I really liked reading these songs or poems, or whatever they were originally. I have heard "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" before. Back in the South, African Americans would sing it while they were working on the plantations. Out of all the songs they could have sung, this was a very popular one. After looking at the lyrics though, I realized why they would have chosen a song like this one. This is a pretty old song, and in the song, it refers back to Jordan, which is the river that Christ was baptized in. It is a song of hope. A hope that one day, "A band of angels comin' after me,Comin' for to carry me home" (Swing).
Another song is," Go Down, Moses." Unlike the other song, this one talks more about the actual mistreatment of Hebrew slaves during Biblical times, whereas Swing Low Sweet Chariot was simply the hope of coming home, this one sort of tells what happened to them. This song is about when God commands Moses to go to Egypt and tell Pharaoh to "Let My People Go!" I really love Mose's story. I think it is very powerful and amazing. Anyway,for example, the line, "Oppressed so hard they could not stand...Let My People Go!" (Go). However, both of these songs I believe have the slavery issue in common. Both of them relate to that, the only real difference is the time period that it is in.
The last song is "Keep Your Hand on the Plow." I love this song the best I think because it is one of those songs that can be so meaningful and inspiring. For example, I like the line that says, "When my way gets dark as night,I know the lord will be my light," (Keep). This song is basically saying that even when things get hard or confusing, if you "keep your hand on the plow," you will always be okay. I think that is a very comforting thought. That is why people love it so much.
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