This is a close analysis of some of the lyrics from spirituals that I did research on. The music and lyrics came from the Slave Songs of the United States, and the commentary is at the bottom of the page, below all of the songs. I hope that this added research puts pieces of the song together to create cohesive ideas as to why the songs were sung and what they could possibly mean.
O come my brethren and sisters too,
We’re gwine to join the heavenly crew[a];
To Christ our Saviour let us sing,
And make our loud hosannas[b] ring.
O hallelu, O hallelu,
O hallelujah to the Lord[c]. (Repeat.)
2 Oh, there’s Bill Thomas[d], I know him well,
He’s got to work to keep from hell[e];
He’s got to pray by night and day,
If he wants to go by the narrow way[f].
3 There’s Chloe Williams, she makes me mad,
For you see I know she’s going on bad;
She told me a lie this arternoon,
And the devil will get her very soon[g].
[1. Sanctofy[h] me, sanctofy me,
Sanctofy me, sanctofy me,
Sanctofy me, just now;
Just now[i]; just now;
Sanctofy me just now.]
2 Good religion, good religion, etc.
3 Come to Jesus[j], come to Jesus, etc.
[Shock along, John, shock along.[k]
Shock along, John, shock along.]
[A corn-song, of which only the burden[l] is remembered.]
THE OLD SHIP OF ZION.
[1. What ship is that you’re enlisted upon?
O glory hallelujah!
‘Tis the old ship of Zion[m], hallelujah!
‘Tis the old ship of Zion, hallelujah!]
2 And who is the Captain of the ship that you’re on?–O glory, etc.
My Saviour is the Captain, hallelujah![n]
Analysis:
[a]This phrase could possibly mean becoming angels through singing or going to Heaven to join Jesus Christ. Since this spiritual has a joyful tone, it could also mean they die and go up to Heaven to escape their suffering.
[b]The word “hosanna” is a plea for the Lord to save the slaves. It represents their trust in God to bring them salvation, while also just praising God.
Source: https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/what-does-hosanna-mean.html
[c]This phrase is an expression of adoration to Jesus that also shows their gratefulness for Him.
[d]William Thomas is a former slave who escaped from Fauquier County, Virginia, to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. There, he found work by clearing tables at what was the Phoenix Hotel.
Source: https://www.pahomepage.com/news/hidden-history-william-thomas/
[e]While Bill Thomas worked at the hotel, he was hiding from his slaves owners who searched for him. The “hell” they are referring to is if he gets caught and goes back to slavery, which happened once, but he escaped again.
Source: https://www.pahomepage.com/news/hidden-history-william-thomas/
[f]”The narrow way” is a line in the Bible that is part of the seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. The gate is the entrance to Heaven, and Thomas has to pray and continue to worship Jesus Christ to eventually get to Heaven. This gate is narrow because it is difficult to follow this one path to get to Heaven and not continue to suffer after death.
Source: https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/what-does-it-mean-that-the-gate-is-narrow.html
[g]Chloe Williams did not follow Christ when she told a lie, which means she is more likely to go to Hell, which is why the devil would get her.
[h]To sanctify means to make holy and set it apart for God. When people are asked to sanctify themselves, they are asked to trust and obey God. The slaves are pleading for God to sanctify them because they have been worshipping Him and want to be made holy.
Source: https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/sanctification/
[i]It is unclear as to why they would only want to be sanctified for a temporary period of time, but this could instead be asking God to give them special attention while they are singing the song because they are expressing their faith then.
[j]This verse could either be referencing their hopes of going to Heaven in the future to escape slavery or just forming a stronger bond with Jesus by practicing their “good religion”, as mentioned in the previous verse.
[k]This song is a motivator to keep on working through the struggles the slaves were facing. Since this song is a corn-song, it was usually sung while the slaves were harvesting corn, which is why it makes sense that the song asks them to keep working to get the job done. John may be a generic name that applies to any slave who is working while the song is being sung.
[l]The burden is the recurring chorus of a song. It is difficult to remember every lyric to these songs, especially if it is a call and response format where only one person has the words memorized, so only certain parts of some songs can be codified.
[m]While Zion does refer to a hill of Jerusalem that the city of David was built upon, it is also a way to say the kingdom of heaven (merriam-webster). The Old Ship of Zion talks about the deceased who are on the journey to Heaven. The ship is the mode of transport, and this could mean that just how ships brought them to tha planttaions for slavery, this ship of Zion will bring them out of slavery and to Heaven.
Sources: https://www.heyiamindians.com/what-does-old-ship-of-zion-mean/
[n]The slaves are joyful because Jesus, their Saviour, is the head of the ship, so He is guiding the way and watching over them to ensure their journey ends in Heaven with Him.
Works Cited
Allen, William Frances. Slave Songs of the United States. Dover Publications, 2000. https://docsouth.unc.edu/church/allen/allen.html
Blevins, Kyle. “What Does Hosanna Mean and Why Is It so Powerful?” Biblestudytools.com, Salem Web Network, 25 Mar. 2021, https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/what-does-hosanna-mean.html.
Bucher, Meg. “What Does It Mean That the Gate Is Narrow in Matthew 7?” Crosswalk.com, Crosswalk.com, 15 Jan. 2021, https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/what-does-it-mean-that-the-gate-is-narrow.html.
“Heyiamindians.com.” What Does Old Ship of Zion Mean? – Heyiamindians.com, https://www.heyiamindians.com/what-does-old-ship-of-zion-mean/.
Hiller, Mark, and Jayne Ann Bugda. “Hidden History: William Thomas.” PAhomepage.com, PAhomepage.com, 17 Feb. 2019, https://www.pahomepage.com/news/hidden-history-william-thomas/.
“What Is Sanctification? Bible Definition and Meaning.” Biblestudytools.com, https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/sanctification/.
“Zion Definition & Meaning.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Zion.
