Stephen Foster - We Are Coming, Father Abraam, 300,000 More

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Stephen Foster (1826-1864)

We Are Coming, Father Abraam, 300,000 More (1862)

Leslie Guinn, baritone
The Camerata Chorus of Washington
Gilbert Kalish, piano
Douglas Koeppe, piccolo

recorded on period instruments at the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C.

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[AmmoniteDragon]

We are coming, Father Abraham, three hundred thousand more,
From Mississippi's winding stream and from New England's shore;
We leave our plows and workshops, our wives and children dear,
With hearts too full for utterance, with but a silent tear;
We dare not look behind us, but steadfastly before,
We are coming, Father Abraham, three hundred thousand more.

(Chorus:)
We are coming, coming our union to restore,
We are coming, Father Abraham, with three hundred thousand more.

If you look across the hilltops that meet the northern sky.
Long moving lines of rising dust your vision may descry;
And now the wind an instant, tears the cloudy veil aside,
And floats aloft our spangled flag in glory and in pride;
And bayonets in the sunlight gleam, and bands brave music pour,
We are coming, Father Abraham, three hundred thousand more.

(Chorus)

If you look all up our valleys, where the growing harvests shine,
You may see our sturdy farmer boys fast forming into line;
And children from their mothers knees are pulling at the weeds,
And learning how to reap and sow, against their country's needs;
And a farewell group stands weeping at every cottage door,
We are coming, Father Abraham, three hundred thousand more.

(Chorus)

You have called us and we're coming, by Richmond's bloody tide,
To lay us down for Freedom's sake, our brother's bones beside;
Or from foul treason's savage group to wrench the murd'rous blade,
And in the face of foreign foes its fragments to parade;
Six hundred thousand loyal men and true have gone before,
We are coming Father Abraham, three hundred thousand more.

(Chorus)

[ZephaniahL]

Why doesn't this have 65 million likes, at least?

[billybill]

My dad is from Lawrenceville a minute down the street from where Steven foster was from (a neighborhood of Pittsburgh)

[marktenor]

One of my favorite versions, I used to use it in my classroom often.

[kollerbrian]

Including the need for the truth. The WHOLE Truth at the top of our Justice system. Oh Hell Yes. BAK

[FighterGlory]

I like this presentation! I also have sung this great song from the American Civil War, here on YouTube!

[kollerbrian]

Moving Lines of Loyalist to restore our victory over antigovernment. Finding rhythm in a Piano Note. Brian Koller

[kollerbrian]

A Ghost of a little happiness. Brian A Koller

[markhubbs]

I think this was written by James Gibbons, Foster just set it to music.

[the_monk]

ironic how it rhymes with The Yellow Rose of Texas

[hannahs]

Fuck the Union, but this is a solid song

[FGTBOGSAT]

New England's socialist shore ....