Follow the Drinkin' Gourd

The Drinkin' Gourd is another name for the constellation Ursa Major. Fugitive slaves in the United States used to use it as a landmark so they would not get lost.

The term comes from the song Follow the Drinkin' Gourd which was used by conductors of the Underground Railway to guide some fugitive slaves.

The words of the song went as follows:

"When the sun come back and the first quail calls,

Follow the Drinkin' Gourd,

For the old man's waitin' for to carry you to freedom,

If you follow the Drinkin' Gourd."

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