| James Weldon Johnson, ed. (1871–1938). The Book of American Negro Poetry. 1922. |
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| The Band of Gideon |
| | | Joseph S. Cotter, Jr. |
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| THE BAND of Gideon roam the sky, | |
| The howling wind is their war-cry, | |
| The thunder’s roll is their trump’s peal, | |
| And the lightning’s flash their vengeful steel. | |
| Each black cloud | 5 |
| Is a fiery steed. | |
| And they cry aloud | |
| With each strong deed, | |
| “The sword of the Lord and Gideon.” | |
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| And men below rear temples high | 10 |
| And mock their God with reasons why, | |
| And live in arrogance, sin and shame, | |
| And rape their souls for the world’s good name. | |
| Each black cloud | |
| Is a fiery steed. | 15 |
| And they cry aloud | |
| With each strong deed, | |
| “The sword of the Lord and Gideon.” | |
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| The band of Gideon roam the sky | |
| And view the earth with baleful eye; | 20 |
| In holy wrath they scourge the land | |
| With earth-quake, storm and burning brand. | |
| Each black cloud | |
| Is a fiery steed. | |
| And they cry aloud | 25 |
| With each strong deed, | |
| “The sword of the Lord and Gideon.” | |
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| The lightnings flash and the thunders roll, | |
| And “Lord have mercy on my soul,” | |
| Cry men as they fall on the stricken sod, | 30 |
| In agony searching for their God. | |
| Each black cloud | |
| Is a fiery steed. | |
| And they cry aloud | |
| With each strong deed, | 35 |
| “The sword of the Lord and Gideon.” | |
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| And men repent and then forget | |
| That heavenly wrath they ever met, | |
| The band of Gideon yet will come | |
| And strike their tongues of blasphemy dumb. | 40 |
| Each black cloud | |
| Is a fiery steed. | |
| And they cry aloud | |
| With each strong deed, | |
| “The sword of the Lord and Gideon.” | 45 |
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