The Old Kentucky Home

The year was 1852 in an old Kentucky cottage. Annie was a servant working as a nanny to Mrs. Stevens' young infant. Annie was actually an African slave; but as long as Annie did not cross the master-slavery boundary, Mr. and Mrs. Stevens treated her kindly.

Annie was a gifted a musician. Mrs. Stevens gave her a banjo that Annie often played the banjo and sang lullabies to Mrs. Stevens' infant girl. Annie worked very hard tending all household chores. But as long as the Stevens treated her kindly, Annie was very content with her life.

There was an economic recession in Kentucky as Mr. Stevens went through grave economic hardship. As the Stevens' debt mounted, the Stevens had to sell their last possessions, the African slaves including Annie to a new master in Louisiana who had a sugar plantation.

The Stevens told Annie about this in a summer night. The masters of sugar can plantation were often notoriously ruthless. The slaves often worked in a very harsh conditions enduring all the abuse of white masters.

Sadly, Annie sang the following song, which is known today as the old Kentucky Hume. The lyrics is:

he sun shines bright in the old Kentucky home.
'Tis summer, the darkies are gay,
The corn top's ripe and the meadow's in the bloom
While the birds make music all the day.
The young folks roll on the little cabin floor,
All merry, all happy and bright.
By 'n by hard times comes a-knocking at the door,
Then my old Kentucky home, good night.

Weep no more my lady, oh! weep no more today!
We will sing one song for the old Kentucky home,
For the old Kentucky home far away.

They hunt no more for the 'possum and the coon,
On the meadow, the hill and the shore,
They sing no more by the glimmer of the moon,
On the bench by that old cabin door.
The day goes by like a shadow o'er the heart,
With sorrow where all was delight.
The time has come when the darkies have to part,
Then my old Kentucky home, good night!

p.s. The lyrics and music were actually written by Stephan Foster, a great American composer. The tune was from African-American. The song was an anti-slavery song portraying the inhuman part of the slavery in America before the Civil War.