Find Sister Caroline…
And she’s tired—
She’s weary—
Go down, Death, and bring her to me.

These lines come from James Weldon Johnson’s poem “Go Down, Death—A Funeral Sermon,” written in the voice and cadences of an African American preacher delivering a eulogy. The poem is part of Johnson’s project of preserving and elevating Black vernacular religious oratory as a major American art form. In the sermon, Death is addressed not as a terror but as a messenger sent to relieve “Sister Caroline,” a faithful woman worn down by life’s burdens. The quoted passage occurs as the preacher turns from praising her life to petitioning Death directly to come gently and carry her home.

The speaker frames death as compassionate release rather than punishment: “tired” and “weary” suggest a life of labor, struggle, and endurance, and the request that Death “bring her to me” casts dying as a return to God’s presence. By naming “Sister Caroline,” the poem individualizes grief while also evoking a communal church setting where the deceased is honored as part of a spiritual family. The repeated dashes and short lines mimic spoken emphasis, turning the plea into a rhythmic, consoling chant. Overall, the passage exemplifies Johnson’s fusion of literary craft with the emotional power of Black funeral preaching.