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Lyrically, the song refers to the liberation of the ancient Jewish people from
Egyptian slavery. That story held a second meaning for enslaved African Americans, because they related their experiences under slavery to those of Moses and the Israelites who were enslaved by the pharaoh, and the idea
191:
that God would come to the aid of the persecuted resonated with them. "Go Down Moses" also makes reference to the Jordan River, commonly associated in spirituals with reaching freedom, because the act of running away often involved crossing one or more rivers.
575:
We are indebted to Clark's School-Visitor for the following song of the
Contrabands, which originated among the latter, and was first sung by them in the hearing of white people at Fortress Monroe, where it was noted down by their chaplain, Rev. L.C.
332:(1869), quotes Tubman as saying she used "Go Down Moses" as one of two code songs used with fugitive enslaved people to communicate when fleeing Maryland. Tubman began her underground railroad work in 1850 and continued until the beginning of the
288:
While the
Reverend Lewis Lockwood, the chaplain of the Contrabands, was visiting Fortress Monroe in 1861, he heard runaway enslaved people singing the song, transcribed what he heard, and eventually published it in the
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Since the Old
Testament recognizes the Nile Valley as further south, and thus, lower than Jerusalem and the Promised Land, heading to Egypt means going "down" while going away from Egypt is "up". In the context of
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As is common in spirituals, the song refers to freedom, both the freedom of the
Israelites, and that of runaway enslaved people. As a result of those messages, it was outlawed by many enslavers.
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sometime before July 1862. White people who reported on the song presumed it was composed by them. It became the first spiritual known to be recorded in sheet music.
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Warren, G. S. (1997). Ev’ry Time I Feel the Spirit: 101 Best-Loved Psalms, Gospel Hymns, and
Spiritual Songs of the African-American Church.” Holt.
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33 record LM/LSC 2580, copyright 1964, first side, second band, lasting 4 minutes and 22 seconds. Liner notes by noted
African-American author
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Although usually thought of as a spiritual, the earliest written record of the song was as a rallying anthem for the
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Lockwood, "Oh! Let My People Go", p. 5: "This Song has been sung for about nine years by the Slaves of
Virginia."
340:, who led one of the most well-known slave revolts in history, either wrote or was the inspiration for the song.
293:. Soon after, sheet music was published titled "Oh! Let My People Go: The Song of the Contrabands", arranged by
1305:
605:
Graham, S. (2018). Spirituals and the Birth of a Black
Entertainment Industry. University of Illinois Press.
587:
Graham, S. (2018). Spirituals and the Birth of a Black
Entertainment Industry. University of Illinois Press.
886:
669:
Newman, R. S. (1998). Go Down Moses: A Celebration of the African-American Spiritual. Clarkson N. Potter.
527:
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Newman, R. S. (1998). Go Down Moses: A Celebration of the African-American Spiritual. Clarkson N. Potter.
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Newman, R. S. (1998). Go Down Moses: A Celebration of the African-American Spiritual. Clarkson N. Potter.
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Lockwood, L.C. "Oh! Let My People Go: The Song of the Contrabands". New York: Horace Waters (1862).
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on June 13, 2017 – via University of North Carolina: Documenting the American South.
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Darden, R. (2004). People Get Ready! A New History of Black Gospel Music. Bloomsbury.
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Darden, R. (2004). People Get Ready! A New History of Black Gospel Music. Bloomsbury.
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Darden, R. (2004). People Get Ready! A New History of Black Gospel Music. Bloomsbury.
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This article is about the song. For the book by William Faulkner, see
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recorded the song twice: live version is included on their album
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The opening verse, as published by the Jubilee Singers in 1872:
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Cleveland, J. J. (Ed.). (1981). Songs of Zion. Abingdon Press.
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Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park
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Black Recording Artists, 1877–1926: An Annotated Discography
378:(1990). The latter also features on their compilation album
311:
If not, I'll smite your first-born dead—Oh! let my people go
89:
621:. Dennis Brothers & Co. pp. 26–27. Archived from
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Jacob commands his sons to "go down to Egypt" to buy grain
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The Lord, by Moses, to Pharaoh said: Oh! let my people go
573:: 112–113. July 1862 – via Cornell University.
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391:(Duration: 3:05; recorded in 1957 for their album
1258:The Railroad to Freedom: A Story of the Civil War
637:"Summary of Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman"
1006:British Methodist Episcopal Church, Salem Chapel
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1235:Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park
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1217:National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
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756:Sweet Chariot: The Story of the Spirituals
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742:. Vol. II (July–December 1862). New York.
324:Sarah Bradford's authorized biography of
1101:Ann Maria Jackson and her seven children
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1076:Dred: A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp
703:"The Golden Gate Quartet – Spirituals"
510:. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 118.
