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The Anti-slavery Harp: A Collection of Songs for Anti-slavery Meetings cover

The Anti-slavery Harp: A Collection of Songs for Anti-slavery Meetings

Chapter 13: SONG FOR THE TIMES.
By William Wells Brown
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About This Book

A compilation of abolitionist songs and lyric pamphlets intended for anti-slavery gatherings, offering moral appeals, narratives of suffering, and calls to collective action. Poems dramatize the anguish of enslaved mothers, the fate of separated families, and the experiences of fugitives guided by the North Star, while urging political and religious solidarity against slavery. Several pieces adapt their words to familiar popular airs to facilitate communal singing, and the collection blends emotional testimony, exhortation, and patriotic imagery to mobilize audiences for emancipation.

SONG FOR THE TIMES.

I hear the cry of millions, of millions, of millions,
I hear the cry of millions, of millions in bonds;
Oh! set the captive free, set him free, set him free,
Oh! set the captive free from his chains.
I hear the voice of Garrison, of Garrison, of Garrison,
I hear the voice of Garrison, loud pleading for the slave;
Oh! set the captive free, set him free, set him free,
Oh! set the captive free from his chains.
I hear the voice of Phillips, of Phillips, of Phillips,
I hear the voice of Phillips, in strain of eloquence;
Oh! set the captive free, set him free, set him free,
Oh! set the captive free from his chains.
I hear the voice of Foster, of Foster, of Foster,
I hear the voice of Foster, against the priesthood;
Oh! set the captive free, set him free, set him free,
Oh! set the captive free from his chains.
I hear the voice of Pillsbury, of Pillsbury, of Pillsbury,
I hear the voice of Pillsbury, with all his sarcasm;
Oh! set the captive free, set him free, set him free,
Oh! set the captive free from his chains.
I hear the voice of Remond, of Remond, of Remond,
I hear the voice of Remond, on prejudice ’gainst color;
Oh! set the captive free, set him free, set him free,
Oh! set the captive free from his chains.
I hear the voice of Buffum, of Buffum, of Buffum,
I hear the voice of Buffum, with a few more facts;
Oh! set the captive free, set him free, set him free,
Oh! set the captive free from his chains.
I hear the voice of Quincy, of Quincy, of Quincy,
I hear the voice of Quincy, in words of living truth,
Oh! set the captive free, set him free, set him free,
Oh! set the captive free from his chains.
I hear the voice of Walker, of Walker, of Walker,
I hear the voice of Walker, and see his “Branded Hand;”
Oh! set the captive free, set him free, set him free,
Oh! set the captive free from his chains.
I hear the voice of Giddings, of Giddings, of Giddings,
I hear the voice of Giddings, in Congress, for the slave;
Oh! set the captive free, set him free, set him free,
Oh! set the captive free from his chains.
I hear the voice of thousands, of thousands, of thousands,
I hear the voice of thousands, in favor of “Disunion;”
Oh! set the captive free, set him free, set him free,
Oh! set the captive free from his chains.