Pick your time wisely.
Make sure your feet are healthy,
Your legs and heart strong,
Your soul honed for hardship.
Pack a knife, water, pepper, some biscuits.
Leave the morning of a holiday.
That puts more miles behind you
Before they notice that you're gone.
The star that glows on the bright end
Of the ladle we call "The Little Dipper,"
Is "Polaris," the "North Star."
The Lord has set it there as a beacon
You can follow it north, to freedom.
Need guidance in daytime?
If you're heading north as you ought,
At morning your shadow's to your left.
It moves to your right
During the hot afternoon sun.
No Sun? Moss grows on the north side
Of a tree. Keep moving that direction.
Near the Mississippi?
Old Man River flows south,
Keep travelling against the current.
If you reach the Rock River
You can follow it toward Wisconsin.
Travel at night. Lay low during the day.
Darkness is your friend, your cloak,
Your concealment,
As is a thick morning fog.
Don't steal. Light no fire.
Do nothing to call attention to yourself.
Keep on looking back, over your shoulder.
You can't outrun dogs, but you can try
To outsmart them.
Wade in streams where your scent won't linger,
But for goodness sake be mindful of snakes.
Rub your feet with pepper, turpentine,
Even wild onions if you can find them.
Anything that will confound a hound's nose.
If you find an old cemetery, some say
That the dust of the dead, stirred into paste,
Gives off a smell that no dog dare follow.
Worse comes to worse you can use your knife
To gut a stubborn hound if one hunts you out.
Tall prairie grass makes good hiding,
But know what poison ivy and oak look like.
Taking a nap in either can lead to pain
Searing as that of an overseer's lash.
Fill up on water whether you're thirsty or not,
'Cause there's sure to come a time when you will be.
Keep on looking back, over your shoulder.
Godspeed on your journey, brave fugitive.
May courage, wisdom, luck
and the assistance of the Divine Savior
Lead you to good people, safe havens
And despite much hardship, to Freedom.
Make sure your feet are healthy,
Your legs and heart strong,
Your soul honed for hardship.
Pack a knife, water, pepper, some biscuits.
Leave the morning of a holiday.
That puts more miles behind you
Before they notice that you're gone.
The star that glows on the bright end
Of the ladle we call "The Little Dipper,"
Is "Polaris," the "North Star."
The Lord has set it there as a beacon
You can follow it north, to freedom.
Need guidance in daytime?
If you're heading north as you ought,
At morning your shadow's to your left.
It moves to your right
During the hot afternoon sun.
No Sun? Moss grows on the north side
Of a tree. Keep moving that direction.
Near the Mississippi?
Old Man River flows south,
Keep travelling against the current.
If you reach the Rock River
You can follow it toward Wisconsin.
Travel at night. Lay low during the day.
Darkness is your friend, your cloak,
Your concealment,
As is a thick morning fog.
Don't steal. Light no fire.
Do nothing to call attention to yourself.
Keep on looking back, over your shoulder.
You can't outrun dogs, but you can try
To outsmart them.
Wade in streams where your scent won't linger,
But for goodness sake be mindful of snakes.
Rub your feet with pepper, turpentine,
Even wild onions if you can find them.
Anything that will confound a hound's nose.
If you find an old cemetery, some say
That the dust of the dead, stirred into paste,
Gives off a smell that no dog dare follow.
Worse comes to worse you can use your knife
To gut a stubborn hound if one hunts you out.
Tall prairie grass makes good hiding,
But know what poison ivy and oak look like.
Taking a nap in either can lead to pain
Searing as that of an overseer's lash.
Fill up on water whether you're thirsty or not,
'Cause there's sure to come a time when you will be.
Keep on looking back, over your shoulder.
Godspeed on your journey, brave fugitive.
May courage, wisdom, luck
and the assistance of the Divine Savior
Lead you to good people, safe havens
And despite much hardship, to Freedom.
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