232. Kingdom Coming


232

Kingdom Coming

White, in ANFS 170-1, who prints a confused version from
Alabama, cites authority for ascribing the original of this song,
'Kingdom Come' (c. 1861), to Henry Clay Work, author of
'Marching through Georgia' and other popular songs of the Civil
War period, and he reprints a portion of 'Kingdom Come.' There
is an early text of it in Frank Moore's Songs of the Soldiers (New
York, 1864), pp. 189-90. It was often printed as a broadside or
penny song (e.g., by Johnson & Cartlick, Philadelphia; Charles
Magnus, New York [on notepaper for soldiers] ; Partridge, Boston,
[Nos. 778 and 859]).

 

'Massa's Gone Away.' With music. Contributed by Otis S. Kuykendall,
Asheville, August 8, 1939. This North Carolina version is substantially
close to that in Moore, cited above, but shows interesting verbal diflfer-
ences. "For I hear de bugle blow" is substituted for "An' the yar of
Jubilo" ; "dat country band," for "he's contraband" ; and some lines
about the overseer are omitted.

I Say, darkies, have you seen de Massa wid de mustache on
his face?
He went down de road sometime dis mawnin' like he gwine
to leave dis place.

 

542 NORTH CAROLINA FOLKLORE

He seen de smoke way up de river whar de Lincoln gun-
boats lay;

He picked up his hat and he left very sudden an' I guess
he's gone away.

Chorus:

Oh, de Massa run, ha, ha, and de darkies stay at home.
Must be now de Kingdom comin*, for I hear de bugle
blow.

2 He's six foot one way, two foot de odder, and he weighs

three hundred pounds.
His coat's so big dat he couldn't pay de tailor, and it

wouldn't go half way round.
He drills so much dey calls him Captain, and he gets so

dreadful tanned
I guess he'll try and fool dose Yankees for to take dat

country band.

3 De darkies feel so lonesome a libbin' in de log house on

de lawn.
Dey moved dere things to de Massa's parlor for to keep

'em while he's gone.
Dere's wine and cider in de kitchen, and de darkies dey'll

have some ;
I s'pose dey'll be all confiscated when de Lincoln soldiers

come.

 

Oh, de whip is lost, de handcufifs broken, ol' Massa have

his pay.
He's old enough, big enough, he ought to knowed better

dan to went and runned away.

 

'The Lincoln Gun Boat.' From Julian P. Boyd, Alliance, Pamlico
county, who obtained it from Minnie Lee, a pupil ; undated, but c. 1927-28.

I I saw a smoke was up the river.

Where the Lincoln Gun Boats lay.
. Moosy drilled so much we called him Captain,
And I speck he run away.

Chorus:

Darky days, ho, ho, hum !

Moosy run away.

I think it's now the Kingdom Come,

The Year of Jubilee.

 

NATIVE AMERICAN BALLADS 543

2 Moosy two feet one way, three feet de oder,
And he weigh five hundred pounds ;
His coat's so large he couldn't pay the tailor,
And it wouldn't go half way round !

c

'Ole Massa Run, Ha, Ha ; or. The Kingdom Coming.' From J. H.
Burrus, Weaverville, Buncombe county, August 22, 1922, with the fol-
lowing erroneous account of its origin: "When the war was over and
the negroes were delivered, they composed a song about their 'Massas
Running' composed about the time of Sherman's March to the Sea or
soon afterwards."

1 Say, darkies, have you seen ole massa
With a mustache on his face

Come up dis road so soon dis mawnin' ?
I speck he's lef de place.

Chorus:

Ole Massa run, ha, ha,

An' de darkies stay at home.

It must be now de kingdom coming

And de year of jubilee.

2 He's six feet tall one way and five feet de odder,
And he weighs seben hundred pounds ;

His coat so big dat he couldn' pay de tailor.
And it wouldn' go half way aroun'.

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232
Kingdom Coming

 

'Massa's Gone Away.' Sung by Otis S. Kuykendall. Recorded at A heville
Buncombe county, August 8, 1939- This ballad, attributed by Dr_ White to
Henry Clay Work, was credited to him in the printed version m MSON i«o-i,
which was published at Boston in 1882. Since an earlier text of this bal ad,
according to the editors of volume II, was printed in 1864 (see II S4i), it is
quite clear that Work was at least not the author of the text. Another title is

'The Year of Jubilo.' Cf. OFS 11 290, No. 230.

 

For melodic relationship of. **MSON 180-1 (except first half of chorus) ;
Ford 339, basic melodic line.

Scale: Hexatonic (4). Tonal Center: b-flat. Structure aa^baica^ (2,2,2,2,2,2).