published in The Liberty Minstrel
Lyrics: George W. Clark
Hymn: “Mear” (composer unknown) as appears in The Sacred Harp 

The Liberty Minstrel, just as in Joshua McCarter Simpson’s Emancipation Car, functioned as a way for abolitionists to express themselves during group meetings. Abolitionist George Washington Clark published numerous songbooks in his lifetime for the cause. “What Mean Ye?” has an everlasting power, as it simply sets forth a series of searing questions to the listener. The chorale we have set it to, “Mear”, has been a favorite of shape-note singers (a living tradition of American folk singing) for hundreds of years, and is one of the oldest hymns found in The Sacred Harp.