"The Contrabands Jubilee" (1862) 
Words by John Greenleaf Whittier, 1807-1892
Composed by A. J. Higgins.

Chicago: H. M. Higgins, 117 Randolph St.
Engraver: Pearson
[Source: 087/092@Levy]

1. Oh, praise an’ tanks! De Lord he come 
To set de people free! 
An’ massa tink it day ob doom, 
An’ we ob jubilee. 
De Lord dat heap de Red Sea waves— 
He jus’ as ’trong as den; 
He say de word; we las’ night slaves; 
Today, de Lord’s freemen.

CHORUS [sung after each verse]
De yam will grow, de cotton blow, 
We’ll hab de rice an’ corn; 
Oh! neber you fear, if neber you hear 
De driver blow his horn!

2. Ole massa on he trabbles gone; 
He leab de land behind; 
De Lord’s breff blow him furder on, 
Like corn-shuck in de wind. 
We own de hoe, we own de pluw, 
We own de hands dat hold; 
We sell de pig, we sell de cow, 
But neber chile be sold.

3. We pray de Lord; he gib us signs 
Dat some day we be free; 
De Norf-wind tell it to de pines, 
De wild-duck to de sea; 
We tink in when de church-bell ring, 
We dream it in de dream; 
De rice-bird mean it when he sing, 
De eagle when he scream.

4. We know de promise neber fail, 
An’, neber lie de word; 
So, like de ’postles in de jail, 
We waited for de Lord; 
An’ now be open ebery door. 
An’ trow away de key; 
He tink we lub Him so before, 
We lub him better free.