From Alameda Riddle From Sing Out! Magazine (vol. 30 #2, 1984, p.62) Dear heavenly Father, so deign to hear us And order this warfare to cease Oh grant, gracious, Lord, the ushering in Of the dawn of a world-wide peace.Chorus Peace, peace Sweet dove of peace let your white wings encircle our whole globe Oh…

Traditional When the sun comes back and the first quail calls Follow the drinkin’ gourd The old man’s a-waitin’ to carry you to freedom Follow the drinkin’ gourd.Chorus Follow the drinkin’ gourd Follow the drinkin’ gourd For the old man’s a-waitin’ to carry you to freedom Follow the drinkin’ gourd. Now the river bank will…

From The Book of American Negro Spirituals by James Weldon Johnson and J. Rosamond Johnson (New York: Viking, 1940). Chorus Didn’t my Lord deliver Daniel Deliver Daniel, deliver Daniel Didn’t my Lord deliver Daniel Then why not every man? He delivered Daniel from the lions’ den Jonah from the belly of the whale And the…

Traditional Swedish Hvem kan segle föruten vind Hvem kan ro uten åror Hvem ei skilles fra vennen sin Uten at felle tårar? Jag kan segla föruten vind? Jag kan ro utan åror Men ij skiljas från vännen in Utan att falla tårar. Who can sail without the wind? Who can row without oars? Who can…

From Rees Baldwin, Barry Docks, Wales From the James Madison Carpenter Collection held by the Archive of Folk Culture at the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress, Washington, DC AFC 1972/001 Cylinder 037 and MS pp. 03556, 03557. I went to church I went to chapel Pull down below I went to church…

From the singing of Angus Russell Who’s the king of the fighting Dutch Skipper Jan Rebek And who do the sailors fear so much Skipper Jan Rebek.Chorus Ja, ja leave your hammocks Ja, ja, hands on deck! Ja, ja break your backs for Skipper Jan Rebek. Who was it brought all the tea from China…

By Larry Kaplan, used by permission I’m not tired of the wind, I’m not weary of the sea But she’s probably had a bellyful of a damned old coot like me I’m goin’ ashore, she’s bound for better days But I’ll see her topsails flyin’ as I come down off the waves, ohChorus Rosie get…

By Paul Kaplan, used by permission Well now Henry was an accountant He worked with a pencil and a pad If you had somethin’ that you needed figured out Henry the Accountant was your man, Lord, Lord Henry the Accountant was your man. Now when Henry was a little baby Sittin’ on his daddy’s knee…

From John Henry Epps, Nathanial Wellman, Jess Allen and Chrlie Rutledge in Tampa, Florida Epps, Wellman, Allen and Rutledge were longshoremen for the Ball Steamship Company. They were recorded in 1944 in Tampa, Florida by John Becker and Alan Lomax. The original recording is held by the Archive of Folk Culture at the American Folklife…

By Larry Kaplan We set our traps in the bitter cold It was the third day of the year There were three of us then, we were the youngest of ten Two for lines and one for gear When it blows northeast on the Georges Bank You don’t like to take your time But the…