadow, there’s a poor little lambie, the bees and the butterflies pickin’ at his eyes, (*) poor little thing cries, “Mammy!” Hush-­‐a-­‐bye, don’t you cry, go to sleepy little baby. (*) some versions have: “Pickin’ out his eyes” This is a song that a slave mother is singing to her master’s newborn baby. It is the master’s first son and this slave sings to him all the things he will inherit, specifically all the horses in the master’s stable. But, as the custom was, she was also a wet-­‐nurse, that is: breast feeding the master’s baby. In reality, no white woman would breast feed their child in the South during slavery, if there was an African American woman who could do this for her. The second verse is about the African American slave’s baby. She had been forced to give it to someone else when she was summoned to the master’s house. In some versions of this song she gave her baby to another child who was considered old enough to care for it. Here she gave her baby to an adult, probably because there weren’t any children old enough to care for a newborn. This person had to take the baby to the field where the slaves were working. The overseer told this person to put the baby down because it was interfering with the work. Thus the baby was most likely laid next to the water bucket under a tree. The slaves worked down the row and on their return, when they all were allowed a drink of water, this person could care for the baby. The rest of the time the child was left to the elements and the insects. Clearly the bees and the butterflies and probably many other insects were bothering it, but there was nothing its mother or the person who was to care for it could do. The baby’s mother, who was caring for the master’s baby, could hear its plaintive cry. All she could do was sing her agony. Some versions have “birds and the butterflies” instead of “bees and the butterflies.” The birds would have most likely been crows, and they were known for hanging around fields. Crows are scavengers and a group of them are know as a “murder of crows” because they will tear apart, in short order, any injured or lame animal. If this was the case then the baby’s mother’s cry that they were “pickin’ out its eyes” would have been real. As John Anthony Scott notes: “During the long years of slavery, African American women comforted and cared for white children while their own babies lay unwatched in the shacks and fields. ‘Hush-­‐a-­‐bye’ is both lullaby and lament that comes down to us from slavery days through oral tradition. It has been found in various forms in many parts of the South….. The artistry of the song tells a great deal about the African American people who were able to create something so powerful and so beautiful with which to express the deepest of feelings. Such music has a dimension that makes it comprehensible to people everywhere. In its own way it celebrates and affirms the unity of humankind.” 26 Civil War:
Congo River Oh, were you ever on the Congo River, Blow, boys blow, Black fever makes the white man shiver, Blow, me bully boys blow. A Yankee ship sailed down the river, Blow, boys blow, Her mast and yards they shine like silver, Blow, me bully boys blow. And what do you think she had for cargo (etc) Why black sheep that had run the embargo (etc) Yonder comes the arrow packet (etc) She fires her guns can’t you hear the racket (etc) And what do you think they had for dinner (etc) Why a monkey’s heart and a donkey’s liver (etc) And what do you think they had for supper (etc) Hot water broth but a little bit thinner (etc) And who do you think was the skipper of her (etc) Why Bully Hayes the sailor lover (etc) Bully Hayes he loves us sailors (etc) Yes he does, like hell and blazes (etc) So blow me boys, and blow forever (etc) And blow me down the Congo River (etc) And what do you think they had for breakfast (etc)The starboard side of an old sou’wester (etc) This song chronicles the slave trade before and after an embargo was in effect. As David Earl has noted: “This shanty originated on the West Africa run, during the days of the slave trade. Later it was used on the Atlantic packet ships. The stanza about the packet ship firing its guns may date from the American Civil War or refer to an anti-­‐slavery patrol.” The evidence strongly indicates that it was both. While slavery began in 1619 in Virginia, in 1807 Thomas Jefferson signed the law that banned transatlantic slave trade in America. Because slavery was so profitable this action “made slave smuggling and underwriting slave ships a more lucrative business for both North and south. “In 1740, Newport, Rhode Island, boasted that her citizens owned a total of 120 slave ships, each capable of transporting 60 to 100 slaves. Ten years later, the number had grown considerably. As late as the 1850s, several New York businessmen invested in slave smuggling and some earned as much as $150,000 per voyage. In 1852, the Julia Eliza is on record as being fitted out as a slave ship in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Slave ships were fitted out and acquired crews in Northern