Aunt Chloe Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABACADACEAFAGAFDA H I H G E E E E J G J K L H L G M N M I J D J O P O P Q E B E Q F D F D E B E R E D E S B R B D T G U B B V GG W X WG E G EB L X L B E X E E G B G G E B E Y Z G Z B B B B G E Y E B B I B G A2 G A2 E E B E B2 G G G V C2 I C2 V E B E Q I R I Q B R B E E G E E D E D R D2 S D2 B E2 G E2 G E G E R F2 G2 F2 G C2 D C2 G H2 G H2 E I2 J2 I2 G G I G D V R V S D G D R E G E E E Q E E K2 G K2 Y E L2 E I F D FA | |
I remember well remember | B |
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That dark and dreadful day | C |
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When they whispered to me Chloe | D |
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Your children's sold away | C |
It seemed as if a bullet | E |
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Had shot me through and through | F |
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And I felt as if my heart strings | G |
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Was breaking right in two | F |
And I says to cousin Milly | D |
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There must be some mistake | H |
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Where's Mistus In the great house crying | I |
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Crying like her heart would break | H |
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And the lawyer's there with Mistus | G |
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Says he's come to 'ministrate | E |
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'Cause when master died he just left | E |
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Heap of debt on the estate | E |
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And I thought 'twould do you good | E |
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To bid your boys good bye | J |
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To kiss them both and shake their hands | G |
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And have a hearty cry | J |
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Oh Chloe I knows how you feel | K |
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'Cause I'se been through it all | L |
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I thought my poor old heart would break | H |
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When master sold my Saul | L |
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Just then I heard the footsteps | G |
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Of my children at the door | M |
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And then I rose right up to meet them | N |
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But I fell upon the floor | M |
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And I heard poor Jakey saying | I |
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Oh mammy don't you cry | J |
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And I felt my children kiss me | D |
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And bid me both good bye | J |
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Then I had a mighty sorrow | O |
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Though I nursed it all alone | P |
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But I wasted to a shadow | O |
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And turned to skin and bone | P |
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But one day dear uncle Jacob | Q |
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In heaven he's now a saint | E |
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Said Your poor heart is in the fire | B |
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But child you must not faint | E |
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Then I said to uncle Jacob | Q |
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If I was good like you | F |
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When the heavy trouble dashed me | D |
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I'd know just what to do | F |
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Then he said to me Poor Chloe | D |
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The way is open wide | E |
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And he told me of the Saviour | B |
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And the fountain in His side | E |
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Then he said Just take your burden | R |
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To the blessed Master's feet | E |
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I takes all my troubles Chloe | D |
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Right unto the mercy seat | E |
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His words waked up my courage | S |
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And I began to pray | B |
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And I felt my heavy burden | R |
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Rolling like a stone away | B |
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And a something seemed to tell me | D |
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You will see your boys again | T |
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And that hope was like a poultice | G |
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Spread upon a dreadful pain | U |
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And it often seemed to whisper | B |
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Chloe trust and never fear | B |
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You'll get justice in the kingdom | V |
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If you do not get it here The Deliverance | G |
Master only left old Mistus | G |
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One bright and handsome boy | W |
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But she fairly doted on him | X |
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He was her pride and joy | W |
We all liked Mister Thomas | G |
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He was so kind at heart | E |
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And when the young folkes got in scrapes | G |
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He always took their part | E |
He kept right on that very way | B |
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Till he got big and tall | L |
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And old Mistus used to chide him | X |
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And say he'd spile us all | L |
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But somehow the farm did prosper | B |
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When he took things in hand | E |
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And though all the servants liked him | X |
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He made them understand | E |
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One evening Mister Thomas said | E |
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Just bring my easy shoes | G |
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I am going to sit by mother | B |
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And read her up the news | G |
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Soon I heard him tell old Mistus | G |
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We're bound to have a fight | E |
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But we'll whip the Yankees mother | B |
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We'll whip them sure as night | E |
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Then I saw old Mistus tremble | Y |
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She gasped and held her breath | Z |
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And she looked on Mister Thomas | G |
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With a face as pale as death | Z |
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They are firing on Fort Sumpter | B |
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Oh I wish that I was there | B |
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Why dear mother what's the matter | B |
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You're the picture of despair | B |
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I was thinking dearest Thomas | G |
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'Twould break my very heart | E |
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If a fierce and dreadful battle | Y |
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Should tear our lives apart | E |
