In My Tribe. Merchant joined 10,000 Maniacs at the age of 17 and became the band's driving artistic force. After a pair of successful independent releases, they signed to Elektra in 1985 and briefly became one of the most popular acts in alternative rock, shooting into the Top 40 with 1987's In My Tribe and charting even higher with their follow-up effort, Blind Man's Zoo. Merchant's desire to launch a solo career increased alongside the band's growing reputation, however, and by the time the group sat down to record 1992's Our Time in Eden, she gave her bandmates two years' notice. Following the release of MTV Unplugged in 1994, she publicly announced she was leaving the group's ranks.
OpheliaMerchant made her solo debut with 1995's Tigerlily, a self-produced album that debuted at number 13 and scored a Top Ten single with "Carnival." Two additional singles, "Wonder" and "Jealousy," also cracked the Top 40, prompting Tigerlily to sell over five million copies in the U.S. alone. It was followed in 1998 by Ophelia, another platinum-selling effort that was supported by Merchant's inclusion in the second Lilith Fair tour. Live in Concert, recorded at New York's Neil Simon Theatre, appeared a year later. A prominent social activist, Merchant also drew notice by campaigning in the name of such hot-button issues as animal rights, domestic violence, and homelessness.
MotherlandMerchant launched a folk tour in 2000, with members of progressive folk band the Horse Flies joining her on the road. She then returned to her solo career with Motherland. Two years later, Merchant left Elektra's roster and formed her own independent label, Myth America, in order to issue House Carpenter's Daughter, a collection of traditional and contemporary folk music inspired by the 2000 tour. A long period of silence followed, during which a pair of greatest-hits releases -- the 10,000 Maniacs collection Campfire Songs and Merchant's own Retrospective: 1995-2005 -- kept fans relatively sated. As the decade drew to a close, though, Merchant signed with Nonesuch Records and began making plans for a new album, which eventually arrived in the form of the ambitious, double-disc neo-children's album, 2010's Leave Your Sleep. Merchant returned to straight-ahead pop music with a self-titled album in May 2014.
Go Down
Natalie Merchant Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Isn't that what I'm supposed to do?
Just hold it back and keep movin' on
(Keep movin' on)
Pushin' on, pushin' on
Isn't that what I'm supposed to do?
But it's so hard
To keep pushin' on
I'm movin' on, movin' on
Isn't that what everybody tells me I gotta do?
Oh, yeah
But it's so hard movin' on without you
Every mornin' wakin' in a fever
Wet and shakin'
My heart inside me pounding
Muddy water all around me
Cold, shocked and speechless, can anybody reach us?
And why?
Oh, God, why?
Go down, go down, Moses
(Go down, Moses)
Go down to the city of New Orleans
(City of New Orleans)
Go part the muddy water
(Part the muddy water)
Let your people cross over
Go down, yeah
Ooh-ooh-ooh
I'm movin' on, movin' on
(Keep movin' on)
That's what I'm tryin' to do
Just holding back and movin' on
Keeping on, keeping on, yeah
That's what I'm trying so hard to do
(Oh, yeah)
But it's so hard keeping on without you
Gone and lost my patience with this hopeless situation
Oh, yeah
I'm alive
I'm a lonely sole survivor
Spared me for some reason, so I'm picking up the pieces
But why?
Oh, God, why?
Go down, go down, Moses
(Go down, Moses)
Go down to the city of New Orleans
(City of New Orleans)
And go part the muddy water
(Part the muddy water)
Let your people cross over
Go down, yeah
Ooh-ooh-ooh
Go down
Oh, Moses, go down
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh, go down, Moses
Moses
Moses
Moses
Sweet Moses
Come on, come on, come on
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Sweet Moses
Sweet Moses
The song "Go Down Moses" by Natalie Merchant is a contemporary version of an old African American spiritual. The song was originally a song of resistance and perseverance for those enslaved in America, but Natalie Merchant infuses new meaning with her lyrics that deal with themes of loss and moving on. The lyrics of the song often repeat "movin’ on, pushin’ on", implying a sense of urgency to keep going despite the hardships and pain involved in the process.
The verses of the song detail the singer's struggles with a sense of loss and isolation, illustrated by waking up in a fever and cold muddy water surrounding them. The chorus repeats the refrain "Go down, go down, Moses" which is a reference to the biblical story of Moses, parting the Red Sea. The song acknowledges the historical and religious significance of the original music, while the verses and the additional lyrics reflect modern-day life experiences like heartbreaks, desperation, and suffering. The use of religious symbolism in the song suggests that sometimes heavenly intervention is required to help make sense of life's struggles.
Line by Line Meaning
Movin' on, movin' on
Continuing on with life
Isn't that what I'm supposed to do?
Society expects me to move on after a loss
Just hold it back and keep movin' on
Suppressing emotions and carrying on with life
(Keep movin' on)
Pushin' on, pushin' on
Trying hard to keep going after a loss
But it's so hard
It's difficult to move on
To keep pushin' on
To keep going
I'm movin' on, movin' on
Trying to move on
Isn't that what everybody tells me I gotta do?
People advise me to move on
Oh, yeah
But it's so hard movin' on without you
It's difficult to move on after losing someone dear
Every mornin' wakin' in a fever
Waking up with a fever every morning
Wet and shakin'
Sweating and trembling
My heart inside me pounding
Pulse racing with anxiety
Muddy water all around me
Overwhelming feelings around me
Cold, shocked and speechless, can anybody reach us?
In a state of shock and unable to express oneself
And why?
Questioning the reason for the loss
Oh, God, why?
Asking God for a reason
Go down, go down, Moses
Reference to the biblical story of Moses leading the Israelites out of slavery
(Go down, Moses)
Go down to the city of New Orleans
Symbolic of reaching a place of safety and security
(City of New Orleans)
Go part the muddy water
Requesting divine help to clear obstacles
(Part the muddy water)
Let your people cross over
Asking for guidance to move forward
Go down, yeah
I'm alive
Despite the loss, still alive
I'm a lonely sole survivor
Feeling alone after the loss
Spared me for some reason, so I'm picking up the pieces
Still alive for a reason, trying to move forward
But why?
Questioning the reason for survival
Oh, God, why?
Asking God for a reason
Go down, go down, Moses
Reference to the biblical story of Moses leading the Israelites out of slavery
(Go down, Moses)
Go down to the city of New Orleans
Symbolic of reaching a place of safety and security
(City of New Orleans)
And go part the muddy water
Requesting divine help to clear obstacles
(Part the muddy water)
Let your people cross over
Asking for guidance to move forward
Go down, yeah
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Natalie Merchant
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind