Call Response Songs

1
Call/ Response Songs

• Basic songs called out and then repeated with a
  beat
• Allowed slaves to slow down the work (if
  everyone goes the same speed then no
  one gets the whip)
• Sometimes there was codes in the songs
• Gave image of the happy slave
• Owners were typically clueless to the meanings
  of the songs
• For Example
• Call Pickin dis cotton then repeat
• Call All day long then repeat
• Call Pickin dis cotton then repeat
• Call till we get strong then repeat

2
Slave Resistance- Spiritual Music

• Slave Resistance- Spiritual Music
• First uniquely American music to come out of this
  country
• Three types 1) expressed feelings of pity and
  longing for change, 2) called for freedom, and
  3) openly advocated running away
• Deeply religious songs that gave slaves hope for
  a better life after death
• Affirmed their humanity and gave them the faith
  and courage to go on living when life seemed to
  be nothing but endless physical toil, punishment
  and pain.
• For Example Oh Freedom
• O freedom, O freedom, O freedom over me
• And before Id be a slave, Id be buried in my
  grave
• And go home to my lord and be free!
• No more darkness, No more darkness, No more
  darkness over me
• And before Id be a slave Id be buried in my
  grave
• And go home to my lord and be free!
• Therell be glory, Therell be glory, Therell
  be glory over me
• And before Id be a slave Id be buried in my
  grave
• And go home to my lord and be free!

3
Wade in the Water- Spiritual

• Wade in the water/ wade in the water children
• wade in the water
• Gods gonna trouble the water
• Who are those children all dressed in red
• Gods gonna trouble the water
• They must be the ones that Moses led
• Gods gonna trouble the water
• Who are those children all dressed in white
• Gods gonna trouble the water
• Must be the ones gettin ready to fly
• Gods gonna trouble the water

4
Now Let Me Fly- Spirtual

• Now let me flynow let me fly
• Now let me fly way up high
• Way in the middle of the air
• Way down yonder in the middle of the field
• See me workin at the chariot wheel
• Not too particular bout working at the wheel
• But I just wanna see how the chariot feels
• I got a father in the promised land
• Not gonna stop till I shake his hand
• Not too particular bout shakin his hand
• But I just want to make it too the promise land

5
Trampin- Spirtual

• Im trampin, trampin, trying to make heaven my
  home- repeat
• Well Ive never been to heaven, but Ive been
  told
• Trying to make heaven my home
• That the streets up there are paved with gold
• Trying to make heaven my home
• Sometimes Im up, sometimes Im down
• Trying to make heaven my home
• Sometimes my soul feels heavenly bound
• Trying to make heaven my home

6
Slave Resistance- Coded Songs

• Slave songs that would tell a story either of
  escape or other secret message
• Used many different coded words
• Plantation owners thought they were singing about
  the bible or meaningless things
• Making fun of the plantation owner and wife was a
  popular pastime in these songs
• Often times directions to the Underground
  Railroad (series of houses that would help slaves
  north to Canada) stations were in the coded words
  

7
Follow the Drinking Gourd- Coded Song

• Follow the drinking gourd! (big dipper)
• Follow the drinking gourd.For the old man is
  awaiting for to carry you to freedomIf you
  follow the drinking gourd.
• When the sun comes back and the first quail
  calls,Follow the drinking gourd, For the old
  man is awaiting for to carry you to freedom (Peg
  legged Joe)If you follow the drinking gourd.
• The riverbank makes a very good road, (Ohio
  River)The dead trees will show you the way,Left
  foot, peg foot traveling on,Following the
  drinking gourd.
• The river ends between two hills,Follow the
  drinking gourd,There's another river on the
  other side,Follow the drinking gourd.
• Where the great big river meets the little
  river,Follow the drinking gourd,The old man is
  awaiting for to carry you to freedomIf you
  follow the drinking gourd

8
Slave Resistance- Violence

• Gabriel Prosser and Denmark Vesey (new research
  disputes his involvement) are found out before
  their rebellion can begin
• Nat Turner- He and his men killed over 50 whites
  in Virginia.
• - He is captured and hung with 16 others
• - His uprising leads to harsh laws against
  slaves

