My Way Is Cloudy

musical notation for _My Way Is Cloudy_
Midi version of the bar of music.


Oh! Breth-er-en, my way, my way's cloud-y, my way,
Go send them angels down,
Oh! Breth-er-en, my way, my way's cloud-y, my way,
Go send them angels down

There's fire in the east and fire in the west,
send them angels down,

and fire among the Methodist,
oh, send them angels down, oh bretheren.
Old Satan is mad, and I am glad,
send them angels down.

He missed the soul he thought he had,
oh, send them angels down,

oh bretheren. This is the year of jubilee,
send them angels down.

The Lord has come to set us free,
oh, send them angels down, oh bretheren.


A spiritual that sings of this life rather than the other. Upon returning to the place where he taught after graduating from Fisk, Du Bois finds Josie, the girl who told him of the teaching job, dead, the log schoolhouse replaced with a board shack, and in general, very little in the way of progress toward a meaningful freedom. Perhaps Du Bois is ironically referring to himself as one of the angels sent down, or perhaps, it is his occluded vision that requires some kind of intervention to reap the rewards of Jubilee/freedom. (Sundquist, 500-501)


Chapter Title of Chapter Chapter's Song Significance of the song Author Title Comment
4 Of the Meaning of Progress My Way's Cloudy The song of groping Schiller "The Maid of Orleans" In German


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