Underground Railroad: The William Still Story

VELMA MAIA THOMAS

The words we're saying have a double meaning. So any time you hear anything about traveling shoes or chariots or wheels, somebody's getting ready to run. And so, you take a Negro spiritual -

singing

VELMA MAIA THOMAS

: Swing low sweet chariot Comin' for to carry me home Swing low sweet chariot Comin' for to carry me home

speaking

VELMA MAIA THOMAS

: That chariot is movement. That chariot is swinging low, picking you up, putting you on that Underground Railroad, taking you somewhere to freedom. So when we sing those songs, it's like, "Uh huh, something's getting ready to happen." "Then I looked over Jordan and what did I see?" Jordan, that was metaphorically the Ohio River. "A band of angels coming after me." Those conductors coming to help you. "Coming for to carry me home." So they had all kind of little messages. And the slave master would hear us singing and say, "Oh, don't they sound pretty happy tonight?" The next day two or three people gone, because we put that message out. We talked about...

singing

VELMA MAIA THOMAS

: wade in water, wade in water children wait wade, wade, wade in the water cause God's going to trouble the water...

speaking

VELMA MAIA THOMAS

: So we stepped in that water because the dogs can't pick up your scent. With all these songs, it's time to move, it's time to go by the water ways, it's time to follow the north star, it's time to start looking, it's time to start traveling, it's time to start to getting ready to cross that Jordan into freedom. Steal a way to Jesus, oh Lord they are going onto Heaven, no, (laugh)

singing

VELMA MAIA THOMAS

: steal the way home, I ain't got long to stay here

speaking

VELMA MAIA THOMAS

: We steal away to Jesus - we still away to freedom but sounds like we're talking about life in the hereafter but we're talking about a life in the hear and now.