Carry Me Back to Old Virginny

"Carry Me Back to Old Virginny" is a song which was written by James A. Bland (1854–1911), an African American who wrote over 700 songs. It is an adaption by Bland of the traditional "Carry Me Back to Ole Virginny" popular since the 1840s and frequently sung by Confederate soldiers during the American Civil War. Bland's version, the best known, was adapted in 1878 when many of the newly freed slaves were struggling to find work. The song has become controversial in modern times.