[Army Life in a Black Regiment by Thomas Wentworth Higginson]@TWC D-Link bookArmy Life in a Black Regiment CHAPTER 9 12/23
I think it impressed my imagination more powerfully than any other of these songs. XIX.
WRESTLING JACOB. "O wrestlin' Jacob, Jacob, day's a-breakin'; I will not let thee go! O wrestlin' Jacob, Jacob, day's a-breakin'; He will not let me go! O, I hold my brudder wid a tremblin' hand I would not let him go! I hold my sister wid a tremblin' hand; I would not let her go! "O, Jacob do hang from a tremblin' limb, He would not let him go! O, Jacob do hang from a tremblin' limb; De Lord will bless my soul. O wrestlin' Jacob, Jacob," &c. Of "occasional hymns," properly so called, I noticed but one, a funeral hymn for an infant, which is sung plaintively over and over, without variety of words. XX.
THE BABY GONE HOME. "De little baby gone home, De little baby gone home, De little baby gone along, For to climb up Jacob's ladder. And I wish I'd been dar, I wish I'd been dar, I wish I'd been dar, my Lord, For to climb up Jacob's ladder." Still simpler is this, which is yet quite sweet and touching. XXI.
JESUS WITH US. "He have been wid us, Jesus He still wid us, Jesus, He will be wid us, Jesus, Be wid us to the end." The next seemed to be a favorite about Christmas time, when meditations on "de rollin' year" were frequent among them. XXII.
LORD, REMEMBER ME. "O do, Lord, remember me! O do, Lord, remember me! O, do remember me, until de year roll round! Do, Lord, remember me! "If you want to die like Jesus died, Lay in de grave, You would fold your arms and close your eyes And die wid a free good will. "For Death is a simple ting, And he go from door to door, And he knock down some, and he cripple op some, And he leave some here to pray. "O do, Lord remember me! O do, Lord, remember me! My old fader's gone till de year roll round; Do, Lord, remember me!" The next was sung in such an operatic and rollicking way that it was quite hard to fancy it a religious performance, which, however, it was. I heard it but once. XXIH.
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