O Freedom

DESCRIPTION: Recognized by its praise of freedom and the lines "And before I'd be a slave, I'd be buried in my grave, And go home to my Lord and be free." Most versions simply praise freedom; one speaks of the slave's dead mother
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1899 (Barton-OldPlantationHymns)
KEYWORDS: religious freedom slave slavery mother death nonballad
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (13 citations):
Barton-OldPlantationHymns, p. 25, "Before I'd Be a Slave" (1 text, 1 tune)
Dett/Fenner/Rathbun/Cleveland-ReligiousFolkSongsOfTheNegro-HamptonInstitute, p. 110, "Oh, Freedom!" (1 text, 1 tune; p. 114 in the 1901 edition)
Scott-TheBalladOfAmerica, pp. 239-240, "Oh, Freedom!" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-SongsOfTheCivilWar, pp. 291-292, "Oh Freedom" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-SoldierSongsAndHomeFrontBalladsOfCivilWar, p. 33, "Oh Freedom" (1 text, 1 tune)
Warren-EveryTimeIFeelTheSpirit, pp. 70-71, "Oh, Freedom" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax/Lomax-FolkSongUSA 108, "O Freedom" (1 text, 1 tune)
Foner-AmericanLaborSongsOfTheNineteenthCentury, p. 89, "Before I'd Be a Slave (Oh, Freedom)" (1 text)
Darling-NewAmericanSongster, p. 354, "O Freedom" (1 text)
Silber/Silber-FolksingersWordbook, p. 295, "Oh Freedom" (1 text)
ChansonsDeNotreChalet, p 73, "Oh, Freedom!" (1 text, 1 tune)
SongsOfManyNations, "Oh, Freedom!" (1 text, 1 tune) (12th edition, p. 50)
DT, OHFREEDM
Roud #10073
RECORDINGS:
John Handcock, "No More Mourning (Oh Freedom)" (AFS 3238 A1, 3238 A2, 1937)
Montgomery Gospel Trio, "I'm So Glad" [medley of that song -- 'I'm so glad I'm fighting for my rights' -- and "O Freedom"] (on WeShall1, DownHome)
SNCC Freedom Singers, "Freedom Chant/Oh, Freedom/This Little Light of Mine" (on VoicesCiv)
Hollis Watkins, "Oh Freedom" (on Voices Civ)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Free Slave"
cf. "The Slave's Lament (I)" (theme)
File: LxU108

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