De ‘cession’s stahted on de gospel way,
De Capting is a-drawin’ nigh:
Bettah stop a-foolin’ an’ a-try to pray;
Lif’ up yo’ haid w’en de King go by!
Oh, sinnah mou’nin’ in de dusty road,
Hyeah ‘s de minute fu’ to dry yo’ eye:
Dey ‘s a moughty One a-comin’ fu’ to baih yo’ load;
Lif’ up yo’ haid w’en de King go by!
Oh, widder weepin’ by yo’ husban’s grave,
Hit ‘s bettah fu’ to sing den sigh:
Hyeah come de Mastah wid de powah to save;
Lif’ up yo’ haid w’en de King go by!
Oh, orphans a-weepin’ lak de widder do,
An’ I wish you ‘d tell me why:
De Mastah is a mammy an’ a pappy too;
Lif’ up yo’ haid w’en de King go by!
Oh, Moses sot de sarpint in de wildahness
W’en de chillun had commenced to die:
Some ‘efused to look, but hit cuohed de res’;
Lif’ up yo’ haid w’en de King go by!
Bow down, bow ‘way down, Bow down,
But lif’ up yo’ haid w’en de King go by!
(Paul Laurence Dunbar)
More Poetry from Paul Laurence Dunbar:
- Ione (Paul Laurence Dunbar Poems)
- The Party (Paul Laurence Dunbar Poems)
- How Lucy Backslid (Paul Laurence Dunbar Poems)
- The Spellin'-Bee (Paul Laurence Dunbar Poems)
- A Cabin Tale (Paul Laurence Dunbar Poems)
- An Ante-Bellum Sermon (Paul Laurence Dunbar Poems)