Go Down, Moses

Moses is one of the key figures of the Torah, which eventually became the Old Testament. In the Torah, he is the principle protagonist of the story of Exodus—a Jewish leader who successfully fought to free the Jewish people from their enslavement in Egypt with the direct intercession of God. 

In the lyric, Moses symbolizes moral righteousness and the hope that it is possible to stand up against immoral and brutal oppression. In confronting the Pharaoh, Moses was the mouthpiece and hand of God. Because of this, Moses in the spiritual shows that the quest for freedom is sanctioned by God, who demands, “let my people go.” 

Moses is also a stand-in for abolitionists urging the US government to put an end to the institution of slavery. The comparison gives their message higher authority—like Moses remonstrating with Pharaoh, they work from a moral obligation, while those who maintain the system of enslavement are offending God.

As the closing stanzas encourage enslaved people to maintain hope and to pursue freedom, the speaker assures listeners that “you won’t get lost in the wilderness / With a lighted candle in your breast” (Lines 19-20). Practically, the lighted candle is a navigational tool for those fleeing by night to the free states of the North; the image reflects the hope of safe travel along the Underground Railroad.