The “Soul of the Movement” - From Spirituals to

The “Soul of the Movement” - From Spirituals to Freedom Songs

by QUENNA L. BARRETT

In a sense the freedom songs are the soul of the movement. They are more than just incantations of clever phrases designed to invigorate a campaign; they are as old as the history of the Negro in America. They are adaptations of the songs the slaves sang — the sorrow songs, the shouts for joy, the battle hymns and the anthems of our movement. I have heard people talk of their beat and rhythm, but we in the movement are as inspired by their words. ‘Woke Up This Morning with My Mind Stayed on Freedom’ is a sentence that needs no music to make its point. We sing the freedom songs today for the same reason the slaves sang them, because we too are in bondage and the songs add hope to our determination that ‘We shall overcome, Black and white together, We shall overcome someday.’ — Martin Luther King Jr.

WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON, MY PEOPLE, WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON? WE’RE ON THE FREEDOM SIDE! WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON, MY PEOPLE, WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON? WE’RE ON THE FREEDOM SIDE!

I recently learned that “Which Side Are You On?”, one my favorite protest songs of the current Movement for Black Lives, was first written in the 1930s as a labor movement song. Protest chants and songs like those that appear in Fannie Lou Hamer, Speak on It! have a long history in the Black movement legacy and are connected to the earliest forms of Black music in this country.

Spirituals

Spirituals are religious folk songs that were first developed during the enslavement of Black people

A Black Lives Matter activist leads a chant at the 2017 People’s Climate Strike. in the United States. Slaves Christianized, early spirituals brought to the Americas emerged. Before they were during the 17th century able to worship publicly, they from Africa were stripped of sang songs of both sorrow their religious cultures and and joy in secret plantation practices, of which music was “meeting houses”. These songs a great part, as slaveowners emphasized the parallels believed these religious between Bible parables and practices posed a threat to their own lives, with the lyrics their own Christian values. As speaking to the conditions of enslaved Africans began to be enslavement.

NOBODY KNOWS THE TROUBLE I’VE SEEN NOBODY KNOWS BUT JESUS NOBODY KNOWS THE TROUBLE I’VE SEEN GLORY, HALLELUJAH (NOBODY KNOWS THE TROUBLE I’VE SEEN)

MARY, DON’T YOU WEEP

AND MARTHA DON’T YOU MOAN

MARY, DON’T YOU WEEP

AND MARTHA DON’T YOU MOAN;

PHARAOH’S ARMY GOT DROWN-ED. OH MARY DON’T YOU WEEP. Odetta, “the Voice of the Civil Rights Movement”, sings to protesters at

I THINK EVERY DAY AND I the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. WISH I COULD, Another subversive function circular rhythms, employing STAND ON THE ROCK WHERE MOSES STOOD. OH, PHARAOH’S ARMY GOT DROWN-ED. of early Black spirituals was to lead enslaved people to paths of freedom. It is presumed, although not proven, that some songs included language that repetition, and a call and response necessary for the movement of the song. Protest songs, or freedom singing, emerged during the OH, MARY DON’T YOU WEEP. held messages connecting or Civil Rights Movement and (MARY DON’T YOU WEEP) leading to the Underground Railroad. According to Sarah came to be seen as a tool for organizing. In the 1950s and Some spirituals also spoke to the justice of God from an enslaved perspective and were an early form of resistance on plantations. These songs spoke of a God who saw the plight of the oppressed, and offered a counter narrative to the slaveowners’ use of Christian scriptures to support the cause of slavery. Spirituals were also an act of resistance and rebellion in that they continued the history of oral storytelling of African cultures when reading and writing was forbidden to slaves. Bradford’s Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman, “Go Down, Moses” was one song by Harriet Tubman used as a code as she helped slaves escape. With this use of spirituals as guides, spirituals were being employed as freedom songs long before the Civil Rights Movement. From Spirituals to Protest Songs Spirituals were the basis for protest songs in a number of other ways. In style, they are both characterized by 1960s, members of SNCC (the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) taught people songs, hoping to ease some of the fear and tension aroused by protests and callouts of the injustice faced by Black people. Many of these songs were traditional Black church songs. Like church music, these songs invited people to participate; to clap, sing, and sway along. Some freedom choirs began to ever so slightly change the lyrics to be more pointed to the location or moment they

were in. Bettie Mare Fikes, a on issues and freedoms they had rented this bus that’s SNCC organizer who would had been denied, such as used to carry day-workers become the “voice of the the right to vote. Another to the cotton fields. ... Selma Movement”, stated, “I main function, drawing on [Afterwards] everybody was thinking about Selma’s the spirituality embedded in gets back on the bus. Well, sheriff, Jim Clark, and so I the music, was to encourage now it’s getting late. And sang, ‘Tell Jim Clark, I’m going protestors as they faced the driver starts to head to let it shine,’ next I used the verbal and physical attacks. back to Ruleville ... and he head of the state troopers, Al Because freedom songs gets stopped by the deputy Lingo, and put him in the next required the participation sheriff who arrests the verse.” of all in a group, they driver for driving a bus of underlined the importance the “wrong color.” And that’s Another record recalls of unity as a crucial part of when Mrs. Hamer emerged, how these lyrics would be the movement. Organizers because she starts to sing. changed depending on the and leaders who gathered She’s singing these freedom circumstance: and trained at the Highlander songs: “This Little Light of Center, a longstanding Mine,” “Ain’t Gonna Let

“If ordered to disperse, center for movement work in Nobody Turn Me Around.” our reply might be, We Tennessee, also exchanged We hadn’t really noticed shall not, we shall not be and developed movement Mrs. Hamer ever before. moved... songs. It was there that the And really, I always thought

When placed under arrest, song “We Shall Overcome”, her singing kind of shored we answered with, Paul often labeled “the anthem up everybody — even us and Silas, bound in jail... of the Freedom Movement,” [SNCC staff]. I mean, ‘cause,

When they brought out evolved; from a work song you know, you really don’t the dogs, we countered sung by field slaves entitled want to be stuck on the with verses like, Ain’t “I’ll be Alright, Someday” and road in Sunflower County scared of your dogs ‘cause first published in 1901 as “I’ll [Mississippi] at sunset and we want our freedom... Overcome Someday”, to the identified with Civil Rights. It

When we were really version we know today. was pretty scary.” — Charlie scared, we sang, Before I’ll Cobb, SNCC be a slave I’ll be buried in Fannie and Freedom Singing my grave... And when our It is logical that spirituals hearts were heavy with Fannie Lou Hamer was one of evolved into protest songs: they grief, we eased our pain the Civil Rights Movement’s always were songs of protest. with, We’ll never turn back, freedom singers, using her They were enslaved Blacks’ way no we’ll never turn back…” voice to calm protestors when of secretly and subversively confronted by police and holding onto traditions, A formal Freedom Singers other violence. She sang songs resisting and rejoicing in the group began in 1962, with that she had sung in church midst of oppression, and its original members all all her life, songs that she had keeping themselves going. Early students under the age of learned from her mother. One spirituals, freedom songs of the 21. They traveled through account of Hamer singing in Civil Rights era, and the protest the South singing call such a time follows: chants of today have been and response spirituals, and continue to be a mode of performing everywhere from “We had brought 17 or Black people supporting and jails to churches to parties to 18 people down from directing each other in the way marches. One main function Ruleville [to try to register towards freedom. of freedom singing was to to vote at the courthouse educate other Black people in Indianola]. Amzie Moore 23