by Maria Howard Weeden (1846 - 1905)

The old boatman
Language: English 
I changed my name, when I got free,
To "Mister" like the res' ,
But now dat I am going Home
I likes de ol' name bes' .

Sweet voices callin' "Uncle Rome",
Seem ringin' in my ears;
An swearin' sort o' sociable,
Ol Master's voice I hears.

De way he used to call his boat,
Across de river: "Rome!
You damn ol' nigger, come an' bring
Dat boat, an' row me home!"

He's passed Heaven's river now, an' soon
He'll call across its foam:
"You, Rome, you damn ol' nigger, loose
Your boat, an' come on Home!"

Note: This text reflects attitudes and assumptions of its historical period and contains language, ideologies, stereotypes, or themes that may be offensive. It is included for scholarly and educational purposes.

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Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2026-10-24
Line count: 16
Word count: 98