Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, Go Down Moses, & Keep Your Hand on the Plow

"Swing low, sweet chariot,
Comin' for to carry me home;
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Comin' for to carry me home.

I looked over Jordan,
And WHAT did I see,
Comin' for to carry me home,
A band of angels comin' after me,
Comin' for to carry me home" ("Swing").

This is the chorus for Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. I have heard of this poem before, and I actually think that it is a pretty good poem, and one that really has a lot of meaning behind it if you really know what this anonymous person was talking about. I know from reading this poem in the past that it was written during the time when they had the underground railroads. I think that this tells us that this poem is obviously sharing regionalism, because it is focusing on the area that they were in. During this time of the underground railroads, people were just worried about being home and that is all that they wanted. I think this speech meant a lot to the people that were around then, because it was sharing about their lives and how they just knew that those angels were for them to take them home, so not only does it show regionalism but it also shares realism. I think it showed realism, because this author was sharing real life events during this time that affected everyone, and was causing people to be unhappy.

When Israel was in Egypt's land
Let my people go
Oppressed so hard they could not stand
Let my people go

Go down (go down)
Moses (do down Moses)
Way down in Egypt's land
Tell old, Pharoh
Let my people go!

Thus saith the Lord, bold Moses said
Let my people go
If not, I'll smite your first born dead
Let my people go! ("GO Down Moses Lyrics").

These words are the lyrics to Go Down Moses. I think that Go Down Moses is related to regionalism. I can tell from reading this passage that the writer was probably an African American that had probably escaped from slavery for a little bit, and was just wanting to be set free. I think it represents regionalism, because their is a place that they want to be and that place is home. They share their feelings, and they just want to be free.

Keep Your Hands on the Plow was a good read, and I had never heard of that one before. I noticed that this one too was talking about slavery, and that they needed to keep their hands on the plow and just keep pushing forward, and eventually it would all be over with. "Got my hands on the gospel plow, Wouldn't take nothin' for my journey now, Keep your hands on that plow, hold on" (Keep Your Hands on the Plow Lyrics). I think this also shows regionalism and realism. I think that they were just being honest and talking about what was going on in their life right then, it that place where they could not stop working.

All three of these lyrics had a lot in common, because they were all about slavery. I think that they all showed us regionalism and realism. They were brutally honest at times about sharing what was really going on in their lives. They also shared how certain areas were free, but some were not. Slavery was a big issue in that time, and I can see how that was probably a big subject to talk about, and some people just needed to share their feelings then.


"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, Lyrics." Scout Songs: Song Lyrics for Boy Scouts Songs, Girl Scouts Songs, and American Patriotic Songs. Web. 10 Feb. 2011. .

"Go Down Moses Lyrics." Music-Lyrics-Gospel. RecordFly LLC. Web. 6 Feb. 2011. http://www.music-lyrics-gospel.com/gospel_music_lyrics/go_down_moses_586.asp.

"Keep Your Hands On The Plow - GospelSongLyrics.Org." GospelSongLyrics.org - Lyrics and Music to All Your Favorite Gospel Songs. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. .