KINGDOM COMING

Henry Clay Work, 1862

Say darkeys hab you seen de massa,
Wid de muffstash on his face,
Gos long de road sometime dis mornin'
Like he gwine to leab de place?
He seen a smoke way up de ribber,
Where de Linkum gumboats lay;
He took his hat an' lef' berry sudden
An' I spec he's run away.

CHORUS:
De massa run? Ha! Ha!
De darkeys stay. Ho! Ho!
It mus' be now de kingdom comin'
An' de year ob Jubilo!

He six foot one way, two foot tudder
An' he way tree hundred pound,
His coat so big, he couldn't pay de tailor,
An' it won't go half way 'round.
He drill so much they call him cap'an
An' he get so drefful tann'd,
I spec he try an' fool dem Yankees
For to tink he's contraband!

De darkeys feel so lonesome libbing
In de loghouse on de lawn,
Dey move dar tings to massa's parlor
For to keep it while he's gone.
Dar's wine an' cider in de kitchen,
An' de darkeys dey'll hab some;
I spose dey'll all be cornfiscated
When de Linkum sojers come.

De oberseer he make us trouble
An' he dribe us round a spell;
We lock him up in de smokehouse cellar
Wid de key trown down de well.
De whip is lost de han'cuff broken,
But de massa'll hab his pay.
He's ole enough, big enough outght to known better
Dan to went an' run away.