[18] As it happened, the Negro soul was very thirsty for religion and drank very deeply of the wells of God. The Negroes learned to sing together, thus first of all expressing corporate life. They drew from the story of Israel’s sufferings a token of their own life, and they formed their scarcely articulate hymns—which survive to-day as the only folklore music of America. Go down, Moses, Way down in Egyp’ lan’. Tell ole Pharaoh Le’ ma people go! Israel was in Egyp’ lan’, Oppres’ so hard dey could not stan’. Le’ ma people go! or the infinitely pathetic and beautiful In the valley On my knees With my burden An’ my Saviour I couldn’t hear nobody pray, O Lord, Couldn’t hear nobody pray. O—way down yonder By myself I couldn’t hear nobody pray. [19] [19] Chilly waters In the Jordan, Crossing over Into Canaan, I couldn’t hear nobody pray, O Lord, Couldn’t hear nobody pray. O—way down yonder by myself I couldn’t hear nobody pray. Hallelujah! Troubles over In the Kingdom With my Jesus. I couldn’t hear nobody pray, O Lord, Couldn’t hear nobody pray. O—way down yonder By myself I couldn’t hear nobody pray. The poor slave was very much—way down yonder by himself, and he couldn’t hear nobody pray. Jesus seemed to have been specially born for him—to love his soul when none other was ready to love it, to comfort him in all his sufferings, and to promise him that happy heaven where unabashed the old woolly-head can sit by Mary and “play with the darling Son,” as another “spiritual” expresses it.
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