(as adapted by Bessie Jones and collected/edited by Alan Lomax)
Just from the kitchen, shoo – lie – loo,
With a handful of biscuits, shoo – lie – loo,
Oh, (Miss Mary)(Mister Johnny), shoo – lie –loo,
Fly-a-way over yonder, shoo – lie – loo.

The words mean more than we might think they do:
• Taken from “Step it Down: Games, Plays,
Songs and Stories from the Afro-
American Heritage” by Bessie Jones and
Bess Lomax Hawes:
– “On one occasion she described this as an
‘after-slavery play’:...He’s so glad – he’s free and got his own bread so he fly away over yonder…He’s so glad he got freedom food!...”

What do you know about slavery?

• Slavery was a deeply engrained part of human life throughout history.
• Once the New World had been discovered, the Spanish and Portuguese needed more man power to mine the gold (Central and
South America) and tend to the crops
(North America). The Native Americans were not enough.
• Bringing over servants from Africa was a cheap source of manpower.

A Few Important Facts
• The slave trade in North America lasted between about 1600-1770.
• A total of about 500,000 slaves were brought to
North America - much less than the 12 or 13 million taken to Central and South America.
• Slavery was only allowed in the southern colonies of the United States for many reasons, but mostly because it did not fit with the views of the Quaker and Puritan religions of the northern colonies.
• The Emancipation Proclamation of January 1,
1863 freed all slaves and lawfully ended the practice of slavery in the United States.

Let’s listen to an original recording!
• Just From the Kitchen