Many of the spirituals, in their core lyrics and musical emphasis, minimize issues of sadness and despair in favor of bold assertions of confidence, hope, and joy. The following songs and core lyrics are just a few examples:

Despite their upbeat character, these songs also reflect both poles of the emotional continuum that ranges from despair and hopelessness to joy and hope. In almost a mirror image of sorrow songs like “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child,” the emphasis of emotionally upbeat spirituals like “Ride on, King Jesus” is on feelings of joy, confidence and triumph. The emotions of sadness and despair, although clearly present, are much more subtle. For example, the singer exclaims, in “Ride on King Jesus,” that “no man can a-hinder me!” This is confidence pure and simple, in all of its glory! However, it is also important to recognize that this statement of bold confidence is the result of an unstated but definite history of struggle with feelings of despair and discouragement. To convey the full meaning of the song, we might re-write the lyrics to read, “I have been through some long and difficult battles in my life as a slave. However, I have dug deep to discover a newfound inner confidence. With my faith intact and my spiritual companion (Jesus) by my side, let me be very clear: I am now a formidable foe in the struggle for strength, wholeness and justice. No one (including my so-called slave master) can keep me from winning this battle!” Of course, the concise poetry of the lyrics is much more effective: “Ride on, King Jesus! No man can a-hinder me!”

As another example, the lyrics of “I Wanna Be Ready” symbolically reference the Biblical Book of Revelation (reported to have been written by the disciple John), in which formerly downtrodden but righteous people finally achieve victory over their oppressors, expressed boldly in their readiness to “march in Jerusalem, just like John!” The song’s lyrics and rhythmically upbeat melody emphasize the positive, the readiness, the hopefulness. The song underscores the singer’s readiness to enter metaphorically into the (new) Jerusalem referenced in Revelation, in which the tables are suddenly turned, with those who have formerly been oppressed now occupying their rightful places in a world in which the have-nots are finally recognized as worthy of honor. The song emphasizes the positive parts of the emotional continuum: “I’m ready to take my rightful place in that soon-to-be new world.” However, the negatives (the lifelong, traumatic experience as a victim of physical and emotional abuse) are unstated but still present in subtle underpinnings of the song. Ultimately, the end results of the singer’s personal transformation – strength, hope, joy resilience – are what truly matter, and they are highlighted boldly in the song’s lyrics.

To summarize, it is evident that the existence of deep faith, combined with the process of singing within a community context, was an important part of many enslaved Africans’ ability to survive – and in many cases transcend – the extreme emotional trauma of slavery. The dialectical interplay between feelings of sadness and despair vs. feelings of hopefulness and emotional triumph found in different levels of various spirituals appears to have been an important container for the psychological process of transformation, with hope, confidence and emotional triumph as the frequent endpoints of the process.

The importance of singing, spirituality and community in the slave quarters was prefigured in the West and Central African cultures from which North American slaves were captured. These African cultural roots⁶ help to explain why the singing of sacred songs was such a significant contributor to enslaved Africans’ capacity for emotional survival and resilience.

The dismantling of slavery began in 1863, with the issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln. However, the power of the spirituals as facilitators of emotional healing and resilience has continued to be valued by many people today, from a variety of different cultural backgrounds. Originally created by enslaved Africans, these songs have now been offered as a gift to the world. Additionally, the songs provide a source of inspiration for many people today who work to ensure that the spirituals tradition remains alive and vibrant in the twenty-first century. To hear excerpts of interviews with some of the people involved in this work today, consult the Present and the Future section of this website.