Digital Tradition Mirror

The Abolitionist Hymn

(This score available as ABC, SongWright, PostScript, PNG, or PMW, or a MIDI file)
Pennywhistle notation and Dulcimer tab for this song is also available

The Abolitionist Hymn

We ask not that the slave should lie,
As lies his master, at his ease,
Beneath a silken canopy,
Or in the shade of blooming trees.

We ask not "eye for eye," that all
Who forge the chain and ply the whip
Should feel their torture, while the thrall
Should wield the scourge of mastership.

We mourn not that the man should toil.
'Tis nature's need. 'Tis God's decree.
But let the hand that tills the soil
Be, like the wind that fans it, free.

Tune, "Old Hundred."
XX

Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!