AFRICAN ANERICAN

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Afiican Ameiican Spiiitual, coue song


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0iiginally an Afiican Ameiican slave spiiitual song, often sung as a laboiwoik song.
Swing Low is also consiueieu a coue song anu was a favoiite spiiitual of Baiiiett
Tubman.



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LYRICS LITERAL MEANING
"CODED," SECRET
MEANING
Refrain:
Swing low, Come down from above, Come into the slaveholding
states,
sweet chariot, heavenly vehicle, the "Underground Railroad,"
Comin' for to carry me home... Coming to take me to heaven... Come to take me to freedom in
the North or in Canada...
(Rousse)


4-25('6 07'+'(8$+5285(2
A mixtuie between Afiican musical tiauition anu Euiopean musical influence. A
stiong sense of metei anu emphasis on ihythm that can be sung as a gioup is
ieminiscent of Afiican song tiauition. Emphasis on melouic contoui, uistinct stanzas
anu woiu meaning came fiom Euiopean influence.

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Coue Song, Afiican Ameiican Spiiitual

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Follow the Biinking uouiu was basically a coueu map that leu the slaves noith to
fieeuom. 'Follow the uiinking gouiu' meant follow the Noith Stai anu heau Noith.
'The olu man' iefeis to the sailoi that woulu meet the escapee on the bank of the
0hio Rivei anu feiiy them acioss to fieeuom. The song is seveial veises long all
containing coueu meanings that woulu uiiect the slaves to the ioute to fieeuom.

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Follow the Biinking uouiu was a coue song that helpeu Afiican Ameiican slaves
escape to Canaua via the 0nueigiounu Railioau. It has since been pieseiveu anu
become a staple of the collection of Afiican Ameiican folk music that has suiviveu
touay, auapteu into many musical ienuitions.

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(Follow) (Bieslei)



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Negio Spiiitual, Woik Song


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This Negio spiiitual is a iowing song that was fiist known to be sung by the Afiican
Ameiican slaves that inhabiteu the ueoigia Sea Islanus. It was also useu as a woik
song as the slaves ioweu ovei the watei, utilizing the song to set the pace foi theii
iowing. It is speculateu that the name Nichael iefeis to the aichangel Nichael to aiu
the slaves in theii laboi. It was latei publisheu in Allen Waie's 'Slave Songs of the
0niteu States' anu is often put in a choial context uue to the fact that the song lenus
itself to be sung in laige gioups. It's lyiics aie a piime example of the influence of
Chiistianity on the slaves as the lyiics incoipoiate many iefeiences to Chiistian
beliefs anu faith.

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(Bex)










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Afiican Ameiican Spiiitual


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This Afiican Ameiican spiiitual is ieminiscent of a piayei in song foim, anu gave the
slaves hope foi salvation. 0iiginally, the lyiics containeu uialect woius, foi example
'ue angels aie watchin' obuh me' ('obuh' meaning ovei anu 'ue' ieplacing the woilu
the). This was not sung as a woik song, anu was useu moie as a lullaby anu
chiluien's song.

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This spiiitual contains aspects of Afiican music with its syncopateu ihythms. A
poition of the lyiical mateiial of the spiiitual can be founu in eailiei Euiopean
ieligious Chiistian texts.

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(Beth) , (Angels)






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Afiican Ameiican Spiiitual

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The song's lyiics aie baseu of the stoiy of the 0lu Testament but also alluue to the
black slaves' stiuggle foi fieeuom. The slaves fiom Isiael being foiceu to woik in
Egypt unuei the iule of the phaiaoh was a metaphoi foi the black slaves fiom Afiica
maue to woik foi the slave mastei. In this way the slaves weie able to subtly iebel
against theii oppiessois with the veil of the biblical meaning of the text to hiue the
tiue meaning of the lyiics.

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In the song, Egypt is iefeiieu to as 'below' othei lanus, inuicating to the slaves in
coue that uown the Nississippi Rivei the conuitions of slaveiy weie woise anu that
going Noith woulu leau them to a fiee lanu.

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Although the lyiics aie boiioweu fiom the Bible, the call anu iesponse aspect of uo
Bown Noses comes fiom Afiican musical tiauition.


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(Beth) (Piinceton)



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Afiican Ameiican Spiiitual anu woik song

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The text of this spiiitual is ueiiveu fiom the biblical stoiy of }oshua anu the fall of
}eiicho. In the stoiy }oshua anu his aimy stoim the city blowing theii tiumpets anu
the walls collapse. This is a metaphoi foi the black slaves' escape fiom slaveiy. This
folk song was latei maue populai by the }ubilee singeis anu Nahalia }ackson, the
Queen of uospel.

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The song was sung also in uialect, as '}oshua fit ue battle ob }eiicho', 'fit' ieplacing
fought, 'ue' the anu 'ob' ieplacing of.

