Celebrating Black History Month #13

The landmark book Slave Songs of the United States, edited by William Francis Allen, Charles Pickard Ware, and Lucy McKim Garrison, was published in 1867, just two years after the Civil War ended. It marked the first attempt to systematically collect and preserve the songs sung by Old South plantation slaves.

The editors included songs' history, variations, key reference meanings, and other details. The collection included all the known words as well as the melody, notated directly from the singers themselves. The book included more than 130 songs grouped by geographical region, including:

Roll, Jordan, roll
Jehovah, Hallelujah
I hear from Heaven to-day
Michael, row the boat ashore
Turn sinner, turn
Nobody knows the trouble I've had
Jacob's Ladder
Belle Layotte
Lean on the Lord's side
No Man can hinder me
Heave away
Charleston Gals
I'm gwine to Alabamy
O I want to die like-a Lazarus die
On to Glory
My Father, how long?
Musieu Bainjoy
God got plenty o' room