The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-02-05
HENRY c. WORKS SONGS
CONTRIBUTIONS FOE THE PRO
POSED MONUMENT

Hartford, Feb. 4.-The subscription
Tor the Henry Clay Work monument is
doing well and great interest is maui
Tested in the proposal to give concert
at which the songs of the gifted writer
who lived and died in this city shall be
the prominent feature. Save to these
who lived in the stirring days of the
war and marched through mud and
mire in the middle and southern states
during the winter season the songs CT
Henry Clay Work are almost I'M
known. Even of those who We're in
active life in this city from 1861 to 1866
few can recall more than fragment
of some of the songs which cheered
the volunteers of the war and were
perfectly familiar to everybody at the
time.
In the public library there is no COL
lection of Work songs. A Hartford
Post reporter of this paper with the
Mid of Miss Hewins and assistants at
The library, looked long for something
shat should recall the half forgotten
songs and found in an old music book
containing war songs few of the
many which made the name Of Henry
Clay Work so much household word
thirty years ago. Strangely enough
The most familiar of all his songs,
HkNicodemus," was not in this collec-
Hion. This song begins:
Nicodemus, the slave, was of African
And was bought for a bag full of
gold.
Vie was reckoned a part of the salt of
the earth,
But he died long ago very old.
How many people in Hartford can
complete the song to-day? Next to
Nicodemus should, perhaps, be placed
r'Kingdom Coming" This is found in
The collection to which reference has
been made. 1t runs:
Say darkeys hab you seen the massa,
Wild de muffstas on his face,
Go down de road some time dis morn
ing,
Like he gwine to Leah de place?
He seen a smoke, way up de ribber,
Whar de Linkum gungoat lay,
He took his hat an lief berry sudden,
An 1 spec he's run away.
Chorus:
De massa run, ha, ha,
De darkeys stay, no, no:
1t mus be now de kingdom coming
An de year of jubilee.
He six foot one way, two foot tudder
An he weigh three hundred pounds
His coat so big he couldn't pay de tail
or.
An it won't go halfway round.
He drill so much dey call him capen.
- An he get so drefful tanned.
L spec he try an fool dem Yankees,
For to tink he's contraband.
Chorus:
De darkey seel so lonesome, living
In the log house on de lawn.
Dey move dar tings to massa's parlor
For to keep it while's he's gone.
Oars wine and cider in de kitchen,
An de darkeys dey'll hab some.
spec we'll all be confiscated
When de Linkum soldiers come.
Chorus:
Another of the famous war songs is
r'Marching Through Georgia" the
words of which also appear with the
Work music in an old book at the Ii
brary. The song begins
Bring the good old bugle boys, well
sing another song.
Sing 1t with a spirit that will start
the world along.
Sing it as we used to sing it fifty thou
sand strong,
While we were marching through
Georgia.
Chorus:
Eurrah, hurrah, we sing the jubilee,
Hurrah. hurrah, the flag that makes
you free,
/ So we sang the chorus from Atlanta tt
the sea.
While we were marching through
Georgia.
How the darkeys shouted as the,
heard the joyful sound,
How the turkeys gobbled which oul
commissareis found,
How the sweet potatoes even started
from the ground,
While we were marching through
Georgia.
Chorus:
One more of the Work songs "Baby-
Ion is Fallen" should be given among
the famous of his compositions. 1t be
gins in true negro style:
Don't you see de black clouds
Raisin' ober yonder
Whar de massa's old plantation am?
Nebber you be frightened
Dem Is only darkeys
Come to jine a fight for Uncle Sam.
Chorus:
Look out dar now.
Yves a gwine to shoot,
Look out dar, don't you understand.
Babylon is fallen,
Babylon is fallen,
AM we're gwine to occupy de land.
Many other less known songs wer
very popular in war times. Amonl
them was Brave Boys Are They" ant
Lilly Dale" my Grandfather
Clock" was also one of the best known
of the Work productions.
Nro oo1Iao+;op of tbe songs of Work i