Song Yet Sung

The code that the old Woman with No Name first introduces to Liz is part of a complex network of visual clues, passwords, and enigmatic phrases. As Liz moves along her journey, the meaning of each part of the code is revealed.

The code’s fragmented and confusing phrases are divided into two parts. Some are clues about how to stay safe while evading slave catchers and how to find help from those connected to the gospel train. For example, the instruction “You got to speak low” (8) turns out to be about the blacksmith:  When Liz meets the blacksmith, she must speak in a whisper. Similar instructions explain how to find likeminded code-followers by drawing a crooked line in the dirt, how to find safe hiding places, how to navigate in circular paths to avoid detection, and how to find a gospel train operator.

Other code pieces direct its followers in moral quandaries. For instance, obeying the guideline “If you see wickedness and snares, you got to be a watchman to the good” (8) allows Liz to protect Amber when she knows that he is in trouble. These code segments also spell out the code’s