Video #4. RULE #3, you are NOT ALLOWED to read the video description. Wade in the Water!
This is my arrangement of the Negro Spiritual "Wade on the Water". Notated in Finale (copy and pasted into the video, also see https://bit.ly/4cPhYyL). Semiperformed once at spouse's church in 2018, and another time at a work company event also in 2018.
One inspiration was a work company event at the zoo where a coworker, too impatient to use the bridge, literally waded in the water to get to the other side of a stream. Another inspiration was a weather incident in 2018 where a coworker had extreme difficulty getting home because of flooding. The performance at the company event was dedicated to these two coworkers.
Lyrics Interpretation
Whatever the command "Wade in the water!" (15x in my version) means, the speaker really wants it to happen, and for children too (x5 of the times). The warning/notification "God's a-gonna trouble the water" also happens repeatedly (x5 in refrain + x4*2 in verse = 13x).
I see four interpretations of this hymn (assistance from Chat GPT).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wade_in_the_Water (with sublinks)
Standard Interpretation #1 (https://pathways.thinkport.org/secrets/music2.cfm). "Wade in the water" means escape from slavery (which might require literally wading in the water to save one's skin). A modern day version is to advocate for Black civil rights. "God's agonna trouble the water" means there could be negative consequences of this.
Standard Interpretation #2 (https://web.archive.org/web/20080709101921/http://www.gwu.edu/~e73afram/dw-ah-ek.html). "Wade in the water" means the escape of the Israelites from the Egyptians via the Red Sea in the book of Exodus. "God's agonna trouble the water" means once the Israelites have escaped and the Egyptians have followed God will make the sea fallback and destroy the Egyptians.
Standard Interpretation #3 (https://web.archive.org/web/20210223155947/http://www.csufresno.edu/folklore/ballads/LoF242.html). "Wade in the water" means the collective actions of Humanity for good or ill. "God's agonna trouble the water" means Humanity will face revelation or judgment day at the end.
Another Interpretation #4 (mine). "Wade in the water" means life is hard, but you gotta go out and face it. "God's agonna trouble the water" means you're gonna die at the end regardless.
COMMON: The line "Look over yonder, what do I see? The Holy Ghost a-comin' on me" means the same to me across all #1-4, this refers to death that inevitably ends a human live, eventually meeting with God (The Holy Ghost/Spirit being one of the Holy Trinity making up the divine). Another commonality is "band dressed in red" always can mean potentially bloody or lethal consequences for whatever wading in the water is and when God troubles the water.
1. Cut from video description [space constraints] (COMPLAINT #1c: only 5000 characters are allowed here).
KEY: Literal object = Figurative/symbolic object
2.
Children = israelite children
Host in white = Egyptians
Israelites = Egyptians (Egyptians are Arabs, might be visually similar to Semites to the naive observer)
Are the Israelites the Chosen People? Yes (but not limited to the Israelites)
Israelite leader dressed in white = Pharoah (leader of figurative Israelites)
Band dressed in red that Moses led = Israelites. Moses has association with red (e.g. blood smeared on doorposts for the passover)
Being redeemed = Making the way to the Promised Land
Follow me down to Jordan's stream = the river Jordan is the eastern border of the land promised to the Israelites, so maybe directionally this means going to the Promised Land
3.
Children = everyone is a child of god
Host in white = angels of heaven
Israelites = Humans
Are the Israelites the Chosen People? Yes, some of us anyway
Israelite leader = God (what if god was one of us?)
Band dressed in red = All of humanity are sinners [many sins done in anger represented by the color red]. Also Humanity saved by Jesus shedding his blood.
Band that Moses led = Israelites are people too
Being redeemed = Heaven wins over Hell at the End of Days
Follow me down to Jordan's stream = The singer claims heaven will be victorious over hell, and you better be with the singer on the winning side!
4.
Children = human children
Host in white = angels of heaven
Israelites = Humans
Are the Israelites the Chosen People? See #3
Israelite leader dressed in white = Jesus (both Human and divine)
Band dressed in red = see #3
Band that Moses led = see #3
Being redeemed = Going to heaven on death
Follow me down to Jordan's stream = The singer claims he's going to heaven, but there's no way for the listener to find out for sure without dying and going to heaven
Previous (#3): https://youtu.be/wwH4jGiHTjE
Next (#5): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ijfLtT9Qjc
Transcript and Director's Commentary: https://bit.ly/3J6kbIq
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