i am a slave yes i m only a slave they ll place my body in an unmarked grave in these confederate days it s kinda hard to lift every voice singing while worrying about how low the sweet chariots are swinging i could swing from a tree but hey oh i hope and pray they don t kill me today i am still just a slave i am a slave in the home of the brave a product of the triangular trade please pardon my ways if i m nervous or the slightest bit skittish in the presence of the portuguese spanish dutch or british they kept me in colonial chains tell me how to persuade them to chill or to save me and still i m a slave oh i hope and pray they don t kill me today i am still just a slave1