Music
“Lift every voice and sing,
‘Til earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the listening skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea. Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of hope that the present has brought us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun, Let us march on ‘til victory is won.”
– James Weldon Johnson, The African-American National Anthem
Traditional African-American music has its roots in the polyrhythmic music of ethnic groups in Africa, and it often involves call and response, improvisation, and complex multi-part harmony. As early laws demanded that the African Americans remained uneducated, the oral tradition was nurtured, passing along history, lessons, and messages through music. During slavery, as noted by Earl Stewart in his book African American Music: An Introduction, traditional European hymns were blended with African elements to create spirituals. Often what was understood by the slave owners as heaven was in fact the “promised land” of freedom that the slaves hoped for.
Follow the Drinking Gourd
A great example of music with a hidden message is the spiritual “Follow the Drinking Gourd” which provided slaves with directions to escape north to freedom:
When the sun come up
refers to the winter or spring. The days are getting longer, and the angle of the sun is higher each day at noon.
And the first quail calls
Refers to the breeding season. Quail start calling to each other in early to mid-April.
Follow the drinkin' gourd
The “drinkin’ gourd” alludes to the hollowed out gourd used by slaves and other rural Americans as a water dipper. Used here it is a code name for the Big Dipper star formation, which points to Polaris and North.
for the old man's waiting
The old man is Peg Leg Joe, who made his way through the south, teaching slaves this song.