Decoding Spirituals :

Phrase Meaning
Reference to Heaven or life after death Escaping slavery to the North
Chariot/ train/ wheels How you will escape to the North via the Underground
Railroad
Stealing Away or Wading in the water Instructions on how to make a secret escape or using rivers
and streams to keep hounds from detecting scents
River Jordan Ohio River or any other significant body of water needed to
be crossed to get to freedom
Going home to glory/ going to Jesus/ promised land Any safe haven in the North
Moses Harriet Tubman—conductors on the Underground Railroad

Look at the lyrics below and see if you can annotate and decode the secret message of this Spiritual. You will write your name on the top and turn in your
annotations at the end of the lesson. There may be phrases in the song that aren’t on the chart—but you should be able to infer their meaning.

Go down Moses (UNDERGROUND RAILROAD) So Moses went to Egypt land God the Lord said, go down (go down) Moses
Way down in Egypt land (SOUTH) Let my people go! (Moses)
Tell all Pharaoes (SLAVE OWNERS) He made all Pharaoes understand (SLAVE Way (way) down (down) in Egypt land
To let my people go! (FREE THE SLAVES) OWNERS) Tell all Pharaoes
Oh when Israel was in Egypt land Let my people go! To let my people go!
Let my people go! Yes the Lord said, go down (go down) Moses Way down in Egypt land
Oppressed so hard, they could not stand (Moses) Tell all Pharaoes
Let my people go! Way (way) down (down) in Egypt land To let my people go
So the Lord said, go down (go down) Moses (Moses) Tell all Pharaoes
(GO DOWN UNDERGROUND RAILROAD) To let my people go (let my people go)
Way (way) down (down) in Egypt land (SOUTH) Thus spoke the Lord, bold Moses said
Tell all Pharaoes Let my people go!
To let my people go (let my people go) If not I'll smite, your firstborn's dead
God the Lord said, go down (go down) Moses (Moses) Let my people go!
Way (way) down (down) in Egypt land
Tell all Pharaoes
To let my people go!
Way down in Egypt land
Tell all Pharaoes
To let my people go