To S.W. Parker, Esq.
"The 'Contraband' of Port-Royal" (1862)
Poetry by John Greenleaf Whittier, 1807-1892
Music by Ferdinand Mayer.

Boston: Russell & Tolman, 291 Washington St.
Plate Number: 2883
[Source: 087/091@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’ an’ strong as dem; 
He say de word: we las’ night slaves; 
Today, de Lord’s freemen.

2. Ole massa on he trabbles gone; 
He leab de land behind; 
De Lord’d breff blow him furder on, 
Like cornshuck in de wind. 
We own de hoe, we own de plow, 
We own de hands dat hold; 
We sell de pig, we sell de cow, 
But nebber child be sold.

CHORUS [sung after verses 2 and 4 only]
De yam will grow, de cotton blow, 
We’ll hab de rice an’ corn: 
Oh, nebber you fear, if nebber you hear 
De driver blow his horn!

3. We pray de Lord: he gib us signs 
But some day we be free; 
De Norfwind tell it to the pines, 
De wildduck to de sea; 
We tink it when de churchbell ring, 
We dream it in de dream; 
De ricebird mean it when he sing, 
De eagle when he scream.

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