Deep River

Deep River,
My home is over Jordan.
Deep River, Lord.
I want to cross over into campground.
Deep River.
My home is over Jordan.
Deep River, Lord,
I want to cross over into campground.
Oh, don't you want to go,
To the Gospel feast;
that Promised Land,
Where all is peace?
Oh, deep River, Lord,
I want to cross over into campground.


“Deep River” is a classic example of an African American “spiritual” – an immensely important genre of music born from the “plantation” and “sorrow” songs of the African American slaves in the Deep South in the 1600s, 1700s and 1800s. Like all spirituals, “Deep River” is a song of hope and longing, expressing a desire for peace and freedom both in the present and in the afterlife.
The language in spirituals, their poetry, comes out of the necessity to use double entendre in order to veil the messages hidden in each song. Most sources identify the "Deep River" as the Ohio the most popular route of the Underground Railroad, but there was a less popular route across the Connecticut River, and aboard boats landing at ports in Connecticut. 88882