Anonymous – Swing Low Sweet Chariot, Go Down, Moses, & Keep Your Hand on the Plow

Swing low, sweet chariot,
Comin' for to carry me home!

I looked over Jordan and what did I see,
Comin' for to carry me home!
A band of angels comin' after me,
Comin' for to carry me home!

Swing low, sweet chariot,
Comin' for to carry me home!

If you get there before I do,
Comin' for to carry me home,
Jess tell my friends that I'm acomin' too,
Comin' for to carry me home.

Swing low, sweet chariot,
Comin' for to carry me home!

I'm sometimes up and sometimes down,
Comin' for to carry me home,
But still my soul feels heavenly bound
Comin' for to carry me home! (Sound).

That poem/song has become quite well known, and is one of my favorites. Swing low sweet chariot uses regionalism throughout because this was written during the time when the Underground Railroad was around. It is fitting with almost any time period, however, because the poem is telling of how someone just wants to get home, and they are going to be getting in the chariot to help get them home. I think that is part of the reason why this song was so popular, especially during the times where people were unhappy and just wanted to be home.


Verse 1
When Israel was in Egypt's land
Let my people go
Oppressed so hard they could not stand
Let my people go

Chorus
Go down (go down)
Moses (do down Moses)
Way down in Egypt's land
Tell old, Pharoh
Let my people go!

Verse 2
Thus saith the Lord, bold Moses said
Let my people go
If not, I'll smite your first born dead
Let my people go

(repeat chorus)

Verse 3
No more shall they in bondage toil
Let my people go
Let them come out with Egypt's spoil
Let my people go (Go Down Moses Lyrics).

This song also has to do with regionalism, because I can tell by the lyrics that this song was written by an African American. He or she was probably an escaped or free slave and was mad just like all the other slaves that they had not been set free yet. Therefore, he or she wrote a song regarding their feelings and that they should be free, just like everyone else. These two songs so far have illustrated the African Americans' feelings regarding slavery and that they are just like everyone else and want to just be at home.

Keep Your Hands On The Plow was an interesting song to read. The lyrics had to deal with slaves working out in the field, and despite everything that was going on, they had to stay working. The author of the song used biblical references throughout the story, however, I picked up on the fact that the author was actually talking about people he or she knew and his or her experiences of working as a slave (Keep Your Hands On The Plow Lyrics).

All three of these songs were quite interesting in the fact that they all had the common theme of slavery. However, that is quite common for that time period, I believe, because slavery was the big issue back then. So, people were writing songs about it and trying to get rid of it. They used the songs to make themselves feel better and get through the tough times, which makes sense.

Works Cited:

"Go Down Moses Lyrics." Music-Lyrics-Gospel. RecordFly LLC. Web. 6 Feb. 2011. http://www.music-lyrics-gospel.com/gospel_music_lyrics/go_down_moses_586.asp.

"Keep Your Hands On The Plow Lyrics." GospelSongLyrics.org. 2006. Web. 6 Feb. 2011. .

Sound, Owen. "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." Owen Sound's Black History. Web. 6 Feb. 2011. .