Robeson found fame as an actor and singer with his fine bass-baritone voice. He is one of the few true basses in American music, his beautiful and powerful voice descending as low as a C below the bass clef. In addition to his stage performances, his renditions of old Negro spirituals were acclaimed; Robeson was the first to bring them to the concert stage.
Robeson's repertoire of African-American folk songs helped bring these to much wider attention both inside the US and abroad. Robeson also became interested in the folk music of the world; he came to be conversant with 20 languages, fluent or near fluent in 12. His standard repertoire after the 1920's included songs in many languages (e.g., Chinese, Russian, Yiddish, German, etc.).
Robeson was among the first performers to sing in concert on behalf of the U.S. World War II war effort. He sang and spoke out against racist conditions experienced by Asian and Black Americans; he condemned segregation in both the North and the South.
Like many intellectuals and artists of the time, Robeson supported the Soviet Union. After living as a second-class citizen under Jim Crow laws in the United States, what Robeson saw in the Soviet Union led him to believe that it was free of racial prejudice. In June 1949, Robeson visited the Soviet Union to sing in concert and was given a warm public welcome.
In 1950, after he refused to sign an affidavit that he was not a Communist, the U.S. government took away Robeson's passport and, with it, his freedom to travel outside the United States. The travel ban ended in 1958 when Robeson’s passport was returned to him after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, in Kent vs. Dulles, that the Secretary of State had no right to deny a passport or require any citizen to sign an affidavit because of his political beliefs. However, because of the controversy surrounding him, all of Paul Robeson's recordings and films were withdrawn from circulation. From then until the late 1970s, it became increasingly difficult in the United States to hear Robeson sing on records or on the radio, or to see any of his films, including the highly acclaimed and successful 1936 film version of Show Boat.
Welsh miners' organisations were among the most prominent international supporters of the campaign calling for the restoration of his passport and to Let Paul Robeson Sing!. When his passport was returned, Robeson traveled to Wales to appear at the National Eisteddfod in Ebbw Vale. He then performed at the Miners' Eisteddfod, fulfilling a promise he had made while prevented from traveling. In 1960, Robeson's final performance at the Royal Festival Hall in London included choral accompaniment from the Cwmbach Welsh male voice choir.
Robeson's association with Wales began in 1928 while he was performing in London in the musical Show Boat. There, he met a group of unemployed miners who had taken part in a "hunger march" from South Wales to protest their situation. During the 1930s, Robeson made several visits to Welsh mining areas, including performances in Cardiff, Neath and Aberdare. A number of Welsh artists have celebrated Robeson's life: The Manic Street Preachers' song "Let Robeson Sing" appears on the album Know Your Enemy.
Swing Low
Paul Robeson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Commin' for to carry me home
There was a band of angels, a-commin after me
Commin' for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Commin' for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
I'm sometimes up, and I'm sometimes down
Comin' for to carry me home
But but I know my soul is heavenly bound
Comin' for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Comin' for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Comin' for to carry me home
If you get there before I do
Comin' for to carry me home
Tell all my friends that I'm a-comin' too
Comin' for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Commin' for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Commin' for to carry me home
And now they're commin' for to carry me home
"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" is a spiritual song with a stoic message. It's essentially a song about death, more specifically about the hope that the singer will be taken to the Promised Land after passing through the veil. As a result, the lyrics are filled with religious and Biblical references. The singer talks about seeing a band of angels coming to carry him home, referencing the concept of the soul's ascension to heaven as being aided by angels. The use of the word "chariot" further reinforces this religious motif, as it is believed that chariots would be used to transport the earthly remains of a person to the afterlife.
The song's chorus "Swing low, sweet chariot, comin' for to carry me home" represents a plea to the new kingdom-heaven. The singer hopes that the chariot will carry them to their new home, where they will be free from life's woes. The verses, on the other hand, represent the journey to heaven. The soul has experienced significant ups and downs, but the hope of being carried home sustains it. The song ends with the singer accepting their fate, knowing they will soon be home with their loved ones.
Line by Line Meaning
I looked over Jordan and what did I see?
As I gazed upon Jordan, I saw a vision that caught my attention.
Commin' for to carry me home
An angelic band is on its way to transport me home to heaven.
There was a band of angels, a-commin after me
I saw legions of radiant beings rapidly approaching my location.
Swing low, sweet chariot
A heavenly vehicle is arriving to transport me home to my final resting place.
I'm sometimes up, and I'm sometimes down
Life is filled with ups and downs, but I know where I'm heading.
But but I know my soul is heavenly bound
I'm certain that my soul is destined for heaven.
If you get there before I do
If you arrive in heaven ahead of me,
Tell all my friends that I'm a-comin' too
Please let my buddies know that I'm on my way.
And now they're commin' for to carry me home
The angels have arrived to take me to my eternal home.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DP, JUDGE KENNITH PETERSON, MAVIS STAPLES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jackieshmueli1850
AS A KID IN APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA I WOULD HEAR HIS VOICE ON A CRACKLING RECORD PLAYER WITH MY LATE DAD, HE SO IMPRESSED ME . TO THIS DAY I PAY RESPECT TO A GREAT ARTIST AND MAN . REST IN PEACE PAUL. WITH THANKS FROM ISRAEL
@mametteraye1056
Jackie Shmueli J'ADMIRE ÉNORMÉMENT PAUL ROBESON
pour l'homme qu'il était
Pour tout ce qu'IL représentait
SON PEUPLE
REPOSE EN PAIX PAUL ROBESON
44 ans aprés ta disparition
NOUS PENSONS À TOI
@valeriemacphail9180
Me too!
@oberonstar6278
nice
@christopherdavis80
What a beautiful memory. Robeson was superb.
@aranyaofficial7082
Paul Robeson s songs literally give goosebumps.....!!!! What a voice and composition....!!!!
Respects from India...🇮🇳🇮🇳
@anitauchimura3676
One of my mom's favorite singers. When she passed, my brother sang Swing Low, Sweet Chariot when we gathered at home. Still tears me up after over 30 years.
@TheBrowndogface
I will never forget my Aunt singing this at my grandmother funeral..her mother..without choking up, singing all alone in front of the crowds.. it was amazing..
@jayanthisrinivasan9055
Great man great singer great legacy. Love his songs. Sung from the heart.
@5kittykats
This is the best bass voice ever heard anywhere, anytime !! So sad that America could not understand this man and appreciate his talents.......he was way beyond anything that any American could get (unless perhaps they were in the same genre).