St. George AME celebrates African History and Fashion
Members of St. George AME Church and friends gathered Feb. 25 to listen to African-American history, enjoy dance performances, songs of spirituality and see traditional fashions worn by the Rev. Wassetta Moses. Members of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge Free and Accepted Masons of Delaware were in attendance and shared the legacy of their group.
Siren Songs of Slavery
Gloria Holland performed the story of escaping slaves. She described how each camp had a siren song they would sing in the fields while laboring, to warn the escaping slaves of the presence of danger. When they reached their destination, slaves in the fields would sing “I’m Free, no longer bound, no more chains on me.”
“They were singing messages, us older ones out there, bent and bowed out there in the field, we knew we didn’t have the chance to try to escape. But we helped the younger ones, because we wanted them to have a chance. And sometimes you would hear them out there and they started...
“Steal away, steal away, steal away to Jesus, I ain’t got long to stay here. My Lord called me. He calls me by the thunder, that trumpet sounds…”
That was letting them know that escape was being planned. Because each plantation had its own horn. You had to LISTEN for the sound of the horn so you knew which plantation was planning that escape.
“Wait by the water, wait by the water, children, wait by the water, God’s gonna trouble the water.”
That was gonna let you know there was to be a meeting down by the river side. You might not know yet, you might hear that song one day, two days, you might hear it a month, but then you would hear “God’s gonna trouble the water,” then you you would hear them out there sing:
“Children GO! children GO! Where will I send thee, how shall I send thee? I’m gonna send thee one by one, I’m gonna send thee two by two, Im gonna send thee three by three.”
That was to let you know how much ROOM there was on the boat! And to know how many could be on there!
Every now and then OLE MASSA got a whiff that something was going on.
You would hear one of those old crooners out there… “Wait in the water, wait in the water children, wait in the water, God’s gonna trouble the water.”
That was telling them to stay in the water so the hounds couldn’t pick up on the scent.
So they would sing while telling the story, so that you could be mindful of what was going on.
Every now and then, it took a while, you might not hear something for a long time. But then, you would hear one of those old Mammies singing;:
“We are climbing Jacob’s ladder, soldiers of the Cross. For every, round goes, higher, higher. Every, round goes, higher, higher. Every, round goes, higher, and higher. Soldiers, of the Cross.”
That was to let you know they were getting closer to their destination. Some of them made it to Delaware, New Jersey, Virginia, Ohio, even Canada!
But wherever they were, there were safe places along the way, guiding our people to freedom, so they could have a better chance.
And when they got to their destination you would hear hundreds and hundreds out there in the field singing…
“I’m FREE,
Praise the Lord I’m Free!
No longer bound,
No more chains holding me.
My soul is resting, it’s just a blessing.
Praise the Lord!
Hallelujah, I’m Free!
I AM FREE!
Praise the lord, I’m Free!
No longer bound.
No more chains holding me.
My soul is resting,
It’s just a blessing.
Praise the Lord!
Hallelujah!
I’m Free!”
