Songs: “O Mary Don’t You Weep” by Aretha Franklin, “Crossroads” by Bone Thugs N Harmony, “When You Believe” by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston
There’s old music from our parents’ generation, like Led Zeppelin and the Temptations. Then there’s old music from our great-grandparents’ time, like Scott Joplin and Chopin. And then there’s old music like the Hebrew Torah hymn “Song of the Sea,” which could possibly date to as far back as the 13th century B.C.- predating the writing of Exodus itself. That’s really, really, fucking old. The most amazing part? It’s still sung today in the Jewish and Christian traditions, with snippets filtering their way down into popular modern songs.
“Song of the Sea” (sometimes known as “Song of Moses” in Christian liturgy) recounts the escape of the biblical Israelites from Pharaoh’s army after the parting of the Red Sea. It’s at once exalted praise and sweeping ballad, epic narrative interwoven with ecstatic devotion. (No judgment here; returning to Egypt as slaves sounds like a giant suck.) “Song of the Sea” is written in very archaic Hebrew, leading researchers to believe it could be the most ancient section of the Book of Exodus. It’s sung primarily by Moses with a short verse at the end by the prophetess Miriam, who leads the women in gratefully dancing and playing timbrels.
Who among the gods is like you, Lord?
Who is like you- majestic in holiness,
Awesome in glory, working wonders. . .When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and horsemen went into the sea,
The Lord brought the waters of the sea back over them,
But the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. . .
It’s a lasting tribute to the monumental impact of “Song of the Sea” that it is still sung in daily Jewish prayer today and was even adopted by the canon of another religion. Given that the Jews were almost wiped out by the Assyrians, Romans, and Nazis, among others, it’s a wonder this hymn survived at all. But the most astounding part is how lyrics and themes of this praise poem have trickled down into pre-Civil War spirituals, 90s rap/R&B, and even a Disney pop song. I’d like to think the biblical Israelites would have been pleased to find out their tune had “legs.”
“O Mary Don’t You Weep” is one of the most haunting, profound, and well-known of traditional Negro spirituals. It was composed prior to the Civil War when most African-Americans were still brutally enslaved and could sympathize with the terrible plight of the biblical Israelites. Religious scholar Brian Wren wrote that it contained “coded messages of hope and resistance.” Like many early folk songs, it’s accumulated several different versions along the way; one features the optimistic line “Didn’t Pharaoh’s army get drowned?” On its face, “O Mary Don’t You Weep” sounds like less of an exuberant narrative than a desperate prayer, but a few verses assure the listener it’s still the same joyful praise of religious redemption.
The very moment I thought I was lost
The dungeon shook and the chains fell off. . .
“O Mary Don’t You Weep” plays for the first minute of Bone Thugs N Harmony’s 1994 video for their hit “Crossroads,” which shows a shadowy figure- later revealed as a powerful winged angel- gently carrying the deceased to an afterlife. (Disclaimer: I’ve cried more than once watching this. Consider yourself warned.) But it’s not just the use of “O Mary Don’t You Weep” that ties this heartbreaking tune to “Song of the Sea.” “Crossroads” is all about deliverance, especially in that final of all stages: death. Moses and the Israelites were saved by the hand of their God; the lost loved ones of “Crossroads” are gathered up by the angel to ascend high into the clouds.
Even Disney got in on some “Song of the Sea” action with 1998’s The Prince of Egypt (one of their more underrated movies), which featured a diva-studded ballad called “When You Believe.” Whereas “O Mary” pled for redemption and “Crossroads” offered an insight into deliverance, “When You Believe” is purely about the power of faith. The chorus of “There can be miracles when you believe” is bridged with a children’s choir singing actual excerpts, in Hebrew, from “Song of the Sea.” Let that sink in for a minute: 3,300 years after the event, people are still melodically praising the biblical Exodus in its original language. To put it in perspective: remember all those jingoistic country songs after 9/11? Heard any of those lately?
Studio execs love to talk numbers, so I’ll throw them a bone: the videos above have over 600 million views combined on YouTube. The suffering, power, and awe of “Song of the Sea” have resonated down the millennia, shapeshifting to adapt to new genres, formats, and locations. I’m just interested to see where it’ll head next.
Hey hey! Thanks for visiting- your presence is warmly welcomed. Please correct me if I accidentally got something wrong. If there are any songs, artists, or genres you’d love to learn more about, I’m always down for recommendations! This blog is free to read (and always will be) due to a fair amount of academic traffic, but you can always buy me a coffee (aka put a tip in my jar) if you enjoyed this article.
