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Poem
May 5, 1857
The Western Democrat
Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
What is this article about?
A celebratory song praising the spade and honest agricultural labor as the foundation of wealth, commerce, family sustenance, and civilization, contrasting it with nobility and swords.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
POETICAL.
THE SONG OF THE SPADE.
Give me the spade and the man that can use it;
A fig for your lord and his soft silken hand;
Let the man who has strength never stoop to abuse it,
Give it back to the giver—the land, boys, the land.
There's no bank like the earth to deposit your labor,
The more you deposit the more you shall have;
If there's more than you want, you can give to your neighbor,
And your name shall be dear to the true and the brave.
It was not the sword that won our best battle,
Created our commerce, and extended our trade,
Gave food to our wives, our children, our cattle,
But the queen of all weapons—the spade, boys, the spade.
Give me the spade; there's a magic about it
That turns the black soil into bright shining gold;
What would our fathers have done, boy?
without it,
When the lands lay all bare, and the north winds blew cold?
When the tall forest stood, and the wild beasts were yelling,
Where our stout-hearted ancestors shrunk back afraid;
The corn-stack is raised, and mankind claims a dwelling;
Then hurrah for our true friend—the spade, boys, the spade.
THE SONG OF THE SPADE.
Give me the spade and the man that can use it;
A fig for your lord and his soft silken hand;
Let the man who has strength never stoop to abuse it,
Give it back to the giver—the land, boys, the land.
There's no bank like the earth to deposit your labor,
The more you deposit the more you shall have;
If there's more than you want, you can give to your neighbor,
And your name shall be dear to the true and the brave.
It was not the sword that won our best battle,
Created our commerce, and extended our trade,
Gave food to our wives, our children, our cattle,
But the queen of all weapons—the spade, boys, the spade.
Give me the spade; there's a magic about it
That turns the black soil into bright shining gold;
What would our fathers have done, boy?
without it,
When the lands lay all bare, and the north winds blew cold?
When the tall forest stood, and the wild beasts were yelling,
Where our stout-hearted ancestors shrunk back afraid;
The corn-stack is raised, and mankind claims a dwelling;
Then hurrah for our true friend—the spade, boys, the spade.
What sub-type of article is it?
Song
Pastoral
What themes does it cover?
Moral Virtue
Commerce Trade
Satire Society
What keywords are associated?
Spade
Labor
Land
Agriculture
Honest Work
Commerce
Poem Details
Title
The Song Of The Spade.
Subject
Praise Of The Spade And Agricultural Labor
Form / Style
Rhymed Quatrains
Key Lines
Give Me The Spade And The Man That Can Use It;
A Fig For Your Lord And His Soft Silken Hand;
But The Queen Of All Weapons—The Spade, Boys, The Spade.
Then Hurrah For Our True Friend—The Spade, Boys, The Spade.