DEH RHEK’LEKSHENS OF A FREEDMAN 1.0

Dey worked us niggus from sun up till dark er’y day

we ain nevuh had no break tiyeh we’s free’d

lot’s uh massahs beat dey slaves awl de time

i’s seent a many niggus kill’t! whipped t’death!

ain nuf’n nat’ral bout dhat kin’a hate… jes evah

i’s so glad dhat i’s free naw, caint no man be happy

if’n he’s a slave…

when I goes t’vote first thime i membuhs a whiyht main evuh wanno know

how a nigguh feel bout nuf’n

hell, I thought I’s en troubuh, he tryn’a fine out if’n i wuz gunna vowt

fow dhat darkey stead uh dhat whiyht main

but i wuz e’cited bout dhat thime an so i went down t’uh vote

first thime I sees awl dem niggus off deh plantashen

dey wus frum e’ry wheyuh cum t’vote too

i knew  dhen, dem days wont gown lass

cus dey ain nevuh gibe nuf’n good tuh no nigruh

dhat dhey ain take back

i smiled dur’n dhose thymes but i knows dhengs wus gown change

r’hiyt soon as dhey did

i saw dhem rebels wach’n us dey spit rhyt own us whilst we walked up t’vote

i said i wuz’nt gown see dhem cuz I came to do business

an I ain have no business wit dhem

Union officers held dhem back, sum of em wus colud an dheyhated dhat too

own deh weyh home I passed deh cemetery wheyuh dhey haid berry’d sum

o dhem nigruh dhat helped on deh side o dem confederates

dhey wus jes servants but awl deh same i's a'shamed uh dhem awl

i spat own dhey graves! An I ain’t nevuy took dhat road again

naw I goes nery a mile roun faduh so as I don have to see dhat disgrace again…

Written by D. Vollin aka Bigdaddyblues