Black slaves who ran away from their masters during the American Civil War usually went to the famous Fort Monroe, where the headquarters of the command and the military base of the Ground Forces were located.
In 1862 there were a great many of them, and they made the spiritual Oh! Let My People Go: The Song of the Contrabands. An abridged version by Louis Armstrong is now commonly known as Go Down, Moses.
The history of the song Let My People Go
According to Chaplain Lockwood, who first recorded the words and melody of the song, it originated in Virginia. The first famous musician to sing Oh! Let My People Go, became pianist Horace Waters.
Somewhat later, the musical group Fisk Jubilee Singers performed a slightly modified version of it, already called Go Down, Moses, a cappella.
The modern version of the spiritual was first sung by the owner of a great bass Paul Robeson (Paul Robeson).
The composition Go Down, Moses became really famous thanks to Louis Armstrong, who recorded it with Cy Olivera’s orchestra in 1958.
Meaning of Let My People Go
The lyrics of the song Go Down, Moses retells the Old Testament story of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt. We can say that the sixteenth verse of the seventh chapter of Exodus is taken as the basis, in which God says to Moses:
“And tell him
: The Lord, the God of the Jews, has sent me to say to you: Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness; but behold, hitherto you have disobeyed.”
It is easy to guess why the spiritual Oh! Let My People Go: The Song of the Contrabands became the anthem of the runaway slaves. They compared themselves with the Israelites, who Moses brought out of Egypt, and the pharaoh with their former masters.
Interesting Facts
- The slogan of the movement for the free exit of Soviet Jews to their historical homeland was the phrase “Let my people go.”
- The Jews traditionally sing Go Down, Moses in Hebrew on the eve of Pesach.
- The writer William Faulkner named one of his works “Come Down, Moses” after this spiritual.
Louis Armstrong Go Down Moses Lyrics
Go down, Moses
way down in egypt land
Tell old Pharaoh
To let my people go
Now when Israel was in Egypt land
(Let my people go)
Oppressed so hard they could not stand
(Let my people go)
So the Lord said:
Go down, Moses
way down in egypt land
Tell old Pharaoh
To let my people go
So Moses went to Egypt land
(Let my people go)
He made old Pharaoh understand
(Let my people go)
Yes, the Lord said:
Go down, Moses
way down in egypt land
Tell old Pharaoh
To let my people go
Thus the Lord, bold Moses said,
(Let my people go)
If not I’ll smite your firstborn dead
(Let my people go)
‘Cause the Lord said:
Go down Moses
way down in egypt land
Tell old Pharaoh
To let my people go
Go Down Moses Lyrics – Louis Armstrong
“Come down, Moses,
Into the land of Egypt
Tell the old pharaoh
To let my people go”
Then the Israelites lived in Egypt
(Let my people go)
So oppressed that they had no strength to endure
(Let my people go)
The Lord said:
“Come down, Moses,
Into the land of Egypt
Tell the old pharaoh
To let my people go”
And Moses went to the land of Egypt
(Let my people go)
And told Pharaoh about it
(Let my people go)
Yes, the Lord said:
“Come down, Moses,
Into the land of Egypt
Tell the old pharaoh
To let my people go”
“Thus spoke the Lord,” said bold Moses,
(Let my people go)
If not, I will kill all the firstborns.”
(Let my people go)
For the Lord said:
“Come down, Moses,
Into the land of Egypt
Tell the old pharaoh
To let my people go”
