He call his mother to his bed, An' these is the dyin' words he said, Mother, mother, I long farewell, Your wicked son is damned in hell. He dance an' play hisself away, An' still put off his dyin' day, Until at las' ole death was sent, An' it 'us too late fer him to repent. They also sing of _mother_ and _sister_ being called to the bedside. The old plantation song of the same name had a similar chorus but the stanzas were quite different. When I wus a sinner, I loved my distance well, But when I come to fin' myself, I was hangin' over hell. Ole Satan's might busy, He follers me night an' day, An' every where I 'pinted, Dere's something in my way. The Lord will come to judge the world and _wake up the dead_. It is the supreme ambition of the singer to be ready to meet his Lord when He comes. Just what form the Lord will take the negro does not say; perhaps it will be in a _cloud_ or _fire_ or He will come as in the days of Moses. "My Lord's comin' again" gives a general conception. _O my Lord's comin' again, O my Lord's comin' again, (Talk about it:) Yes my Lord's comin' again, It may be las' time, I don't know._ Well he's comin' to judge the worl', Well he's comin' to judge the worl', (_Talk about it_:) Yes my Lord's comin' to judge the worl', It may be las' time, I don't know. Well you had better put off lyin' shoes, Well you better put off lyin' shoes, (_Talk about it_:) Better put off lyin' shoes, For it may be las' time, I don't know. And so he sings "Better put off _dancin'_ shoes", "better put off _gamblin'_ shoes". For the sinner's shoes will not be suitable to "walk on the cross". He sings: "God's goin' to wake up the Dead" and makes a beautiful melody out of the simple repetition. _Goin' to wake up the dead, Goin' to wake up the dead, God goin' to wake up the dead, Who's a sleepin' in the grave, God is goin' to wake up the dead._ You had better min' my brother how you walk on the cross, _God's goin' to wake up the dead_; If yo' right foot slip, then yo' soul be los' _God goin' wake up the dead_. Then "you better min' my _sister_, my _brother_, my _mother_, my _preacher_" are sung. The old song contained words similar to the lines just given, with the chorus: "_De young lambs mus' fin' de way_": My brudder better mind how you walk on de cross, For yo' foot might slip an' yo' soul git lost, Better mind dat sun, and see how she run, An' mind don't let her catch ye wid yer works undone.