Let My People Go!

Sometimes we had class outside with students sitting on the bleachers to sing songs.  A good spiritual (Afro American) usually did the job:

When Israel was in Egypt’s land:
Let my people go,
Oppressed so hard they could not stand,
Let my People go.

Go down, Moses,
Way down in Egypt’s land,
Tell old Pharaoh,
Let my people go.

What else did we sing?

Mama’s Little Baby

When the school or the WIZO organized a Sunday fund raiser for the school, I got together some of my talented fifth graders to give a presentation of “Shortening Bread”.   Sammy Akerman, Andres Camhi, Jack Goldstein, Sammy Witnitzer, and Henry Cusnir all put on some good-sized diapers, and not much else, (does anybody have a picture?)  to sing the following spiritual hit from the southern states:

“Mama’s little baby loves shortening, shortening, Mama’s little baby loves shortening bread!

“Three little children lying in the bed. Two of them sick, the other almost dead, Mama called the doctor, and the doctor said, ‘Feed them children Shortening Bread.”

“Mama’s little baby loves shortening, shortening, Mama’s little baby loves shortening bread!

“When those children lying in the bed, Heard that talk about Shortening Bread, Jumped up well, dance and sing, Skipping around, dance the Pigeon Wing.

“Mama’s little baby loves shortening, shortening, Mama’s little baby loves shortening bread!

It was a sight to behold.  A big hit!

We are still waiting for the picture!