port cities from Portland, Maine, to Philadelphia. New England Mariners were heavily involved in the slave trade. “For many a ship captain barely making his expenses, closing his eyes to his cargo meant seeing dollar signs instead of suffering human beings chained in the hold of his ship. Historians estimate that by 1860, the total number of illegal slaves smuggled into the United States had reached over 1.2 million. “Slave smuggling increased as different political administrations did not vigorously enforce piracy laws. Often the government and its officials sided with the captains of the slave ships, because even though the law had proclaimed slave trading piracy for over forty years it defied common sense to hang a mariner for practicing at sea what land dwellers all over America practiced everyday without punishment.” (Kathy Warnes website “America Executed Slave Ship Captain Nathaniel Gordon, But Why?”) But it all changed with the coming of Abraham Lincoln. While the presidential campaign was being waged in America, on August 8, 1860 the USS Mohican stopped the slave ship Erie, arrested her captain Nathaniel Gordon, interviewed the ships crew including documenting the conditions, and took the surviving Negroes to Monrovia, Liberia. President Lincoln was determined to end the slave trade. This involved trying and ultimately executing Captain Gordon, which was done at the Tombs prison in New 27 York in a most public display to indicate that Lincoln was going to enforce the slave embargo. This showed execution meant that he was deadly serious. Several things are noteworthy in the song. “What do you think she had for cargo?….Why black sheep that had run the embargo,” clearly indicates that this ship, like so many others, was a slave ship. The “arrow packet” was a ship that was designed to enforce the embargo, but there were so many slave ships and there were so few enforcers of the embargo that the enforcers had little effect. Plus there was a lax attitude of the courts that made conviction difficult. But with the coming of Lincoln’s presidency all this changed. The conditions of the seamen on board the slaver are also indicated as being less than desirable. Three verses tell of their lousy meals. Then there is a comment about the captain’s love of his crew who loves his sailors like “hell and blazes”, which means that he had a mean bent and was to be avoided, if at all possible. The last thing that is noteworthy is that the Congo River is much larger than the Mississippi River, is near the equator and flows westward into the Atlantic Ocean. Pay Me My Money Down (Work song not Spiritual) (Shantyman and crew) Chorus: PAY ME MY MONEY DOWN! Pay me, oh pay me, PAY ME MY MONEY DOWN, Pay me or go to jail, PAY ME MY MONEY DOWN! I thought I heard the captain say, (etc) Tomorrow will be your sailin’ day, (etc) If I had a-­‐known the boss was blind, PAY ME MY MONEY DOWN, I would ha’ went to work at half past nine PAY ME MY MONEY DOWN! Chorus: You pay me, you owe me, PAY ME MY MONEY DOWN, Pay me, Mr. Stevedore, Chorus: Wish’t I was Mr. Foster’s son, (etc) I’d sit on the bank an’ see the work done, Chorus: I heard them talking in the deck below, If you don’t pay me, this ship won’t go. Chorus:
This song is not a Spiritual, but is completely unfettered and stands in stark contrast to the Spirituals. In the Spirituals things were spoken carefully with innuendo, creative imagery, coded language and double meanings so that the masters and overseers would remain ignorant of the messages being conveyed. In truth, too many lives depended on these messages being kept secret. In the Spirituals there was always a surface meaning, usually religious, that could be called upon to explain what was being said. Deniability of the hidden meanings was extremely important. But in this song, the African Americans could speak their minds plainly, knowing they were backed up by the Union Navy that had inserted it’s will on their area, whether it be the Georgia Sea Islands or New Orleans. The right for anyone and everyone to be paid a just wage for their labor is an emphatic message that is loud and clear. Moreover, if they weren’t paid, the ships could sit at the dock until they were paid. Also, if they weren’t paid the Union Navy would throw them in jail, which was a real turn of events. 28 General Lee’s Wooing Battle of Antietam –Civil War Anonymous Union soldier Oh Maryland, my Maryland, I bring thee presents fine, A dazzling sword with jeweled hilt, a flask of Bourbon wine; I bring the sheets of ghostly white to dress thy bridal bed, With curtains of the purple eve, and garlands gory red. Oh Maryland, my Maryland, sweet land upon the shore, Bring out thy stalwart yeomanry, make clean the threshing floor. My ready wains lie stretching far across the fertile plain And I among the reapers stand to gather in the grain. Oh Maryland, my Maryland, I fondly wait to see Thy banner flaunting in the breeze, beneath the trysting tree. While all my gallant company of gentlemen with spurs, Come trampling, trampling o’er the hills, and trampling through the furze.