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None but cowards dearest mother | B |
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Would skulk unto the rear | B |
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When the tyrant's hand is shaking | I |
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All the heart is holding dear | B |
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I felt sorry for old Mistus | G |
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She got too full to speak | A2 |
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But I saw the great big tear drops | G |
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A running down her cheek | A2 |
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Mister Thomas too was troubled | E |
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With choosing on that night | E |
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Betwixt staying with his mother | B |
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And joining in the fight | E |
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Soon down into the village came | B2 |
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A call for volunteers | G |
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Mistus gave up Mister Thomas | G |
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With many sighs and tears | G |
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His uniform was real handsome | V |
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He looked so brave and strong | C2 |
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But somehow I could'nt help thinking | I |
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His fighting must be wrong | C2 |
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Though the house was very lonesome | V |
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I thought 'twould all come right | E |
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For I felt somehow or other | B |
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We was mixed up in that fight | E |
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And I said to Uncle Jacob | Q |
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How old Mistus feels the sting | I |
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For this parting with your children | R |
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Is a mighty dreadful thing | I |
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Never mind said Uncle Jacob | Q |
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Just wait and watch and pray | B |
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For I feel right sure and certain | R |
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Slavery's bound to pass away | B |
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Because I asked the Spirit | E |
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If God is good and just | E |
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How it happened that the masters | G |
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Did grind us to the dust | E |
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And something reasoned right inside | E |
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Such should not always be | D |
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And you could not beat it out my head | E |
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The Spirit spoke to me | D |
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And his dear old eyes would brighten | R |
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And his lips put on a smile | D2 |
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Saying Pick up faith and courage | S |
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And just wait a little while | D2 |
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Mistus prayed up in the parlor | B |
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That the Secesh all might win | E2 |
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We were praying in the cabins | G |
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Wanting freedom to begin | E2 |
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Mister Thomas wrote to Mistus | G |
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Telling 'bout the Bull's Run fight | E |
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That his troops had whipped the Yankees | G |
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And put them all to flight | E |
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Mistus' eyes did fairly glisten | R |
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She laughed and praised the South | F2 |
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But I thought some day she'd laugh | G2 |
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On tother side her mouth | F2 |
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I used to watch old Mistus' face | G |
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And when it looked quite long | C2 |
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I would say to Cousin Milly | D |
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The battle's going wrong | C2 |
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Not for us but for the Rebels | G |
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My heart would fairly skip | H2 |
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When Uncle Jacob used to say | G |
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The North is bound to whip | H2 |
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And let the fight go as it would | E |
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Let North or South prevail | I2 |
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He always kept his courage up | J2 |
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And never let it fail | I2 |
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And he often used to tell us | G |
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Children don't forget to pray | G |
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For the darkest time of morning | I |
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Is just 'fore the break of day | G |
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Well one morning bright and early | D |
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We heard the fife and drum | V |
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And the booming of the cannon | R |
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The Yankee troops had come | V |
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When the word ran through the village | S |
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The colored folks are free | D |
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In the kitchens and the cabins | G |
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We held a jubilee | D |
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When they told us Mister Lincoln | R |
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Said that slavery was dead | E |
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We just poured our prayers and blessings | G |
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Upon his precious head | E |
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We just laughed and danced and shouted | E |
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And prayed and sang and cried | E |
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And we thought dear Uncle Jacob | Q |
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Would fairly crack his side | E |
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But when old Mistus heard it | E |
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She groaned and hardly spoke | K2 |
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When she had to lose her servants | G |
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Her heart was almost broke | K2 |
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'Twas a sight to see our people | Y |
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Going out the troops to meet | E |
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Almost dancing to the music | L2 |
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And marching down the street | E |
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After years of pain and parting | I |
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Our chains was broke in two | F |
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And we was so mighty happy | D |
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We didn't know what to | F |
Frances Ellen Watkins Harper
(1)
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