"This gentle spiritual from St. Helena Island is often associated with the Christmas season, rich with images of the manger and the star illuminating the skies over Bethlehem. But a unique turn is found in the final line of each stanza: 'People keep a-comin' but the train done gone.' Train imagery is often found in Spirituals dating from this era. For the slaves, trains were synonymous with freedom and escape-whether spiritual freedom as represented by the Gospel Train, or the literal freedom the Underground Railroad provided. This metaphor adds a poignant and uniquely human exclamation point to the celebration of the birth of the one who came to set us free." -Craig Carnahan. Duration: 4:00