Follow the Drinking Gourd...who wrote it...and when was it written?

Question

The song: "Follow the Drinking Gourd was sung to help slaves escape North. Does anyone know who wrote it... and when was it written?

Answer 1

first published in 1928, but it was supposedly written anonymously much earlier

Answer 2

Before the Civil War an intinerent carpenter, Peg Leg Joe, travelled throughout the South, passing the tune to slaves. The words contained coded directions to travel north. The Drinking Gourd was code for the Big Dipper.

Here are the lyrics:

When the sun goes back
and the first quail calls
Follow the drinking gourd
The old man is a-waitin' for
to carry you to freedom
Follow the drinking gourd

Chorus
Follow the drinking gourd,
follow the drinking gourd
For the old man is a-waitin'
to carry you to freedom
Follow the drinking gourd

The river bed makes a mighty fine road,
Dead trees to show you the way
And it's left foot, peg foot, traveling on
Follow the drinking gourd

The river ends between two hills
Follow the drinking gourd
There's another river on the other side
Follow the drinking gourd

I thought I heard the angels say
Follow the drinking gourd
The stars in the heavens
gonna show you the way
Follow the drinking gourd

Answer 3

i don't know who wrote it but it was a coded song about the underground railroad so had to be written in late 1850's early 1860's