This one is a bit hard to read. I wanted to make the lyrics look like part of the trail left behind by the blue tail fly. I wrote very small and very light, as if the woods might disappear in thin air. I hope you can feel and see the lightness of the words…and see the tiny blue tail fly at the top as he flies away.
I remember singing this one in 4th grade, my first ‘official’ chorus class. Which meant instead of going out for gym or Industrial arts, I chose to sing. It was only a hour a week, yet I enjoyed it and got exposure to all sorts of American folk tunes.
Here we go…sing loud, sing strong!
When I was young, I used to wait
– Traditional American Folk Song
On Master and give his plate
And pass him the bottle when he got dry
And brush away the blue tail fly
Jimmy, crack corn, and I don’t care
Jimmy, crack corn, and I don’t care
Jimmy, crack corn, and I don’t care
My Master’s gone away.
I struggled with sharing these lyrics, as they remind us of our terrible past which involved slavery. It was a horrible practice as no one should be a slave to anyone no matter their race, gender, or ethnicity. I finally decided to use the lyrics as they remind us that life is better now that we no longer legislate slavery.
To be able to stand tall, sing proud and do what we want…no matter what…THAT is what freedom is all about. It also means we are responsible for our actions – the good, the bad and the ugly – and we can change. Change is hard. It requires effort, intentions and even presses our ability to believe that we can be better than we are today.
Let us give thanks for the people who fought for our freedoms…and tomorrow let’s sing again!
