This most famous of negro melodies had so strange a moving power that the negroes all through the south had been forbidden to use it because it made them so wild for freedom that nothing could restrain them. But these freedmen had come through fire and water to reach a place where they could shout it out freely; and the rich and vital tones of those negro voices rang out the twenty-five stanzas of the hymn as their hearts rose in the exaltation of the hour. When they came to the line, Stand away dere, stand away dere, And let my people go! the emotional impulse of the great appeal made an uncontrollable sob rise to the throats of those that heard it. The agony and the faith and the triumph of a whole people seemed to breathe forth from that great company of rescued slaves in the minor swell of this solemn chorus. Here is the simple music that went with this wonderful primitive song; but no notes can give any idea of the weird and mystically yearning effect of it as it was sung by the negroes themselves. [Music: When Israel was in Egypt’s land: Let my people go! Oppressed so hard they could not stand: Let my people go! Go down, Moses ’Way down in Egypt land, Tell ole Pha-roah To let my people go! Stand away dere! Stand away dere! And let my people go!] The words of the song went on to record in a sort of ballad fashion the dealings of the Lord with the Children of Israel; under this Old Testament symbolism the negroes always pictured themselves as a nation and felt they were telling their own sorrows as they followed the Bible story. When Israel was in Egypt’s Land-- Let my people go! Oppressed so hard they could not stand-- Let my people go! Go down, Moses, ’Way down in Egypt Land, Tell ol’ Pharaoh-- Let my people go! Stand away dere, Stand away dere, Let my people go! The Red Sea incident follows: The Lord told Moses what to do To lead the children of Israel through. O come along Moses, you’ll not get lost, Stretch out your rod and come across. As Israel stood at the water side At the command of God it did divide. When they had reached the other shore They sang a song of triumph o’er. The story of the destruction of Pharaoh they must have sung with special gusto: Pharaoh said he would go across But Pharaoh and his host were lost. Then comes a song of hope for the Israelites: O Moses, a cloud shall cleave the way, A fire by night, a shade by day. You’ll not get lost in the wilderness With a lighted candle in your breast. A general application follows: O let us all from bondage flee, And let us all in Christ be free. We need not always weep and moan And wear these slavery chains forlorn. An exhortation: O brethren, brethren, you’d better engage, For the devil he’s out on a big rampage. The devil he thought he had me fast But I thought I’d break his chains at last.