The Lower Lights convened in fall 2009 for five days of recording. The goal… Read Full Bio ↴The Lower Lights convened in fall 2009 for five days of recording. The goal was to dive into the hymns– familiar hymns, overlooked hymns, Hank Williams hymns, and more– and connect with them on a deeper level. Drawing equal parts reverence and celebration from the rich well of hymns, we ended up with 30-plus songs that felt part-revival, part-vigil. And we ended up with more than just an album. We ended up with an experience.

Go Down
The Lower Lights Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When Israel was in Egypt's land
Let my people go
Oppressed so hard they could not stand
Let my people go
Go down, Moses
Way down in Egypt's land
Tell old Pharaoh
Let my people go

No more shall they in bondage toil
Let my people go
But let them come with Egypt's spoil
Let my people go
Go down, Moses
Way down in Egypt's land
Tell old Pharaoh
Let my people go
The LORD told Moses what to do
Let my people go
To lead the Hebrew children through
Let my people go
Go down, Moses
Way down in Egypt's land
Tell old Pharaoh
Let my people go
As Israel stood by the waterside
Let my people go
At God's command it did divide
Let my people go
Go down, Moses
Way down in Egypt's land
Tell old Pharaoh
Let my people go
Oh let us all from bondage flee
Let my people go
And let us all in Christ be free
Let my people go
Go down, Moses
Way down in Egypt's land
Tell old Pharaoh
Let my people go
Go down, Moses
Way down in Egypt's land

Tell old Pharaoh
Let my people go

Overall Meaning

The Lower Lights’s song “Go Down” is a modern version of the traditional African American spiritual song, “Go Down, Moses.” The original song was composed by African slaves in the United States in the early 19th century as a way of expressing their longing for freedom and their hope in God’s intervention. The song was first published in the 1860s and has since become a staple of the African American spiritual music tradition as well as the American folk music canon.

The song retells the biblical story of Moses and the oppression of the Israelites in Egypt, using the language of the spirituals to convey themes of liberation, deliverance, and faith. The lyrics of the refrains, which alternate with verses, repeat the call of Moses to Pharaoh to “let my people go” – an appeal for the freedom of the Hebrew slaves. The verses speak of the hardships of slavery, the power of God to overcome oppression, and the hope of the slaves for a better future.

Line by Line Meaning

When Israel was in Egypt's land
At a time when Israelites were oppressed in Egypt

Let my people go
Set my people free

Oppressed so hard they could not stand
Treated so harshly that they could not bear it anymore

Go down, Moses
Moses, lead them out

Way down in Egypt's land
In the depths of Egypt

Tell old Pharaoh
Command Pharaoh to release the Israelites

No more shall they in bondage toil
They will no longer be enslaved

But let them come with Egypt's spoil
They will take the riches of Egypt with them

The LORD told Moses what to do
God gave Moses instructions

To lead the Hebrew children through
To guide the Israelite people out of Egypt

As Israel stood by the waterside
When the Israelites were near the water