Harriet Tubman sang this spiritual as a warning to runaway slaves. The song told them to abandon the path and move into the water. By travelling along the water's ege or across a body of water, the slaves would throw chasing dogs and their keepers off the scent.
The seemingly innocent spirituals, as the slave songs came to be known, were more than simple hymns of endurance and a belief in a better afterlife. As sung by slaves and their descendants, the spirituals allowed the slaves to communicate secret messages and information to each other about the Underground Railroad.
~from Owen Sound's Black History Website
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