Swing Low Sweet Chariot, Go Down Moses, and Keep your Hands on the Plow.

During the years where slavery was the most rampant in America the slaves were treated like animals. Animals were treated better most likely in some places. The enslaved African Americans were denied basic rights by some owners in hopes that they would become mindless and only perform the tasks their masters gave them. In one account a man is lashed thirty times on the back for being outside to late, and then the slave master, to prove a point, grabbed the mans feet and lashed those too so the man could not walk. Stories like those were prevalent all over the south. But the slaves did not always adhere to their masters wishes. Many slaves ran away from their plantation and went to the north where they were free. The vast majority of slaves though stayed in the plantation and performed was termed subtle sabotage. These actions were so called because of the way the slaves implemented the subterfuge. The owners may be able to make the slave work but who is to say that the slave would not jsut work slowly and ineptly? Many of the slaves outside would sing psalms or other songs to keep their spirits high. Sometimes though the songs had deeper meanings, like Go Down Moses for example it says:

The Lord, by Moses, to Pharaoh said: Oh! let my people go.

If not, I'll smite your first-born dead—Oh! let my people go.

Oh! go down, Moses,

Away down to Egypt's land,

And tell King Pharaoh

To let my people go. (Anonymous)

At first this song seems to be a simple religious tune, but upon further inspection it becomes pretty clear this song is encouragement to the slaves. The slaves are relating their own trials and tribulations the issues that Moses' people faced a thousand years before. They believed that soon someone would lead them to freedom and out of bondage. Also many times there would be secret messages inside the songs like in Swing Low, Sweet Chariot:

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. (Anonymous)

This quote initially seems like any normal song lyric but when you begin thinking like a spy its changes from an innocent lyric to a secret message meaning someone soon will be coming to save the slaves and take them away from the plantation. Such a song could be sang during the civil war to signal that Union troops were on their way to save the slaves. Though the most important function of all songs was to entertain and to take their minds off of their horrid living conditions. Songs like Keep Your Hands on the Plow are meant to pass the time during the long workdays that the slaves had to endure while they were forced to do manual labor for the terrible men that called themselves owners. Truly fascinating

NetHymnal. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. .

"Go Down Moses." Welcome to Monmouth University. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. .

Unknown - Keep Your Hands On The Plow Lyrics." LYRICS. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. .