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Transcript

Negro Slave Spirituals

The message behind the song

Slave music

Songs of the Underground Railroad. Songs were used in everyday life by African slaves. Singing was tradition brought from Africa by the first slaves; sometimes their songs are called spirituals. Singing served many purposes such as providing repetitive rhythm for repetitive manual work, inspiration and motivation.

Messages in the music

Messages in the music

swing low

come into slaveholding states

sweet chariot

the Underground Railroad

comin' for to carry me home...

take me to the freedom in northern states or canada

i looked over jordan and what did i see?

I looked over the Mississippi or Ohio river and what did i see?

a band of angels coming after me

workers on the Underground Railroad coming to help me

if you get there before I do, tell all my friends im coming too

if I have escaped friends or family, please tell them my escape plan

I'm sometimes up, I'm sometimes down

I have good days and bad days

but still my soul feels heavenly bound

but I know I will soon escape north on the Underground Railroad

"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" is an American negro (African American) spiritual. The earliest known recording was in 1909, by the Fisk Jubilee Singers of Fisk University. The song serves as the anthem of the England national rugby union team.

In 2002, the Library of Congress honored the song as one of 50 recordings chosen that year to be added to the National Recording Registry. It was also included in the list of Songs of the Century, by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts.

More songs

More songs

  • Wade in the water
  • Steal away
  • Follow the Drinking Gourd
  • O Canaan

O, Canaan, sweet Canaan,

I am bound for the land of Canaan,

O, Canaan, it is my happy home,

I am bound for the land of Canaan!

The way the holy prophets went,

I am bound for the land of Canaan,

The way that leads from banishment,

I am bound for the land of Canaan!

Follow the drinking gourd,

Follow the drinking gourd,

For the old man is waiting for to carry you to freedom

If you follow the drinking gourd.

When the sun comes back and the first quail calls,

Follow the drinking gourd.

For the old man is waiting for to carry you to freedom

If you don’t believe I’ve been redeemed

God’s gonna trouble the water

I want you to follow him on down to Jordan stream

(I said) My God’s gonna trouble the water

You know chilly water is dark and cold

(I know my) God’s gonna trouble the water

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