Follow The Drinking Gourd
Fig.9. The drinking gourd also known
the big dipper (Lodriguss)
the big dipper (Lodriguss)
"Follow the Drinking Gourd" (Hayes) was sung by slaves and published in 1928;
“The Drinking Gourd song was supposedly used by an Underground Railroad operative to encode escape instructions and a map" (Hayes).
"Follow the Drinking Gourd" was a freedom song and had geographical significance. Instead of traveling by water, this song encouraged slaves to travel by following a constellation in the sky (“Secrets: Signs & Symbols”).
“[...] Slaves knew this group of stars as the Drinking Gourd. They sometimes used hollowed-out gourds to dip and drink water. The gourds looked just like long-handled cups. Two stars on the cup’s edge always point to the North Star. By finding the “drinking gourd” in the sky, people traveling at night could always find the North Star” (Secrets: Signs & Symbols).
Lyrics in many renditions of Follow the Drinking Gourd:
"When the Sun comes back
And the first quail calls
Follow the Drinking Gourd,
For the old man is a-waiting for to carry you to freedom
If you follow the Drinking Gourd
The riverbank makes a very good road.
The dead trees will show you the way.
Left foot, peg foot, traveling on,
Follow the Drinking Gourd.
The river ends between two hills
Follow the Drinking Gourd.
There’s another river on the other side
Follow the Drinking Gourd.
When the great big river meets the little river
Follow the Drinking Gourd.
For the old man is a-waiting for to carry to freedom
If you follow the Drinking Gourd" (Follow the Drinking).
“The Drinking Gourd song was supposedly used by an Underground Railroad operative to encode escape instructions and a map" (Hayes).
"Follow the Drinking Gourd" was a freedom song and had geographical significance. Instead of traveling by water, this song encouraged slaves to travel by following a constellation in the sky (“Secrets: Signs & Symbols”).
“[...] Slaves knew this group of stars as the Drinking Gourd. They sometimes used hollowed-out gourds to dip and drink water. The gourds looked just like long-handled cups. Two stars on the cup’s edge always point to the North Star. By finding the “drinking gourd” in the sky, people traveling at night could always find the North Star” (Secrets: Signs & Symbols).
Lyrics in many renditions of Follow the Drinking Gourd:
"When the Sun comes back
And the first quail calls
Follow the Drinking Gourd,
For the old man is a-waiting for to carry you to freedom
If you follow the Drinking Gourd
The riverbank makes a very good road.
The dead trees will show you the way.
Left foot, peg foot, traveling on,
Follow the Drinking Gourd.
The river ends between two hills
Follow the Drinking Gourd.
There’s another river on the other side
Follow the Drinking Gourd.
When the great big river meets the little river
Follow the Drinking Gourd.
For the old man is a-waiting for to carry to freedom
If you follow the Drinking Gourd" (Follow the Drinking).
Peg Leg Joe teaching the slaves the song Follow the Drinking Gourd (Reading Rainbow).
A recording of the song Follow the Drinking Gourd (McGuinn)