Lyr Req: Many Thousands Gone

Subject: Many Thousands Gone
From: GUEST,Lynne Heraud
Date: 26 Jan 02 - 12:34 PM

This is a song about the slave trade

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Many Thousands Gone
From: Sorcha
Date: 26 Jan 02 - 12:43 PM

Is this the same as No More Auction Block?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Many Thousands Gone
From: masato sakurai
Date: 26 Jan 02 - 12:54 PM

And MANY T'OUSAND GO (in the DT).

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Many Thousands Gone
From: Rolfyboy6
Date: 26 Jan 02 - 01:02 PM

Yup, although there are some versions which re-arrange and combine the verses into a tighter four line format.

No more auction block for me
No more pint of salt for me
No more peck of corn for me
Many Thousand gone

This is the way I learned it down home as a kid from a church sister. Later I learned the No More Auction Block For Me version posted above. I think the No More Auction Block must be the older one, it's got the old congregational 'line-out' form. Our scolars here will know the collected sources.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Many Thousands Gone
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 26 Jan 02 - 01:31 PM

The Cleveland Index groups both under the title Many Thousand Gone. For some reason, they separate Many Thousand Go, which is essentially the one quoted by Rolfyboy (except for 'go' instead of 'gone' and was the earliest version to be printed (1867).
Note to the song, # 64, in Allen, 1867, "Slave Songs of the United States": "A song to which the rebellion had actually given rise. This was composed by nobody knows whom--though it was the most recent doubtless of all these 'spirituals' [those published by Allen], and had been sung in secret to avoid detection. It is certainly plaintive enough. The peck of corn and pint of salt were slavery rations." T. W. H. Lt. Col. Trowbridge learned that it was first sung when Beauregard took the slaves of the islands to build the fortifications at Hilton Head and Bay Point."
The Cleveland Index is in error by citing Fenner (1874) as a source for Many Thousand Gone. It was published in an edition by the Hampton staff after Fenner's death (either 1891 or 1909).

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Many Thousands Gone
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 26 Jan 02 - 01:36 PM

"Many Thousand Go" was posted by Masato in the thread marked by Sorcha.