9
Slave Resistance- Quilting Parties

• Quilting was used for a social outlet for women-
  Here they learned of births, deaths, illness or
  current events on a plantation (s)
• Usually ended with dancing, stories, food and
  laughter- One of the few escapes for women on a
  plantation
• A quilt with black in it, hanging on a
  clothesline was a symbol of a safe house on the
  Underground Railroad
• Maps and secret messages could be sewn into the
  quilts

10
Slave Resistance- Playing Dumb

• Slave Resistance- Playing Dumb
• Slaves would often play the part of a dumb slave
  when their masters would come around
• Most were much more intelligent than the masters
  ever knew
• Many learned to read the bible and would attend
  secret classes
• They could trick the plantation owners in many
  ways
• For Example
• Hog Killing Time
• I remember Mammy told me about one master who
  almost starved his slaves. Mighty stingy, I
  reckon he was.
• Some of them slaves was so poorly thin they had
  ribs would kinda rustle against each other like
  corn stalks a-drying in the hot winds. But they
  dont gets even one hog-killing time
• They was seven hogs, fat and ready for fall
  hog-killing time. Just the day before Old Master
  told off they was to be killed, something
  happened all them porkers. One of the field boys
  found them and come a-telling the master Whats
  the illness with em?
• Malitis, they tells him, and they acts like
  they dont want to touch the hogs. Master says
  to dress them anyway for they aint no more meat
  on the place.
• He says to keep all the meat for the slave
  families, but thats because hes afraid to eat
  it hisself account of the hogs got malitis.
• Dont you know what malitis is? Mammy would
  ask the children when she was telling of the
  seven fat hogs and seventy lean slaves. And she
  would laugh, remembering how they fooled Old
  Master so to get all them good meats.
• One of the strongest Negroes got up early in
  the morning, Mammy would explain, long fore
  the rising horn called the slaves from their
  cabins. He skitted to the hop pen with a heavy
  mallet in his hand. When he tapped Mister Hog
  tween the eyes with the mallet, malitis set in
  mighty quick, but it was an uncommon disease,
  even with hungry Negroes around all the time.

11
Slave Resistance- Folk Tales

• Slave Resistance- Folk Tales
• Slaves brought the oral tradition of folk tales
  with them from Africa
• They would use animals and symbols to represent
  things in everyday life
• Plantation owners thought they were simply
  telling old stories, or talking gibberish
• These stories often had hidden messages, reminded
  slaves of home, offered hope or ridiculed their
  masters
• For Example
• The Coon and the Dog
• Every time I think of slavery and if it done the
  race any good, I think of the story of the coon
  and the dog who met. The coon said to the dog,
  Why is it youre so fat and I am so poor, and we
  is both animals? The dog said I lay round
  Masters house and let him kick me and he gives
  me a piece of bread right on. Said the coon to
  the dog Better, then, that I stay poor.
• The Partridge and the Fox
• A partridge and a fox greed to kill a beef.
  They kilt and skinned it. Before they divide it,
  the fox said, My wife says send her some beef
  for soup. So he took a piece of it and carried
  it down the hill, then come back and said, My
  wife wants more beef for soup. He kept this up
  till all the beef was gone cept the liver. The
  fox come back, and the partridge says, Now lets
  cook this liver and both of us eat it. The
  partridge cooked the liver, ate its parts right
  quick, and the fell over like it was sick. The
  fox got scared and said that the beef is pizen
  (poison) and he ran down the hill and starting
  bringing the beef back. And when he brought it
  all back, he left, and the partridge had all the
  beef.
• The Rabbit and the Tortoise
• I want to tell you one story bout the rabbit.
  The rabbit and tortoise had a race. The tortoise
  git a lot of tortoises and put em long the way.
  Ever now and then a tortoise crawl long the
  way, and the rabbit say, how you now Brer
  Tortoise? And he say, Slow and sure, but my
  legs very short. When they git tired, the
  tortoise win cause he there, but he never run
  the race, cause he had tortoises strowed out all
  long the way. The tortoise had other tortoises
  help him.