[Cover Page]
"O dear it made this darkey laugh"
THE DRAFT.
SONG & CHORUS
Sung with great success by the
New York Minstrel Companies
Words & Music
by
MISS VIRGINIA T.
of New York

[Lithographer:] Geo. F. Swain
New York, NY: S. T. GORDON, 538 Broadway
[25413]
[672]
[Feb. 6, 1864]
[COPYRIGHT
 28 Apr 1864
LIBRARY]
[M 1640
  .T]
[Source: 200002042@LoC/IHAS-CWM]

1. O dear it made dis darky laugh,
To see how scared de men were,
Dey’d twist and turn at de word of Draft,
Still had dis lub for Union,
We gents ob color took our ease
While poor white folks must fight,
And limp along wid broken shins
While we went trotting all right.

CHORUS 1-4. [sung after VERSES 1-4]
Yah! ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah,
Golly wasn’t I glad I was a nigger!
Yah! ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah,
Golly wasn’t I glad I was a nigger.

2. Dese fancy ducks did eat a swell,
Wid forms we thought quite fair,
And eb’n de eyes ob time deceibed,
Wid Batch’lor’s dye on dar bar
But den upon dose lonesom forms,
Disease we found had held
And funny to say de men so young
Did all at once grow old.

3. Dey blew and blew from morn till night,
But nary fight we’d see,
Skedadled if dey had de chance,
Right into Canede,
Dese noble sons ob Liberty,
To ease dar troubled minds,
Went searching round for substitutes,
So dey could stay behind.

4. O who was like de niggers den,
In all de mighty nations,
He lib’d upon de salt ob earth,
De whites on musty rations,
But now dat dear Old Brudder Abe,
Has set us niggers free,
We’ll show de white folks how to fight,
On either land or sea.

5. De lob ob Country, Union, Flag,
Will bravely lead us on,
And not de sixteen Dollars a month,
Or honors lightly won.
Den huzza boys, no natter now,
For what we once hab been,
We’ll sing de song ob freedom long,
And glory in our skin.

CHORUS 5.
Yah! ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah,
Golly AINT I GLAD Ise a nigger.
Yah! ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah,
Golly AINT I GLAD Ise a nigger.