Lyr. Add: THE SLAVES SONG

I'm as free as the waters that rose at my feet,
Or the sickle that glides swiftly by.
No master do I fear or dread the auctioneer,
The driver, the lash, I defy.

Chorus:
O master, I pray thee,
Don't come after me,
For I can never be your slave anymore.
I am free from toil and law,
Free beneath the lion's claw,
And he growls if you come near the shore.

And don't you remember the promise you made
To my mother, who's long gone to rest
That I should not be sold, for silver nor for gold
As the sun rose from the east to the west.

And don't you remember as soon as she was dead
And the grass had not grown o'er her grave
I was advertised for sale and I might've been in jail
Had I not crossed the bold dashing waves.

And don't you remember the ole towering oak
Where you paid me my last forty-four;
How you bowed your haughty head o'er the blood that I shed,
But remember, I'll bleed there no more.

Sung by Mrs. Lola Stanley, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 1958. With sheet music, audio and midi. The Max Hunter Folk Collection: Slaves Song
No date or information. Probably late 19th-early 20th century, with an abolitionist author. This song was pointed out by WYSIWYG, 29 Mar 02, in this thread.