What are negro spiritual songs ?
Louis Armstrong

In America, the enslaved¹ Africans would often sing while they worked to create a rythm to drive their tedious² hard labour³. Spiritual songs often fused⁴ together traditional African style with characteristics of European religious hymns. Drumming⁵ was often banned⁶ by the plantation owners⁷ because it might⁸ be sending out messages. However singing was encouraged as a way of lifting spirits⁹. Many songs carried secret messages encouraging enslaved Africans to make their way to freedom from the slave states of the South to the free states of the North. But because the songs often referred¹⁰ to biblical stories they could have perfectly innocent meanings too.

Listen to the reading of the text

Download as MP3

1 - to enslave : to take someone as a slave
2 - tedious : difficult and borring
3 - labour : work
4 - to fuse together : to join/put together

5 - to drum : to play music on a drum
6 - to bann : to forbid, to make illegal
7 - an owner : someone who possesses something. Here, they possess a plantation.
to own : to possess
8 - it might : it could
9 - to lift spirit (up) :to make someone feel better
10 - to refer : to talk about


 

GO DOWN MOSES
Louis Armstrong

[ Go down, Moses, way¹ down in Egypt land
Tell old Pharohs to let my people go]

 When Israel was in Egypt land
Let my people go
Oppressed² so hard they could not stand³
Let my people go

[ Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt land
Tell old Pharohs to let my people go ]
 

So Moses went to Egypt land
Let my people go
He made old Pharaoh understand
Let my people go

[ Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt land
Tell old Pharohs to let my people go ]

Thus⁴ spoke the Lord, bold⁵ Moses said,
Let my people go
If not I'll smite⁶ your firstborn dead
Let my people go

[ Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt land
Tell old Pharohs to let my people go ]

The Lord told Moses what to do,
Let my people go,
To lead⁷ the Hebrew children through,
Let my people go.

[ Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt land
Tell old Pharohs to let my people go ]

When they reached the other shore⁸,
Let my people go,
They sang a song of triumph o'er,
Let my people go.

[ Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt land
Tell old Pharohs to let my people go ]

Listen to the reading of the text

Download as MP3

1 - way : very / far
Ex : way up in the sky = very high in the sky

2 - to oppress : to treat with cruelty
3 - to stand : to tolerate

4 - thus : like this,
5 - bold : brave
6 - to smite : to hit very hard
To smite dead : To smite someone until he dies.

7 - to lead through : to guide through
Ex : The leader leads his people through the desert

8 - shore : piece of land next to the sea