Spirituals
When slaves were working in the fields, they sung to pass the time and gain a rhythm to work to, at least thats all the slave owners thought. In reality, these songs also conveyed messages and told important lessons. The songs told people about meetings and told them the route to escape. The other important thing about spirituals is that not only do they have a secret meaning, but they also have biblical meaning. The singing helped the slaves keep a pace when they were working in the field, and it also let the overseers know where they were.
Wade in the Water
This song has important meaning. It tells slaves that the need to wade in the water to throw dogs and catchers off their trails. The water washed away their scent, and also stopped a path of footprints. This piece of advice kept some slaves alive, and helped when you escaped. Harriet Tubman liked to sing this song to people she was leading so they knew what to do if they were separated form the group.
Follow the Drinking Gourd
"Follow the Drinking Gourd" is a song that was taught to the slaves by a man named "Peg Leg Joe". Peg Leg Joe was a man who was against slavery. He would go to plantations and, befriend the slaves, and then teach them the song. The song tells the slaves to escape and go to a specific place to be led to freedom.
Darling Nellie Gray
This song doesn't tell any secret messages. It's a song about a slave who is going to marry another slave and she is sold to another slave owner. Even though it didn't tell slaves where to escape to, it was a song that made people feel passionately against slavery. It was a big abolitionist song in the North, and a fighting force there too.
Steal Away
"Steal Away" was a song sung by Nat Turner to alert slaves that he was having a meeting. Nat Turner was a slave in Virginia who organized a slave revolt. The revolt failed, but afterwords, slaves where forbidden to speak of him, but his name was worked into other songs.
Swing Low Sweet Chariot
This song was about the carriages and wagons that took slaves to slavery. The words are very direct, and if you knew there was a secret message you would pick up on it. "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" is said to be one of Harriet Tubman's favorite spirituals. She used the spirituals to communicate messages to slaves she was moving. She used one to tell slaves if it was safe to come out, and another to tell them to stay hidden.
The Gospel Train's A'Comin'
"The Gospel Train's A'Comin'" told slaves that a group was planning to escape. The "Gospel Train" was one of the code names for the Underground Railroad. The slave owners would have no idea that slaves where planning to escape because it isn't directly said in the song, and there are lots of biblical references like in every spiritual.