Slave Songs - 8h/En1

More Traditional Offerings.

We’ll take our baggage
to the River Jordan
We’ll arrive where the river ends between two hills
Where the Freedom Train will come
In years now the Freedom Train come.

Chorus:
Heaven over the River Jordan
We’ll cross and we’ll meet Moses on the other side
Freedom will be ours because of Moses.

In years to come we’ll be over the River Jordan
Wade in the water
So they will not find us
We’ll be free in years to come

Chorus

(Code: In years = tonight.)

Jake and Ben


We went to the River Jordan
With Moses, With Moses
And we wade in the water
Following the drinking gourd

Oh freedom over me
Before I’ll be a slave
I’ll be dead in my grave

We’re gonna go on the gospel train
To heaven, to heaven
And if I fail
I’ll flounder like a whale

Oh freedom over me
Before I’ll be a slave
I’ll be dead in my grave

David and Raquib


Drinking Gourd! We shall follow the drinking gourd,
Wade in the water.
The Freedom Train takes us to heaven, where we will be free
Wade in the water.

We must cross the River Jordan,
Baggage will be forwarded.
The river ends between two hills and shall carry on flowing forever.

Elisha.

The students wrote these songs after studying a unit on Transatlantic Slavery. The songs are inspired by real life spirituals that had to be sung in code so that the overseers couldn’t tell what they were planning! Some inspiration came from KRS One and the idea that overseers still have an influence on African Americans in the 20th century, something that they will come to understand in more detail in the coming term.

All students come from 8h1.

Mr Billingsley