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While Lincoln had always opposed slavery, he made it clear that saving the Union was his overarching goal in the Civil War. With opinion divided in the North as to whether or not emancipation was a good idea, Lincoln feared that it could cause some Northern border states to join the secession. When he became convinced that freeing slaves in the states that were in rebellion would significantly damage the Confederate war efforts, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, invoking "military necessity." After taking pen in hand to sign the document on January 1, 1863, Lincoln stated, "I never, in my life, felt more certain that I was doing right, than I do in signing this paper."

Abraham, his wife Mary, and their son Tad spent summers from 1862 to 1864 at the Soldiers' Home, a cottage on a hilltop about four miles from Washington. After escaping slavery in Maryland, Mary Dines became a cook at the Soldiers' Home, living in a nearby camp for escaped slaves. She claimed that, on at least one occasion, the Lincolns visited the camp, where she and others prayed and sang spirituals. Dines recalled that, after singing Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen , she saw the president "wiping the tears off his face with his bare hands."

lyrics

chorus:

Nobody knows the trouble I've seen
Nobody knows but Jesus
Nobody knows the trouble I've seen
Glory hallelujah!

verses:

Sometimes I'm up, sometimes I'm down
Oh yes, Lord
Sometimes I'm almost to the ground
Oh yes, Lord

Now you may think that I don't know
Oh yes, Lord
But I've had my troubles here below
Oh yes, Lord

One day when I was walkin' along
Oh yes, Lord
The sky opened up and love come down
Oh yes, Lord

I never shall forget that day
Oh yes, Lord
When Jesus washed my sins away
Oh yes, Lord

credits

from Ballad of America Volume 3: Songs in the Life of Abraham Lincoln, released February 12, 2009

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Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band image

Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band Florida

With vocals, guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, and bass fiddle, Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band bring to life music that is woven into the fabric of the United States: traditional folk songs, fiddle tunes, old-time country, bluegrass, Appalachian music, ragtime, blues, spirituals, railroad and cowboy songs, work songs, sea shanties, reels, breakdowns, ballads, and more. ... more

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