Oh, Freedom
E514008
"Oh, Freedom" is a traditional African American freedom song that became a prominent civil rights anthem, notably popularized by folk singer Odetta.
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
African American freedom song
ⓘ
civil rights anthem ⓘ spiritual ⓘ traditional song ⓘ |
| associatedWithEvent | civil rights marches in the 1950s and 1960s ⓘ |
| associatedWithMovement | American civil rights movement NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| associatedWithTheme |
emancipation
ⓘ
freedom ⓘ racial justice ⓘ resistance to oppression ⓘ |
| category |
African American spiritual
ⓘ
American folk song ⓘ protest music ⓘ |
| culturalSignificance |
iconic song of the U.S. civil rights era
ⓘ
symbol of African American struggle for freedom ⓘ |
| firstKnownAs | traditional oral song before formal publication ⓘ |
| genre |
folk music
ⓘ
gospel ⓘ |
| hasAudience |
church congregations
ⓘ
civil rights activists ⓘ folk music audiences ⓘ |
| hasCulturalOrigin | African American community ⓘ |
| hasMoral | freedom is worth more than life under slavery ⓘ |
| hasVariant | regional lyric variations ⓘ |
| historicalContext | developed from African American spiritual traditions ⓘ |
| influencedBy | African American spirituals NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| lyricLine |
And before I’d be a slave, I’ll be buried in my grave
ⓘ
And go home to my Lord and be free ⓘ Oh, freedom, oh, freedom, oh, freedom over me ⓘ |
| notablyPerformedBy |
Joan Baez
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Odetta NERFINISHED ⓘ The Freedom Singers NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| notablyPopularizedBy | Odetta NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| performancePractice |
often sung a cappella
ⓘ
often sung in call-and-response style ⓘ |
| periodOfOrigin | post–American Civil War era ⓘ |
| religiousElement |
Christian imagery
ⓘ
reference to the Lord and the afterlife ⓘ |
| symbolizes |
hope for liberation
ⓘ
moral and spiritual resistance ⓘ refusal to accept slavery ⓘ |
| transmission | oral tradition ⓘ |
| usedAs |
civil rights rally song
ⓘ
marching song ⓘ protest song ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.