Away to Canada : Part One

Air -- "O Susannah"
Adapted to the case of Mr S., Fugitive from Tennesse.

I'm on my way to Canada,
   That cold and dreary land;
The dire effects of slavery,
    I can no longer stand.
My soul is vexed within me so,
  To think that I'm a slave;
I've now resolved to strike the blow
    For freedom or the grave.

     O righteous Father,
       Wilt thou not pity me?
    And aid me on to Canada,
         Where colored men are free.

I heard Victoria plainly say,
    If we could all forsake
Our native land of slavery,
   And come across the Lake.
That she was standing on the shore,
     With arms extended wide,
To give us all a peaceful home,
     Beyond the rolling tide.

Farewell, old master!
     That's Enough for me --
I'm going straight to Canada,
    Where colored men are free.

Joshua McCarter Simpson (1820? - 1876)