Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" is an American spiritual folk song.

History

During the period of slavery in the United States prior to the Civil War, slaves sang some spiritual songs that bore hidden, non-religious content. The hidden content of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" was to encourage other slaves that the 'Chariot’ drivers (Underground Railroad ‘conductors’) would someday enable their safe escape to worldy freedom in the North. [1] (http://ctl.du.edu/spirituals/Freedom/coded.cfm)

Lyrics

Lyrics are as follows:

Chorus (in bold):

Swing low, sweet chariot

Coming for to carry me home

Swing low, sweet chariot

Coming for to carry me home

I looked over Jordan

And what did I see,

Coming for to carry me home

A band of angels coming after me

Coming for to carry me home

(Chorus)

If you get there

Before I do

Coming for to carry me home

Tell all my friends I'm coming too

Coming for to carry me home

(Chorus)

Sometimes I'm up

And sometimes I'm down

Coming for to carry me home

But still my soul

Feels heavenly bound

Coming for to carry me home

(Chorus)

External link

• Listen to lyrics and a playable recording (http://www.authentichistory.com/audio/antebellum/AA_Spiritual_Swing_Low_Sweet_Chariot.html) - Isadore Oglesby