Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

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

Swing low, sweet chariot
coming for to carry me home Swing low, sweet chariot

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

This morning I was listening to a CD which had one of my favorite songs on it, “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.” An African American Negro spiritual first sung in 1862, by slaves yearning to be free. The slave’s faith and belief in God with their trust in the scriptures instilled in them a belief that one day they would, indeed, be free.

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot is included in the list of songs of the Century. That dream or the essence of the song, freedom, was further fulfilled by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a civil rights leader who was instrumental in the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

Their faith (the slaves), coupled with their desire as a people to not succumb to that which was wrong, is the essence of what we celebrate, as a nation, on Martin Luther King Jr. day. It is an American holiday which honors the man, and his fight for civil rights.

The feeling of the song, Sweet Low, Sweet Chariot, when sung gives one hope in a world where many injustices still occur. Its message is one of faith in God. We can still, today, like the slaves of old be uplifted by its message. We can all be inspired by its lyrics. They are performed in a blues/jazz like style that when sung the feeling of the music, and rhythm of the beat, inspire and uplift ones soul.

Our souls can still feel heavenly bound, even in our darkest hours and we can all have that belief that one day all will be well.

Just a thought