The Negro National Anthem: “Lift Every Voice and Sing”
Lift every voice and sing
Till 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 the hope that the present has brought us,
Facing the rising sun of our new
day begun
Let us march on till victory is won.
Stony the road we trod,
Bitter the chastening rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat,
Have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears have been watered,
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,
Out from the gloomy past,
Till now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.
God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
Thou who has brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who has by Thy might
Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, Our God, where we met Thee;
Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee;
Shadowed beneath Thy hand,
May we forever stand.
True to our GOD,
True to our native land
We Shall Overcome
We shall overcome,
We shall overcome,
We shall overcome, some day.
Oh, deep in my heart,
I do believe
We shall overcome, some day.
We’ll walk hand in hand,
We’ll walk hand in hand,
We’ll walk hand in hand, some day.
Oh, deep in my heart,
I do believe
We shall overcome, some day.
We shall live in peace,
We shall live in peace,
We shall live in peace, some day.
Oh, deep in my heart,
I do believe
We shall overcome, some day.
We shall all be free,
We shall all be free,
We shall all be free, some day.
Oh, deep in my heart,
I do believe
We shall overcome, some day.
Wade In The Water
Wade in the water
Wade in the water
Wade in the water, children
God’s gonna trouble the water
See that host all dressed in white
God’s gonna trouble the water
It looks like a band of Israelites
God’s gonna trouble the water
See that band all dressed in red
God’s gonna trouble the water
Look like a band that Moses led
God’s gonna trouble the water
See those children all dressed in blue
God’s gonna trouble the water
Must be the children that’s coming through
God’s gonna trouble the water
If you don’t believe that I’ve been redeemed
God’s gonna trouble the water
Just follow me down to Jordan’s stream
God’s gonna trouble the water
Look over yonder, what do you see
God’s gonna trouble the water
Looks like the Holy Ghost coming on me
God’s gonna trouble the water
Wade in the water
Wade in the water, children
Wade in the water
God is gonna trouble these waters
To Be Young, Gifted and Black
By Nina Simone
Young, gifted and black
Oh what a lovely precious dream
To be young, gifted and black
Open your heart to what I mean
In the whole world you know
There’s a million boys and girls
Who are young, gifted and black
And that’s a fact
“You are young, gifted and black”
We must begin to tell our young
There’s a world waiting for you
Yours is the quest that’s just begun
When you feelin’ really low
Yeah, there’s a great truth that you should know
When you’re young, gifted and black
Your soul’s intact
How to be young, gifted and black?
Oh, how I long to know the truth
There are times when I look back
And I am haunted by my youth
Oh, but my joy of today
Is that we can all be proud to say
“To be young, gifted and black
Is where it’s at”
Is where it’s at
Is where it’s at
Follow The Drinking Gourd
Follow the drinkin’ gourd
Follow the drinkin’ gourd
For the old man is comin’ just to carry you to freedom
Follow the drinkin’ gourd
When the sun comes back, and the first quail calls
Follow the drinkin’ gourd
For the old man is waiting just to carry you to freedom
Follow the drinkin’ gourd
Follow the drinkin’ gourd
Follow the drinkin’ gourd
For the old man is waiting to carry you to freedom
Follow the drinkin’ gourd
Well the river bank makes a mighty good road
Dead trees will show you the way
Left foot, peg foot, travelin’ on
Follow the drinkin’ gourd
Well the river ends, between two hills
Follow the drinkin’ gourd
There’s another river on the other side
Follow the drinkin’ gourd
Well, where the great big river meets the little river
Follow the drinkin’ gourd
The old man is waiting to carry you to freedom
Follow the drinkin’ gourd
Follow the drinkin’ gourd
Follow the drinkin’ gourd
For the old man is waiting to carry you to freedom
Follow the drinkin’ gourd
For the old man is waiting just to carry you to freedom
If you follow the drinkin’ gourd
Swing Low Sweet Chariot
Swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home
I looked over Jordan, and what did I see
Coming for to carry me home
A band of angels coming after me
Coming for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home
If you get there before I do
Coming for to carry me home
Tell all my friends I’m coming, too
Coming for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home
I’m sometimes up and sometimes down
Coming for to carry me home
But still my soul feels heavenly bound
Coming for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home
The brightest day that I can say
Coming for to carry me home
When Jesus washed my sins away
Coming for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home
If I get there before you do
Coming for to carry me home
I’ll cut a hole and pull you through
Coming for to carry me home