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The song is lively anu veiy ihythmic, like Afiican tiauitional music. Because of these
musical chaiacteiistics the song lent itself well to uospel ienuitions latei on.

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Afiican Ameiican Spiiitual


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The lyiics of this spiiitual iefeience examples fiom the bible of the loiu ueliveiing
his people fiom a vaiiety of oppiessois, then asking 'so why not eveiy man.'. The
song gave the slaves an outlet foi theii fiustiation as well as the encouiagement that
salvation was coming anu to tiust in uou.


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The melouy of the sung is extiemely syncopateu, ieminiscent of Afiican ihythmic
chaiacteiistics.

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Afiican Ameiican Spiiitual

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Song oiiginateu uuiing the time in which it was common foi Afiican Ameiican
chiluien to be solu into slaveiy anu sepaiateu fiom theii paients. It is also thought
to be a metaphoi foi the slaves' sepaiation fiom theii homelanu. It is one of the
most well known examples of the negio spiiituals that expiesseu the suffeiing anu
pain of Afiican Ameiican slaves aftei being iippeu fiom theii homelanu.

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(Answeis)


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Afiican Ameiican Spiiitual, sometimes useu as coue song by auuing veises

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Also known as 'Nobouy Knows the Tiouble I've Seen'. 0ften moie veises weie
auueu with coue as pait of the 0nueigiounu Railioau effoits. The song says that, no
mattei the haiuship, }esus knows youi tioubles anu will be waiting foi you when
you uie. This song was maue populai by Louis Aimstiong anu has been aiiangeu
into many uiffeient veisions.
This

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Small amount of uialect can be founu in the veises, mostly 'ue' ieplaces the.

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(Allen)
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Afiican Ameiican Spiiitual

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'Little Baviu, Play on Youi Baip' was a spiiitual useu to uplift the slaves iathei than
expiess theii soiiows. The melouy is cheeiful anu completely majoi in tonality. The
song iefeiences Baviu, a biblical chaiactei anu uemonstiates the assimilation of
Afiican Ameiican music anu cultuie with AmeiicanEuiopean cultuie.

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(Beth)













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Afiican Ameiican Spiiitual, coue song

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Thought to be a coue song, it is populai belief that the lyiics waineu slaves that
avoiuing uiy lanu while tiying to escape was the safest ioute to take anu to thiow
the slave catcheis' uogs off of theii scent. It is also a iefeience to the Bible, iefeiiing
to the stoiy of the Isiaelites escape fiom Egypt. The song lyiics also imploieu the
slaves to tiust uou as the Isiaelites tiusteu him while ciossing the Reu Sea (this
bible stoiy is iefeienceu in one of the veises).

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Theie is an element of call anu iesponse, wheie the leauei sings the veise anu the
iest of the singeis iesponu by singing the choius between veises. This is
ieminiscent of Afiican musical tiauition.

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Afiican Ameiican Spiiitual, coue song


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Now a stanuaiu uospel tune, this was oiiginally an Afiican Ameiican Spiiitual. In
many spiiituals the woiu chaiiot was ieplaceu with tiain, which was in iefeience to
the 0nueigiounu Railioau, which is tiue in this spiiitual. It came to be a symbol of
hope anu fieeuom as well. In paiticulai, "The uospel Tiain' became a coue saying
meaning the 0nueigiounu Railioau. The lyiics wain that theie will be a gioup of
escapees leaving foi the Noith soon to fieeuom, oi that theie was a 'conuuctoi'
among them.

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(0wen)



