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Go down, Moses,
Way down in Egypt’s land,
Tell old Pharaoh,
Let my people go.

1. Song facts & different versions
2. Lyrics
3. Bob Dylan

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Song facts & different versions

From Wikipedia:

“Go Down Moses” is an American Negro spiritual. It describes events in the Old Testament of the Bible, specifically Exodus 8:1: “And the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me”, in which God commands Moses to demand the release of the Israelites from bondage in Egypt.

In the song “Israel” represents the African-American slaves while “Egypt” and “Pharaoh” represent the slavemaster. Going “down” to Egypt is derived from the Biblical origin; Moses was up on the mountain of God when God commanded him to go to Egypt (Exodus 3:1-12). Also, the Bible generally recognises Egypt as being at a lower altitude than Jerusalem and other core areas of Israelite territory; thus, going to Egypt means going “down” while going away from Egypt is “up”. In the context of American slavery, this ancient sense of “down” converged with the concept of “down the river” (the Mississippi), where slaves’ conditions were notoriously worse, a situation which left the idiom “sell [someone] down the river” in present-day English.

• William Faulkner titled his short story collection/novel Go Down, Moses (1942) after the song.

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The song was made famous by Paul Robeson whose voice, deep and resonant as it was, was said by some to have attained the status of the voice of God.

On February 7, 1958, the song was recorded in New York City and sung by Louis Armstrong with Sy Oliver‘s Orchestra:

• The song heavily influences “Get Down Moses”, by Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros on their album Streetcore (2003).
  Live @ Cambridge Folk Festival:
  

 

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Lyrics

Go down Moses way down in Egypt land
Tell all Pharaohs to let My people go

When Israel was in Egypt land
Let My people go
Oppressed so hard they could not stand
Let My people go

So the God seyeth, “Go down, Moses way down in Egypt land
Tell all Pharaohs to let My people go”

So Moses went to Egypt land
Let My people go
He made all Pharaohs understand
Let My people go

Yes The Lord said, “Go down, Moses way down in Egypt land
Tell all Pharaohs to let My people go”

Thus spoke the Lord, bold Moses said
Let My people go
“If not I’ll smite, your firstborns dead”
Let My people go

God, The Lord said, “Go down, Moses way down in Egypt land
Tell all Pharaohs to let My people go”

Tell all Pharaohs to let My people go

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Bob Dylan

 

Dylan has performed this song 2 times in concert:

Hayarkon Park
Tel-Aviv, Israel
5 September 1987

• Bob Dylan (vocal & guitar)
• Tom Petty (guitar)
• Mike Campbell (guitar)
• Benmont Tench (keyboards)
• Howie Epstein (bass)
• Stan Lynch (drums)
• The Queens Of Rhythm: Carolyn Dennis, Queen Esther Marrow, Madelyn Quebec (backing vocals).

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Wembley Arena
London, England
17 October 1987

• Bob Dylan (vocal & guitar)
• Tom Petty (guitar)
• Mike Campbell (guitar)
• Benmont Tench (keyboards)
• Howie Epstein (bass)
• Stan Lynch (drums)
• The Queens Of Rhythm: Carolyn Dennis, Queen Esther Marrow, Madelyn Quebec (backing vocals).

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Check out:

• Alldylan @ Facebook
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• Bob Dylan: The Songs he didn’t write

-Egil