Oh Maryland, my Maryland, I feel the leaden rain, I see the winged messenger, come hurling to my brain. I feathered with thy golden hair, ‘tis feathered now in vain, I spurn the hand that loosed the shaft and curse thee in my pain. Oh Maryland, my Maryland, alas the ruthless day, That sees my gallant buttonwoods ride galloping away; And ruthless for my chivalry, proud gentlemen with spurs, Whose bones lie stark upon the hills, and stark among the furze. General Robert E. Lee had ordered his men to sing “My Maryland, My Maryland,” the state song of Maryland, as they entered the state’s borders. This was to hopefully lure the residents of this slave state into his ranks or at the least keep them neutral. He was attempting to say to them that he meant them no harm. As John Anthony Scott has commented: “By the summer of 1862, the North had scored a number of victories in the West and had taken New Orleans, but the South remained undefeated. The Union’s hour of peril was at hand. Lee, having blunted McClellan’s offensive in the Seven Days’ Fight, began the attack. He swept northward, defeated Pope at Manassas, and placed himself astride the Potomac west of Washington. The world held its breath. If Lee could not be stopped as he headed toward Maryland and Pennsylvania, the end of the war was near. “General McClellan rallied the Union forces and met Lee at Antietam Creek in Maryland on September 17, 1862. Neither side could claim victory in the horrible carnage, but Lee suffered a severe check and was obliged to fall back. On September 24, Abraham Lincoln issued the first Emancipation Proclamation promising freedom to all slaves in States still in rebellion on January 1, 1863. “An anonymous Northern soldier wrote ‘General Lee’s Wooing’ following the battle of Antietam. These verses, among the finest penned during the war, illuminate in a single flash the meaning of the struggle at Antietam Creek. It was a battle worthy of commemoration, for it proved to be a decisive turning point in the war. Emancipating of the slaves gave the country a crusading cause, rallied the flagging energies of 29 the North, won the sympathy of the world, and brought tens of thousands of black recruits into armies shaken by ghastly losses. British recognition of the South and her intervention in the South’s behalf were alike ruled out. Confederate hopes of victory received a crushing blow.” The song “portrays General Lee as a lover wooing Maryland with the grim gifts of war. “ (“Folksong in the Classroom:”) Some words need explaining: Yeomanry: is a subordinate or assistant, especially to an official such as a sheriff’s officer; also a journeyman of a guild, and thirdly, a farmer. In this case someone who assisted in the “reaping” of the grain, i.e. killing. Wains: were wagons used to carry the casualties. Trysting tree: to agree to meet at a certain time and place, also an appointment, as in an engagement to be married, or a place where lovers met. Here a metaphor to meet to kill each other. Furze: a spiny evergreen shrub with yellow flowers in the early springtime, very common in Europe. In this case it could be the hedgerows of forsythia which are very common in Maryland or simply gorse or meadow flower. Buttonwoods was a synonym for Southern soldiers. It is also helpful to note that there were so many dead that the wild boars would often strip the flesh off to the bare bones following the battles because there were so many to be buried. Hence the bones that were “stark upon the hills and stark among the furze.” Sources: Frank Moore, The Civil War in Song and Story John Anothony Scott, The Ballad of America “Folksong in the Classroom” Volume XII #3 Spring 1992 30 Pea Bread Civil War – Vicksburg A life on the Vicksburg bluff, Old Grant is starving us out, A home in the trenches deep, Our grub is fast wasting away, Where we dodge Yank shells enough, Pemb’ don’t know what he’s about, And our old pea-­‐bread won’t keep. And he hasn’t for many a day. On “old Logan’s” beef I pine, So we’ll bury Old Logan tonight, For there’s fat on his bones no more, From tough beef we’ll be set free, Oh! Give me some pork and brine, We’ll put him far out of sight, And truck from a sutler’s store. No more of his meat for me. Chorus: Chorus: A life on the Vicksburg