"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 |
