African-American women work songs facts for kids

Work songs are special songs sung while people are working. These songs often help workers keep a steady rhythm, making the work feel easier or faster. They can also be a way to distract from hard labor. Work songs might be about the environment around them, or they can be used to express feelings of resistance or protest. Many different groups throughout history have sung work songs. Enslaved African-American women, in particular, had a unique history with these songs. Their work songs shared their specific experiences and feelings during the time of slavery in the United States.

How Work Songs Started

Many work songs came from traditional African songs. A common style was "call and response". This is like a musical conversation. One person sings a line (the "call"), and then a group sings back (the "response"). This way of singing was very important in African-American traditions and is still used today. In African call and response, the leader's call often overlaps with the group's response. This creates a special, combined sound.

African-American folk music often uses "polyphony". This means many different melodies are played or sung at the same time. It's different from a main melody with just one harmony. Sometimes, a song will have several rhythmic patterns happening together. This creates a "counterpoint of rhythms." Having many melodies at once also allows for "improvisation." This means singers can make up parts of the song as they go along. Improvisation was a key part of African-American work songs. A scholar named Tilford Brooks noted that the leader of a work song could often improvise their part. The group's response usually stayed the same.

Why Work Songs Were Important

African-American work songs offer a special look into how enslaved people resisted their situation. While many studies focus on enslaved men's songs, enslaved women also used songs in their work and as a way to resist. Work songs were a way to express feelings and to create a shared story among the workers.

Many songs sung by enslaved women talked about their past and present suffering. They also spoke of their hopes for freedom. Enslaved women sang songs and lullabies to their children about slavery. These songs often shared their unique experiences as women under slavery.

For example, some songs described families being separated when members were sold away. These songs were often complex. They showed the deep feelings and daily lives of enslaved women. A scholar named Lauri Ramsey described these songs as a type of "lyric poetry". This means they shared the voices of individuals. They used their own words to speak to their communities.

Songs helped enslaved people keep their important cultural traditions alive. Often, enslaved people from different cultures were forced together. They were made to give up their traditions. Singing songs helped them keep their "oral tradition" strong. Enslaved women were often told their culture was not good. But mothers found that singing songs and lullabies to their children was a quiet way to resist. They could pass on traditions without being easily noticed.

Many plantation owners thought that if their workers sang in the fields, it meant they were happy. But enslaved men and women were often singing about sadness, loss, or struggle. So, singing work songs was a powerful act. Slave owners often didn't understand the true meaning of the songs. Because of this, they didn't always stop the singing. Singing created a sense of community. It was a safe space where masters were not present.

Jacqueline Jones wrote about how songs helped create community. She noted that enslaved women were often let go from fieldwork early on Saturdays. This was so they could do their week's washing. This chore was hard and took a long time. But it also gave women a chance to talk and sing together. Mary Frances Webb remembered wash day as "a regular picnic." It was a time for women to spend the day together, away from white people.

Scholar Gale Jackson explained how complex black women's work songs were. She said they used African ways of storytelling and improvisation. They also documented history. These songs often combined singing and dancing. They had strong rhythms, multiple meters, and polyphony. They used call and response. This helped them connect with their ancestors, share their journeys, and create art together. Work songs helped create a team-like work environment. This was an act of rebellion and resistance by enslaved women during their forced labor.

Song Examples

Bile the Cabbage Down Raccoon has a bushy tail Possum's tail is bare Rabbit's got no tail at all but a little bunch of hair.

Chorus Bile them cabbage down, down Bake that hoe cake brown brown The only song that I can sing is Bile the cabbage down

Rainbow Round My Shoulder I got a rainbow Huh! Round my shoulder Huh! It ain't gonna rain Huh! It ain't gonna rain Huh! Come on Mr. Tree You almost down Huh! Come on Mr. Tree Hit the ground Huh!

Shoo Fly Shoo, fly don't bother me Shoo, fly don't bother Shoo, fly don't bother me Cause I belong to somebody.

I feel, I feel, I feel I feel like a morning star I feel, I feel, I feel I feel like a morning star.

Old Cotton Old Corn Old cotton, old corn, see you every morn Old cotton, old corn, see you since I was born Old cotton, old corn, hoe you till dawn Old cotton, old corn, what for you born?

Keep yo' eye on de sun, See how she run Don't let her catch you with you work undone, I'm a trouble, I'm a trouble, Trouble don' las' alway

See also

• Call and response
• Enslaved women's resistance in the United States and Caribbean
• Female slavery in the United States
• Field holler