Woiks Citeu
Allan. "William Fiancis Allen, 18Su-1889, Chailes Pickaiu Waie, 184u-1921,
AnuLucy NcKim uaiiison, 1842-1877. Slave Songs of the 0niteu States."
15665'B C+'.(52 A66$.= DEFGHDEEI= 07'+6$2 J5()'+/ 1'+$= DEKGHDILD= A./M-("
4(N5B O'++52,.= DEKLHDEPPQ 96'R$ 9,.*2 ,S 87$ T.58$/ 98'8$2Q N.p., 2uu4. Web.
2S Nai. 2u14.
"Angels Watching 0vei Ne." A.*$62 1'8(75.* UR$+ 4$. N.p., n.u. Web. 2S Nai. 2u14.
Answeis. "Sometimes I Feel Like a Notheiless Chilu." A.2V$+2. Answeis
Coipoiation, n.u. Web. 2S Nai. 2u14.
Bieslei, }oel. "What the Lyiics Nean." WC,66,V 87$ @+5.)5.* O,-+/W>. N.p., n.u. Web. 2S
Nai. 2u14.
Coastal}ouinal. "C0ASTLINE }00RNAL." 0UA9!MXYZ [UT;YAM. N.p., n.u. Web. 2S
Nai. 2u14.
Bex. "Who Was Nichael, anu Why Shoulu Be Row Bis Boat Ashoie." !7$ 98+'5*78
@,#$. N.p., n.u. Web. 2S Nai. 2u14.
""Follow the Biinking uouiu"Afiican Ameiican Spiiitual." \C,66,V 87$ @+5.)5.*
O,-+/]^AS+5('. AB$+5('. 9#5+58-'6. Boughton Nifflin Company, n.u. Web. 2S
Nai. 2u14.
Nuucat. "Biun't Ny Loiu Belivei Baniel." @5/._8 4" M,+/ @$65R$+ @'.5$6` N.p., n.u.
Web. 2S Nai. 2u14.
NusicNote, Beth. "Beth's Nusic Notes: All Night All Bay." &$87_2 4-25( Y,8$2> A66
Y5*78 A66 @'". N.p., Nay 2u1S. Web. 2S Nai. 2u14.
0wen, Sounu. "Songs of Fieeuom." UV$.9,-./. N.p., 2u12. Web. 2S Nai. 2u14.
Piinceton. "uo Bown Noses." J+5.($8,. T.5R$+258". Piinceton, 2u1S. Web. 2S Nai.
2u14.
"Roau to Authentic Ameiican Folk Nusic." ;,'/. N.p., n.u. Web. 2S Nai. 2u14.
Rousse, Steve. "Swing Low, Sweet Chaiiot by Steve Rouse." 9V5.* M,V= 9V$$8 07'+5,8
a" 98$R$ ;,-2$. N.p., n.u. Web. 2S Nai. 2u14.
"Summaiy of Biun't Ny Loiu Belivei Baniel." b'7,, 0,.8+5a-8,+ Y$8V,+). N.p., n.u.
Web. 2S Nai. 2u14.
ThinkPoit. "Pathways to Fieeuom | Seciets: Signs anu Symbols | Nusic." J'87V'"2 8,
C+$$/,B c 9$(+$82> 95*.2 './ 9"Ba,62 c 4-25(. N.p., n.u. Web. 24 Nai. 2u14.
Wiight, 0. v. "Nusical Analysis." 1,+6/J+$22. N.p., n.u. Web. 2S Nai. 2u14.













Lesson Plan 1
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Stuuents will be able to sing song anu move to the song in steauy time anu sing the
song in tune, in unison. Stuuents will also unueistanu the social context of
the song, i.e. they will unueistanu that the song was sung by Afiican
Ameiican slaves to help with theii laboi anu keep them in sync with one
anothei.
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In oiuei to teach the stuuents this tune I woulu use the iote methou. At this
point I woulu explain the histoiical context anu puipose of the song to the
stuuents. Aftei they aie able to sing the song on theii own anu unueistoou
the context of the song, I woulu have them move in a ciicle, maiching on
beats one anu thiee, oi have them act out plowing the fielus on beats one anu
thiee. As an optional activity if the stuuents seemeu veiy comfoitable with
the melouy I woulu split them into gioups anu have them sing it in a iounu.













Lesson Plan 2
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Uad$(85R$2
Stuuents aie able to sing coiiectly the syncopateu ihythms anu sing the song
in tune. Stuuents unueistanu the histoiical context anu meaning behinu the
song, i.e. that the song is a coue song useu by the 0nueigiounu Railioau that
uesciibeu a map anu ioute to fieeuom.
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Fiist, I woulu isolate the syncopateu ihythmic figuies in the song anu have
the stuuents piactice them by clapping them back to me anu ieauing the
isolateu ihythms on the piojectoiwhite boaiu. Then, I woulu teach the song
by iote using solfege to the chiluien, paying special attention to the tiicky
ihythms of the song. I woulu then explain the lyiics of the song (the coueu
phiases) anu the social context of the song befoie ieplacing the solfege with
the oiiginal lyiics anu having the chiluien sing the song. At this stage the
song woulu be piojecteu so the stuuents woulu be able to ieau the melouy
anu woius togethei.





Table of Contents
9#5+58-'62
All Night, All Bay 1
Biun't Ny Loiu Belivei Baniel 2
Follow the Biinking uouiu S
uo Bown Noses 4
}oshua Fit the Battle of }eiicho S
Little Baviu, Play 0n Youi Baip 6
Nichael Row the Boat Ashoie 7
Notheiless Chilu 8
Nobouy Knows the Tiouble I've Bau 9
Swing Low Sweet Chaiiot 1u
The uospel Tiain 11
Waue in the Watei 12
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Lesson 1: Swing Low Sweet Chaiiot 1S
Lesson 2: Follow the Biinking uouiu 14
&5a65,*+'#7" 1S