Remarks:
Thanks to Paul Robeson in the middle 1900s, this is probably the best-known spiritual that Black slaves in the US had sung in the early 1800s. It is based on Exodus 5:1 in the Bible:
“And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.”
Like many spirituals, this song had a double meaning – so much so that some slave owners banned it.
As maybe you can imagine, Al Jolson sang this song in blackface.
See also:
Lyrics:
When Israel was in Egypt 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 old Pharaoh,
Let my people go!
Thus saith the Lord,
Bold Moses said,
Let my people go!
If not, I’ll smite your first born dead
Let my people go!
Go down, Moses,
‘Way down in Egypt land,
Tell old Pharaoh,
Let my people go!
Abagond 
Paul Robeson was quite a Renaissance Man.
He won 15 varsity athletic letters (awards) at Rutgers University in football, basketball, baseball and track. He was a Phi Beta Kappa Society member and valedictorian of his Rutgers graduating class in 1919.
He was a skilled debater. He earned a law degree. He was a world class vocalist and actor.
He was also fluent in over 20 languages including 12 African languages, 6 European languages, at least one Chinese dialect, Russian and Arabic.
No wonder he was placed under glorified house arrest during the McCarthy Era. His very existence exposed the lie of White supremacy.
Here is my favorite photo of him as a young man:
He returned to the Ancestors years ago, but his star still burns bright.
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