More than Music: The Hidden Messages in Spirituals

by Chloe Woodward

On October 12, Seattle Opera will present the world premiere of Jubilee, a new opera which highlights the early years of the Jubilee Singers of Fisk University. Created and directed by Tazewell Thompson, this new opera follows the unique journey of the Jubilee Singers as they shared African American spirituals around the world, ultimately changing music forever.

A map of the Underground Railroad, a network of routes used by enslaved African Americans seeking freedom.

During the time of slavery, it was against the law for enslaved African Americans to know how to read and write. If discovered reading and writing or meeting with one another, they could face severe punishment. Because of this, the enslaved were compelled to find other ways to communicate with each other.

Songs were always an important part of everyday life for enslaved African Americans. Singing was not only a way to maintain their identity, but also a way to make their work less arduous and to keep pace while working together. These songs were known as field songs, plantation songs, and shouts. But music became something more for them: a crucial tool for survival.

Spirituals are traditional songs that were created by enslaved African Americans and were often inspired by stories from the Bible. Enslaved people knew these tales from attending church services required by their owners. They connected strongly with biblical characters who escaped or were liberated from oppression. Because of this, many spirituals are comprised of biblical references. For example, “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel?” is a spiritual that shares the idea that God has the power to free people from suffering and oppression.

Spirituals also often contained hidden messages about how to escape to freedom, including strategies on how to remain hidden, guidance on when to embark on such a journey, and vital directions on where to go.

“Follow the Drinking Gourd” is a spiritual known as a “map song.” The lyrics provide explicit instructions for an enslaved person to “follow the drinking gourd,” which meant to travel toward the Big Dipper constellation to freedom in the North.

Many of the spirituals in Jubilee contain these types of messages. According to Beth McDonald, “Go Down Moses,” “Wade in the Water,” and “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot—all present in Jubilee—have the following hidden messages:

“Go Down Moses” | Sung by Oral Moses

“Go Down Moses” contains the story of Moses leading his people to freedom. But it also has a particularly prominent hidden message. Harriet Tubman, a notable leader of the Underground Railroad who assisted the escape of many enslaved African Americans, was compared to Moses and therefore known as “Moses” in this spiritual and many others. Additionally, “Israel” is said to represent enslaved African Americans in this spiritual, whereas “Egypt” is said to represent a slave owner.

“Wade in the Water” | Sung by Ibidunni Ojikutu, Tiffany Townsend, Myah Rose Paden, and Richard L. Hodges

“Wade in the Water” is a spiritual said to have been used by Harriet Tubman and other Underground Railroad conductors to instruct enslaved African Americans on how to successfully escape. Again, “Moses” refers to Tubman, and the phrase, “Wade in the water,” is believed to have instructed escapees to hide in the water if they were being pursued. By doing so, they could conceal their scent from bloodhounds and avoid being captured and returned to their owners.

“Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” | Sung by Paul Robeson

“Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” is a spiritual that included many hidden messages that told enslaved people when it was time to prepare for escape. Within the lyrics, the “band of angels” is said to represent the conductors of the Underground Railroad, and the Underground Railroad is represented as the “sweet chariot.” In their escape, conductors would “swing low,” which meant head south, to “carry me home,” which meant guide enslaved African Americans to freedom in the North.

Music held a great importance among enslaved African Americans on their journey to freedom. Renowned abolitionist Frederick Douglass described the strength of biblical allusions and spirituals, "A keen observer might have detected in our repeated singing of 'O Canaan, Sweet Canaan, I am bound for the land of Canaan' something more than a hope of reaching heaven.' We meant to reach the North and the North was our Canaan."

Spirituals, which once helped enslaved African Americans escape to freedom, contributed to the foundation of several American musical genres we know and love today. Spirituals are also the inspiration behind Jubilee: as creator and director Tazewell Thompson puts it, “The songs matter because the men and women who sang and composed them expressed their faith, pain, anguish, hope, loss, love, and joy through these songs as they struggled to survive from day to day—even as they helped shape and build this country and planted the roots of gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and hip-hop.”

Jubilee runs October 12–26, 2024 at McCaw Hall.
Tickets and info at seattleopera.org/jubilee.