The late-night news ended, and the excited voices of reporters repeating the same story fell silent. The silence was soon broken by the gentle chords of a song accompanied by Chiron's recitation of “Moments of Meditation.” Suddenly, after noisy coverage of the day's chaos. . . meditation. Are there any other experts who lament the death of democracy? Instead, the voice belonged to Paul Robeson, singing the spiritual “Deep River,” as recorded in the YouTube link below. And so began a train of thought that led to this consideration.
The African American spiritual songs sung here with Robeson's signature resonance have long symbolized hope, resilience, and a yearning for freedom. The image of crossing a river, often interpreted as the Jordan River, evokes the possibility of spiritual salvation and liberation from bondage. For enslaved Africans in America, the river represented the boundary between slavery and freedom. Crossing it might mean fleeing north or into Canada.
Robeson's voice imbues this song with a gravitas and purpose that speaks to historic and contemporary struggles for freedom, equality, and fair governance. The song's message of a transition to “calm times” continues to inspire those seeking justice and peace, reminding them that the journey ahead is difficult but not without hope.
African American spirituality is still considered an “otherworldly” compensation for misfortune. That's the way they were meant to sound. The masters recognized them as frank hymns of faith. They were also secret messages of resistance, codes of conduct in this world that could not be openly discussed for fear of retaliation. “Crossing the Jordan” faithfully represents the truth and upholds the truth. “Deep river, my home is beyond the Jordan. Don't you want to go to that Promised Land?” I mean, don't you want to be taken to a better place by subway angels like Harriet? ? Is Tubman a former slave?
After emancipation, the blues emerged as a secular version of the spiritual. Blues are often associated with hardship and melancholy, but they also embody a sense of resilience and joy. Blues musicians celebrated survival and perseverance through their music, as well as expressing personal pain such as poverty, heartbreak, and racial inequality. Blending despair and hope, the blues provided a way for African Americans to confront suffering while affirming their humanity. By singing and playing the blues, they expressed the joy of survival even in the midst of sadness and suffering.
In Toni Morrison's acclaimed novel belovedSethe's crossing of the Ohio River It represents the spiritual journey depicted in “Deep River.” Like the coded messages of the spirituals that speak of the liberation of heaven and earth, Sethe's river crossing represents actual freedom and impossible burdens. Morrison shows that water can be a source of memory, trauma, and healing. Like the metaphorical water in “Deep River,” the river is both a boundary and a point of passage, as well as death and life.
In our turbulent times, the early echoes of hope amidst despair feel germane, as news channels decide in those late-night moments. We are facing seemingly insurmountable challenges: failing health, failing relationships, dividing society, systemic inequalities that persist despite centuries of struggle, politics descending into absurdity, and competitive panic. Facing the river. But the enduring power of songs like “Deep River” is that previous generations, facing far greater dangers, found hope in the midst of hate, dignity in desperate circumstances. It shows that he found a way to maintain his purpose and turned his grief and grief into a force for change.
in his book story of hasidismElie Wiesel describes the ancient parable of deliverance that culminates in this: I don't know how to pray and I can't even find the right place to go. All I can do is tell the story. That should be enough. ” And that was enough. ”
Our own voice may not be a spiritual or blues voice, but at least we can listen and tell the story.
notes and reading
Enslaved families sang spirituals like “Deep River” in the fields, in secret gatherings, and in night quarters. By the late 1800s, as Reconstruction brought new challenges such as sharecropping and racial violence, the blues emerged, moving from a collective spiritual expression to a personal expression of suffering and resilience. I did. – James Cone spiritual and blues (50th Anniversary Edition, 2022).
Paul Robeson first recorded “Deep River” in 1926, and it became one of his signature songs and was frequently performed over the years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qXBG5BRT3c – 2:18
Deep river, my home is above the Jordan,
Deep river, Lord, I want to cross to the campsite.
Oh, don't you want to go to that gospel feast?
A promised land where everything is peaceful?
Oh, don't you want to go to that promised land?
That country where everything is peaceful?
Deep river, my home is above the Jordan,
Deep river, Lord, I want to cross to the campground.
Robson was an all-star athlete and actor, as well as a global advocate for civil rights. A time when racial discrimination was legalized and black people were lynched.
Toni Morrison, Beloved – A survey compiled of writers and critics. new york times Morrison won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993.
Elie WieselThe story of Hasidism” Or the official title, Souls on Fire: Portraits and Legends of Hasidic Masters (1972). Wiesel was a Holocaust survivor, author, and humanitarian known for his dedication to remembering the horrors of the Holocaust and advocating for human rights around the world. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986.
Sophie Hollington – Artwork. Hollington translates folklore themes into contemporary linocuts, bridging tradition and modernity “with a bold, tactile energy.” – Boo Boo – Global Arts and Culture Platform (January 19, 2023).
American slavery, American freedom – Edmund S. Morgan (2005). There is a contradiction between the ideal of freedom, the role of class, and the reality of slavery. Morgan's book is a classic of American history. – “How were aristocrats able to win in populist politics? This question once again leads to the contradiction at the heart of our story: the combination of freedom and slavery.”
Tip #157 – Difficult work. “We found ourselves reduced to 'I'.”
About 2 + 2 = 5: https://williamgreen.substack.com/about – revision
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