1. Follow the Drinking Gourd
5th grade

2. About the Author
Amy Edington-King works in the Middletown City School District. She teaches music K-5 at Creekview Elementary.

3. Follow the Drinking Gourd Objectives and Vocabulary
Sing the song “Follow the Drinking Gourd”
Analyze form of the song
Discuss the historical meaning behind the song
Music Vocabulary
Form
Verse and Refrain
Call and Response
Lyrics

5. The form of the song What repeats in the song?
The lyric “Follow the drinking gourd”
What type of form is the song?
Call and response
Verse and refrain
Both are correct

6. History of the song
This is a slave song. It told slaves how to flee from the South to the North for freedom. The escape route is sung in code so that slave owners would not know what was going on. It would take many months for a slave to travel the Underground Railroad.

7. History of the Song
The Underground Railroad is not an actual railroad but a series of save places that slaves could hide.
Conductors on the railroad were people that would hide slaves in their homes or barns to help them to the trip North. The conductor in this song is Peg Legged Joe.
Joe was a carpenter that spent the winter in the South traveling from plantation to plantation. While working at a plantation he would teach the slaves this escape route. Unfortunately, we know nothing more about Peg Leg Joe.

8. Map of the Journey

9. The Drinking Gourd
The Drinking Gourd is the Big Dipper. The Big Dipper is a constellation. The
proper name is Polaris.
The Big Dipper contains the North Star. This was probably the most important tool the slaves had in finding their way to the North

10. The Big Dipper
Click button to return to lyrics

11. Pictures of the Dipper/Gourd
This is a drinking gourd. Slaves hollowed out gourds to scoop water out of a bucket to drink. In the song it is used to tell the slave to follow the Big Dipper. More about how you can use gourds can be found at:

12. Meaning behind the lyrics
When the sun comes back and the first quail calls
Follow the Drinking Gourd
For the old man is a-waiting for to carry you to freedom
Meaning:
Winter or spring is a good time to start the journey.
When you see the quails migrate it is time to go.
The old man is a conductor. (Peg Legged Joe)
Follow the Big Dipper.

13. Meaning behind the lyrics
The river bank will make a mighty good road
The dead trees will show you the way,
And the left foot, peg foot, traveling on
Just you follow the drinking gourd.
Meaning:
Follow the bank of the Tombigbee River north.
Looking for dead trees marked with the drawing of a left foot and peg foot

14. Meaning behind the lyrics
The river ends between to hills,
Follow the drinking gourd
There’s another river on the other side,
Just you follow the drinking gourd
Meaning:
When you reach the headwaters of the Tombigbee continue
North over the hills until you meet another river.
Travel north along the new river which is the Tennessee River
Always follow the Big Dipper
Click button to see the Big Dipper

15. Meaning behind the lyrics
When the great big river meets the little river
Follow the Drinking Gourd
For the old man is awaiting for to carry you to freedom
Just you follow the Drinking Gourd
Meaning:
The Tennessee river will join another river, the Ohio
Cross the Ohio and on the north bank you will meet a guide to the Underground railroad

16. References Follow the Drinking Gourd Teacher’s Guide
The Big Dipper
Gourds
Follow the Drinking Gourd sound file
Share the Music Grade 6 pg. 370
McGraw-Hill School Division 1998