A Juneteenth Tribute
The spirituals created by enslaved people served multiple purposes: religious expression, coded communication about escape routes, and declarations of hope in the face of oppression. These songs became anthems of the Civil Rights Movement and remain powerful today.
Go Down, Moses
When Israel was in Egypt's land,
Let my people go!
Oppressed so hard they could not stand,
Let my people go!
Go down, Moses,
Way down in Egypt's land;
Tell old Pharaoh
To let my people go!
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Coming for to carry me home.
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Coming for to carry me home.
I looked over Jordan, and what did I see,
Coming for to carry me home?
A band of angels coming after me,
Coming for to carry me home.
Wade in the Water
Wade in the water,
Wade in the water, children,
Wade in the water,
God's gonna trouble the water.
(A coded instruction: walk in water to throw off the scent for tracking dogs)
Follow the Drinking Gourd
Follow the drinking gourd,
Follow the drinking gourd,
For the old man is a-waiting for to carry you to freedom,
Follow the drinking gourd.
(The "drinking gourd" is the Big Dipper, pointing to the North Star and the path to freedom)
Oh, Freedom
Oh, freedom, oh, freedom,
Oh, freedom over me!
And before I'd be a slave,
I'll be buried in my grave,
And go home to my Lord and be free.
We Shall Overcome
We shall overcome,
We shall overcome,
We shall overcome someday.
Oh, deep in my heart,
I do believe
We shall overcome someday.
(Adapted from earlier spirituals, this became the anthem of the Civil Rights Movement)
Lift Every Voice and Sing
Lift every voice and sing,
Till earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the listening skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
(Written by James Weldon Johnson in 1900, often called the "Black National Anthem")