Talk:Massa's in de Cold Ground

(Emerson decides "Massa" has "a staying power that cannot be denied" (in spite of its racial naiveté and racial delusion)', and attributes this power to Foster's "personal involvement" in the song.) Naivete and delusion? I'd like a little explanation on that one. Yes,some of the slaves were abused and some were often "abused" BUT there were many who were fairly well "taken-care of if you can consider slaves as taken care of. Many masters realized their slaves would work longer and harder if they were not abused. Stories exist from slaves describing Christmas parties where the slaves would be invited to a fine Christmas dinner and given presents. They were often allowed to celebrate Sunday as a day of rest and Church services. Many continued working as share-croppers well after they were freed because they had a security and reasonably decent living conditions as opposed to striking out on their own. This is not a defense of slavery. So the song does reflect an attitude by some slaves who had the same master for all their lives and suddenly he was gone. Life would never be quite the same.