300:However, the song was not included in
172:Oppress'd so hard they could not stand
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421:Christian child's prayer § Spirituals
7:
618:Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman
398:"Go Down Moses" was recorded by the
330:Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman
1252:Underground Railroad Bicycle Route
1043:The South Bend Fugitive Slave Case
984:List of Underground Railroad sites
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1290:Freedom: The Underground Railroad
1193:Songs of the Underground Railroad
1124:Abolitionism in the United States
426:Let My People Go (disambiguation)
213:Songs of the Underground Railroad
1371:African-American spiritual songs
1199:The Underground Railroad Records
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302:Slave Songs of the United States
141:, specifically drawing from the
120:Problems playing this file? See
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1001:Underground Railroad in Indiana
372:(1988) and a studio version on
168:When Israel was in Egypt's land
27:African-American spiritual song
291:National Anti-Slavery Standard
1:
381:The Very Best - Over 10 Years
149:to demand the release of the
1376:Cultural depictions of Moses
1337:Slavery in the United States
1173:Reverse Underground Railroad
1037:Kentucky raid in Cass County
774:Choral Public Domain Library
770:Free scores of Go Down Moses
766:at the University of Denver)
678:Gibbs, Craig Martin (2012).
145:5:1, in which God commands
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1139:African-American opponents
1022:Emeline and Samuel Hawkins
507:Music of the Civil War Era
504:Cornelius, Steven (2004).
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1089:Oberlin–Wellington Rescue
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315:Away down to Egypt's land
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133:" is an African American
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1322:The Underground Railroad
762:(Web site maintained by
615:Bradford, Sarah (1869).
181:Way down in Egypt's land
1223:Harriet Tubman Memorial
740:The Continental Monthly
567:The Continental Monthly
231:Sheet music cover, 1862
764:The Spirituals Project
322:
220:"Oh! Let My People Go"
207:"Oh! Let My People Go"
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1282:The Quest for Freedom
947:Charles Turner Torrey
942:Harriet Beecher Stowe
907:Harriet Forten Purvis
758:, particularly their
317:And tell King Pharaoh
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34:Go Down, Moses (book)
1381:Year of song unknown
1266:A Woman Called Moses
1134:opponents of slavery
1107:Thirteenth Amendment
1069:Joshua Glover rescue
882:Laura Smith Haviland
811:Underground Railroad
760:section on "Freedom"
684:. McFarland. p. 43.
319:To let my people go
48:Fisk Jubilee Singers
1274:Roots of Resistance
1156:Fugitive slave laws
902:William Cooper Nell
400:Robert Shaw Chorale
389:Golden Gate Quartet
360:for Victor in 1914.
50:(earliest attested)
1386:Songwriter unknown
1366:Paul Robeson songs
1277:(1989 documentary)
937:Calvin Ellis Stowe
857:Frederick Douglass
852:Richard Dillingham
354:Tuskegee Institute
313:Oh! go down, Moses
95:
1391:Songs about Egypt
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1341:Slavery in Canada
1325:(2021 miniseries)
1293:(2013 board game)
1269:(1978 miniseries)
1062:Uncle Tom's Cabin
726:The album itself!
358:recorded the song
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185:Let my people go
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174:Let my people go
170:Let my people go
153:from bondage in
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1144:publications
1129:Abolitionism
1095:Tilly Escape
1074:
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1055:Jerry Rescue
1028:
927:Gerrit Smith
887:David Hudson
776:(ChoralWiki)
739:
734:Bibliography
722:
710:. Retrieved
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644:. Retrieved
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623:the original
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1317:(2019 film)
1306:Underground
1301:(2016 film)
1285:(1992 film)
1261:(1932 book)
1202:(1872 book)
1181:lawn jockey
1083:Dover Eight
1079:(1856 book)
1065:(1852 book)
917:John Rankin
897:Peg Leg Joe
847:Levi Coffin
646:January 25,
541:Exodus 1:10
283:Fort Monroe
279:Contrabands
271:Traditional
201:Mississippi
81:Traditional
1355:Categories
1335:See also:
837:Owen Brown
832:John Brown
690:1476600856
516:0313320810
449:Exodus 5:1
432:References
404:RCA Victor
393:Spirituals
347:Recordings
338:Nat Turner
211:See also:
151:Israelites
122:media help
576:Lockwood.
375:New World
334:Civil War
244:Published
135:spiritual
1225:(Boston)
1177:Signals
1031:incident
994:churches
712:April 6,
415:See also
356:Singers
177:Refrain:
1314:Harriet
1210:Related
772:in the
384:(1993).
1168:Quilts
1117:Topics
1109:(1865)
1103:(1859)
1097:(1856)
1091:(1858)
1085:(1857)
1071:(1854)
1057:(1851)
1051:(1851)
1045:(1849)
1039:(1847)
1033:(1848)
1015:Events
989:houses
976:Places
819:People
707:Genius
688:
514:
139:Exodus
1029:Pearl
445:Bible
253:Genre
155:Egypt
147:Moses
63:Genre
1339:and
1161:1850
714:2020
686:ISBN
648:2017
512:ISBN
387:The
369:Live
352:The
247:1862
238:Song
56:Song
539:In
402:on
281:at
1357::
705:.
639:.
569:.
565:.
447::
395:).
328:,
803:e
796:t
789:v
716:.
692:.
650:.
571:2
410:.
129:"
124:.
36:.
20:)
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