Follow the drinking gourd - African American spiritual

Translated into ASL by David Bar-Tzur

Created 19 October 2006, links updated monthly with the help of LinkAlarm.

EXPLANATION OF THE GLOSSING SYSTEM
(to understand how I describe the signs in this translation).

Refrain: ||: NOW TIME FOLLOW WATER (2h)C-CL'tip gourd to lips'. :|| WHY? OLD MAN WAIT"over time", HELP-you (2h)YOU FREE. TIME FOLLOW WATER (2h)C-CL'tip gourd to lips'.

1. TOMORROW SUNRISE, BIRD QUAIL SING, MEAN TIME FOLLOW WATER (2h)C-CL'tip gourd to lips'. OLD MAN WAIT"over time", HELP-you (2h)YOU FREE. TIME FOLLOW WATER (2h)C-CL'tip gourd to lips'. Refrain

2. KNOW-THAT RIVER SHORE SHOW RIGHT ROAD. TREE DEAD SPARSE, FOLLOW-curvy-path. WALK-broadly TRAVEL. TIME FOLLOW WATER (2h)C-CL'tip gourd to lips'. Refrain

3. RIVER END WHERE? OUTLINE-two-hills. TIME FOLLOW WATER (2h)C-CL'tip gourd to lips'. CROSS-OVER THEREABOUTS, RIVER HAVE. TIME FOLLOW WATER (2h)C-CL'tip gourd to lips'. Refrain


Notes: The signs between "||:" and ":||" are to be repeated.

(2h)C-CL'tip gourd to lips' - Mime drinking from a water gourd.

(2h)YOU - Underlined words are honorific indices ("indexes"), using the FT of the upturned palm to indicate who is being honored.

QUAIL - [V:] taps FTs against neck.

KNOW-THAT - Starts like KNOW but twists and descends, looking almost like DON'T-KNOW except the hand twists down at the end.

SHORE - NDH [Bb], PO down, FO away, acts as the shore line, and the DH [5], PO down, FO > NDS, wg while moving towards and spilling over onto the dorsal side (backhand) of the NDH, receding and spilling over again, like waves.

SPARSE - Flick index finger off thumb several time as arm scans the horizon.

WALK-broadly - Use the (2h)[B] form for WALK to show broad steps.

OUTLINE-two-hills - Use [B], PO down to show the outline of two hills.

CROSS-OVER - OVER in the location where you spatilized the hills.

Lyrics:

Refrain: Follow the drinking gourd!
Follow the drinking gourd.
For the old man is awaiting for to carry you to freedom
If you follow the drinking gourd.

When the sun comes back and the first quail calls,
Follow the drinking gourd,
For the old man is awaiting for to carry you to freedom
If you follow the drinking gourd.

The riverbank makes a very good road,
The dead trees will show you the way,
Left foot, peg foot traveling on,
Following the drinking gourd.

The river ends between two hills,
Follow the drinking gourd,
There's another river on the other side,
Follow the drinking gourd.

Where the great big river meets the little river,
Follow the drinking gourd,
The old man is awaiting for to carry you to freedom
If you follow the drinking gourd

treble clef as a symbol for musicTo hear the music (without words), go to Follow the drinking gourd and click on "Download Midi File".

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