The Doves and the Crows

Come all ye sable little girls and boys,
Ye coal-black Brothers--Sooty Sisters, come!
With kitty-katties make a joyful noise;
With snaky-snekies, and the Eboe drum!
From this day forth your freedom is your own:
Play, Sambo, play,--and, Obadiah, groan!

Ye vocal Blackbirds, bring your native pipes,
Your own Moor's Melodies, ye niggers, bring;
To celebrate the fall of chains and stripes,
Sing "Possum up a gum-tree,"--roar and sing!
From this day forth your freedom is your own:
Chaunt, Sambo, chaunt,--and, Obadiah, groan!

Bring all your woolly pickaninnies dear--
Bring John Canoe and all his jolly gang:
Stretch ev'ry blubber-mouth from ear to ear,
And let the driver in his whip go hang!
From this day forth your freedom is your own:
Grin, Sambo, grin,--and, Obadiah, groan!

Your working garb indignantly renounce;
Discard your slops in honour of the day--
Come all in frill, and furbelow, and flounce,
Come all as fine as Chimney Sweeps in May--
From this day forth your freedom is your own:
Dress, Sambo, dress,--and, Obadiah, groan!

Come, join together in the dewy dance,
With melting maids in steamy mazes go;
Humanity delights to see you prance,
Up with your sooty legs and jump Jim Crow--
From this day forth your freedom is your own:
Skip, Sambo, skip,--and, Obadiah, groan!

Kiss dark Diana on her pouting lips,
And take black Phœbe by her ample waist--
Tell them to-day is Slavery's eclipse,
And Love and Liberty must be embraced--
From this day forth your freedom is your own:
Kiss, Sambo, kiss,--and, Obadiah, groan!

With bowls of sangaree and toddy come!
Bring lemons, sugar, old Madeira, limes,
Whole tanks and water-barrels full of rum,
To toast the whitest date of modern times--
From this day forth your freedom is your own:
Drink, Sambo, drink,--and, Obadiah, groan!

Talk, all together, talk! both old and young,
Pour out the fulness of the negro heart;
Let loose the now emancipated tongue,
And all your new-born sentiments impart--
From this day forth your freedom is your own:
Spout, Sambo, spout,--and, Obadiah, groan!

Huzza! for equal rights and equal laws;
The British parliament has doff'd your chain--
Join, join in gratitude your jetty paws,
And swear you never will be slaves again--
From this day forth your freedom is your own:
Swear, Sambo, swear,--and, Obadiah, groan!