Slavery Song: "Set Me Free" by J. Young

Although the individual experiences of slaves in the United States varied greatly, I have attempted to write a fictional account of one who could have been a “typical” slave by drawing from historical information and personal accounts by slaves.

Set Me Free

I sing a song o’ lots o’ strife,
‘Cause that’s the story of mah life.
I seen more trouble than was fair,
When I jus’ wanted t’breathe free air.

Where to start but the ol’ Congo,¹
The place on earth I long t’go.
I was only thirteen years old
When slavers came with shackles cold.

They dragged us all away from home,
Until we reached the ocean’s foam.
Then they loaded us all on ships,
Whuppin’ us cruelly with their whips.

The sound of rawhide cleaving air,
Shrieks and screams were everywhere.
The cruel slave drivers didn’t care
Even when they made our backs tear.

“What have I done?” “Am I not man?”
“Where are we going?” we slaves began.
But all our pleas fell on deaf ears;
These men had hardened through the years.

And I longed for,

Oh to be free again,
Oh to be free.
Tho’ man is evil
I pray my gods
Will come and rescue me.

So the ship sailed across the sea,
And we had hardly room to breath.
Many of us got very ill,
And some of us that voyage killed. ²

In Virginia the slave ship docked,
We were led to the auction block.
There they sold us all one by one,
Parting mothers, daughters, and sons.³

They sold Mama, and her face went wild.
“Oh please don’t take me from mah child!”
But they sold her off anyway.
I ain’t seen her no more to this day.

When I stepped on the auction block,
Two men began to loudly talk.
They was sayin’ it displeased God
To sell a man jus’ like a dog.

The other men just shook their fists
Yellin’ at the abolitionists.
I felt mah heart sink in mah chest
As the two men ran from the rest.

And I figured,

Oh to be free again,
Oh to be free.
Tho’ man is evil
If there’s a God
I pray he will rescue me.

I was sold off to a cruel man
He always had a whip in hand.
Freedom was a taboo word.
If I said it I’d feel his scourge.

He was fond of whuppin’ a slave,
And it was easy t’make him rave.
The cat-o’-ninetails I knew well,
I now compare it to fire from Hell.⁴

I labored for him many years,
With pain and fears and doubts and tears.
When that cruel ol’ devil died.
I don’t think no one even cried.

They sold me to another man
Who brought me to work on his land.
He told me that if I would mind,
I’d find that he was very kind.⁵

My master was true to his word:
From him I never felt the scourge.
But tho’ I wanted to write and read,
He allus told me there was no need.⁶

And I figured,

Oh to be free again,
Oh to be free,
Tho’ man is evil
If there’s a God,
I pray He will rescue me.

At last I heard a preacher speak.
He told me God’s strong when I’m weak
And that Jesus came, men’s souls to save
I’d be free in Christ, though a slave.⁷

Soon I began to see the light.
I knew the Christian faith was right.
I came to Jesus all in tears, ⁸
And He erased all of mah fears.⁹

Now I sing,

Oh to be free again,
Oh to be free.
Tho’ man is evil
God is just,
And He has set me free.

Biography of a Slave; Being the Experiences of Rev. Charles Thompson, a Preacher of the United Brethren Church, While a Slave in the South. Together with Startling Occurrences Incidental to Slave Life: Electronic Edition.

James Cape. Here is an account by James Cape, over 100 at the time of the interview, who’s parents actually came from Africa. He had some interesting stories to tell.

³At auctions family members were often sold to different owners. In fact, the fear of being sold away from family was one of the greatest fears of many slaves. Here is an interview with a former slave, Dr. John W. Fields’, which tells of his separation from his mother at six years old.

⁴The cat-o’-ninetails was a whip made of several strands of rope with a knot tied in the end of each. Solomon Northup—a free black from New York who was kidnapped and made a slave—described his experience with the cat-o’-ninetails in his book Twelve Years a Slave, saying, I was all on fire. My sufferings I can compare to nothing else than the burning agonies of hell!” Solomon Northup, Twelve Years a Slave: Narrative of Solomon Northup a Citizen of New-York, Kidnapped in Washington City in 1841, and Rescued in 1853: Electronic Edition. (13 April 2004), p. 44.

⁵Some masters treated their slaves cruelly, but other treated them well. Here is an interview with Charley Williams, who sounds somewhat nostalgic about his years as a slave.

⁶Many slave owners were afraid to let their slaves become educated. In fact, in some states there were laws against educating slaves. Former slave John W. Fields said in an interview, “Our ignorance was the greatest hold the South had on us.”

⁷“For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord's freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ's slave.” 1 Corinthians 7:22. (NIV)

⁸Early in the slave trade the Jesuit priests had advocated enslavement as a way to evangelize the Africans. They also encouraged harsh treatment of slaves, saying the Africans needed it because they could not learn any other way. While the Jesuits’ method of evangelizing by enslavement did not line up with what the Bible taught, slavery did introduce many Africans to Christianity. See Frank E. Smitha, “Portugal and Africa Inland and South of the Kongo,” Sub-Saharan Africa, Slavery and European Trade, < http://www.fsmitha.com/h3/h28-af.html > (13 April 2004).

⁹Thomas Anderson, a slave, described how God took away his fear, saying, “He give me peace of soul and confidence of mind; then I could gladly tell this glorious Savior's mine. This destroyed all earthly fear, and prepare me to rest in hope.” Thomas Anderson, Interesting Account of Thomas Anderson, a Slave, Taken from His Own Lips: Electronic Edition. < http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/anderson/anderson.html#ander3 > (15 April 2004), p. 2.