bluff, a home in the trenches deep, Texas steers are no longer in view, Where we dodge Yank shells enough, Mule steaks are now “done up brown,” and our old pea-­‐bread won’t keep. While pea-­‐bread, mule roast and mule stew, Pea-­‐bread, pea-­‐bread, Are our fare in Vicksburg town; our old pea-­‐bread won’t keep, And the song of our hearts shall be Pea-­‐bread, pea-­‐bread, While the Yanks and their gunboats rave; our old pea-­‐bread won’t keep. A life in a bomb-­‐proof for me, And a tear on old Logan’s grave. Chorus: The Mississippi River was deemed important to both sides in the Civil War. The Union Army and Navy then worked their way south from Illinois and north from New Orleans to Vicksburg. Grant’s initial attempt to capture the city was met with stiff resistance so he decided to enact a siege. Nothing could get in or out. A diary entry from one of the inhabitants noted that rats were hung in the market for sale. She commented how sorry she felt for the soldiers who had nothing to eat but this bread made out of musty, moldy peas. Legend has it that during the siege soldiers of the opposing armies met under a flag of truce to play cards. During this time the Union soldiers smuggled food to the Confederates despite strict orders to the contrary. Whether it is true or not, it would certainly be a good strategy for a general to have certain selected soldiers break those strict orders in order to find out how effective the siege was. If those waging the siege were seen as compassionate, despite the harsh measures, then there might emerge some consensus for acceding to their demands and surrender. Ultimately on July 4, 1863 General John C. Pemberton , referred to in the song as “Pemb’ don’t know what he’s about”, surrendered, and the Confederacy was cut in half. It is always helpful to identify “old Logan” in the song, so that the children understand exactly what measures these hungry soldiers would do in order to secure food. In all likelihood “old Logan” was their trusty pack animal, perhaps a mule or a horse. It is also clear that they were not above eating them because the would have “mule roast and mule stew.” It is clear that the only thing they could do about their conditions was to sing about it, and they left us with this marvelous song full of “tongue and cheek” or as others would say “gallows humor.” 31 Bibliography Altoff, Gerard T., AMONGST MY BEST MEN “African-­‐Americans and The War of 1812”, The Perry Group, Put-­‐in-­‐
Bay, Ohio, 1996 Dykeama, Peter W., et al, LET MUSIC RING, California State Series, California State Department of Education, Sacramento, 1950 Garson, Eugenia, compiler, THE LAURA INGALLS WILDER SONGBOOK, Harper and Row, New York, 1968 Hille, Waldemar, editor, THE PEOPLE’S SONG BOOK, Boni and Gear, New York, 1966 Hugill, Stan, SHANTIES FROM THE SEVEN SEAS, Mystic Seaport Museum, Mystic, Connecticut, 1994 Levine, Ellen …IF YOUR NAME WAS CHANGED AT ELLLIS ISLAND, Scholastic, New York, 1993 Lomax, Alan, THE FOLK SONGS OF NORTH AMERICA, Doubleday and Company, Garden city, New York, 1960 Lomax, John A. and Alan, FOLK SONG: U. S. A., Duell, Sloan and Pearce, N. Y., 1947 McKissack, Patricia C. & McKissack, Frederick L., BLACK HANDS, WHITE SAILS, “The Story of African – American Whalers,” Scholastic Inc. New York, 1999 Sandburg, Carl, THE AMERICAN SONGBAG, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., New York, 1955 Schreiber, Joan, et al, CALIFORNIA HISTORY, The Study of Our State, Scott Foresman and Company, Glenview, Illinois, 1984 Scott, John, Anthony, THE BALLAD OF AMERICA, The History of the United States in Song and Story, Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale, Illinois, 1983 Scott, John Anthony, and Siedman, Laurence I., “FOLKSONG IN THE CLASSROOM,” Volume I, #3, February 1981; Volume III, #1, Fall 1982; Volume XII #3, Spring 1992 Seidman, Laurence I., THE FOOLS OF ’49, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1976 Soodalter, Ron, HANGING CAPTAIN GORDON: “The Life and Trial of an American Slave Trader,” Atria Books, New York, 2006 Warnes, Kathy, “America Executed Slave Ship Captain Nathaniel Gordon, But Why?,” maritimemoments.wordpress.com Wikipedia, “Coast of High Barbaree”, “First Barbary War,” “Second Barbary War,” and “Wearing of the Green” 32