Ancestor Song
I am a wandering pilgrim
A Stranger here to roam
I don’t know where I came from
And don’t know where I’ll go.
Did my ancestors come from Ireland?
Or perhaps from Spain?
Was my great, great, grandmother
A lovely Indian maid?
Where oh where, and from whom did I descend?
I don’t know where I came from
and don’t know where I’ll end.
Oh, what blood through my veins doth flow?
Is it the blood of royalty?
Is it from friend or foe?
Did my great, great grandfather
come over from afar?
Was it England, France or Germany?
I wish I knew just where.
From what nation did I descend?
Perhaps they were great warriors,
Tell me who were my kin?
Were they leaders of nations?
Or leaders of the flock?
Did they contribute to society?
Or cast a stumbling block?
Could have been famous writers,
Who lived the way they pleased,
Or maybe bounding seamen,
Who sailed the seven seas.
I think they were rugged, brave frontiersmen,
Woodsmen who paved the way,
Into this great land of ours,
In which we live today.
What can I tell my children?
What can they tell their sons?
When they ask these same questions
The way that I have done?
Fannie L. Steele