“Wade in the Water” — An African American Spiritual

Psalm 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6 

This Sunday’s Responsorial Psalm begins with the poignant words, “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.” This verse captures the profound sense of loss and sorrow experienced by the Israelites as they mourned their homeland. Similarly, African slaves were forcibly uprooted from their native lands and families, enduring the brutality of slavery and the harsh conditions of plantation life. The spirituals they sang resonated with themes of longing for freedom, redemption, and a better life beyond their earthly suffering.

Spirituals like “Wade in the Water” became symbols of hope and salvation, drawing inspiration from biblical narratives of deliverance and freedom. Enslaved Africans used bodies of water as meeting points, escape routes, and places of baptism and spiritual communion. The lyrics of “Wade in the Water” encourage believers to “wade in the water, God’s gonna trouble the water,” pointing towards the transformative power of faith and divine intervention.

According the PBS Newshour—while it “has not been proven, it is believed”—that “Wade in the Water” was one of the songs associated with the Underground Railroad—a network of secret routes and safe houses used by slaves in the United States to find freedom.^[

Verse 6 of Psalm 137 concludes with a cry for justice and retribution, “May my tongue cleave to my palate if I remember you not, If I place not Jerusalem ahead of my joy.” This verse underscores the enduring connection to one’s roots and the demand for justice in the face of oppression. African slaves also yearned for freedom, justice, and a return to their ancestral homeland, finding solace and strength in their spirituals as they persevered through unimaginable suffering.