right den en 'gin
hit sezs you ez not keepin' yo promus. I went ter de do'er en you
could pick a pin off de groun' hit wuz so light. In de sky wuz de
prettiest thing you ebber se'ed, so many culors, blue, white, green,
red en yellow."

"Since freedum I'se wuked wid diff'ent peeple, cookin' en keepin'
house. I'se de mammy ob three chilluns. Two ob dem ez 'way fum 'yer,
en I live 'yer wid mah daughter."

"Old songs, I member ez:

Dark wuz de Nite.
I'll Live wid Gawd Forever, Bye en Bye.
Fum dis Earth I go, Oh Lawd, W'at Will 'kum ob Me."

"So yer wan't me ter tell you de truf? I think de young peeple ez
nothin'. Dey think dey ez smaht. Most ob de ex-slaves I'se knowed has
cooked en nussed, done laundry wuk; wuked in fiel's en diff'ent
things."

"I'se neber voted en hab neber paid any 'tention ter de niggers
gittin' ter vote. Don't hab any frens in political office. Can't
member any tales er signs."

"I don't b'leeve in dese mixed white and black families en hit
shouldn't be 'lowed."

"Durin' slavery de white folks didn't want de niggahs ter sing en
pray, but dey would turn a pot down en meet at de pot in de nite en
sing en pray en de white folks wouldn't 'yer dem."

"Ef a slave died de white folks wouldn't let nobody set up wid de body
'cept de niggers ob dat plantation, but urthur slaves would slip in
atter dark, set up en den slip back ter dere plantation 'fore day."

"W'en I useter go ter camp meetin' dey had big dinnahs en spread hit
on de groun'. Dey preached, sung, shouted en eve'ybody had a good
time."

"Fum de camp meetin's dey would go ter de wharf en baptize. Dey would
tie handkerchiefs 'roun dere haids. W'en dey wuz dipped under de water
sum ob dem would kum up shoutin'."

A TALE

One time de preacher wuz in de river fixin' ter baptize a man.
Eve'ybody wuz singin' ole time 'ligion. A 'oman sung, "I don' lak dat
thing 'hind you." Bout dat time de pahson en de udder man se'd an
alligator. De parson sezs, "No-By-God I Don't Either." He turned de
man loose en dey both run 'way.

INTERVIEW
REV. JOHN MOORE
809 7th Avenue So.
Nashville, Tennessee

"I wuz bawn in Georgia (exact time not known) en mah mammy wuz half
Indian en mah daddy a slave. Both ob dem owned by William Moore. Sum
time atter dat Marster Moore sold mah daddy en den de Moore Sistuhs
looked atter me en wuz allus good ter me. "Lawdy, dey wuz good white
folks."

"Durin' slavery times de slaves would hab ter git fum der