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" Gospel Plow" (also known as " Hold On" and " Keep Your Hand on the Plow") is a traditional African American spiritual. It is listed in the Roud Folk Song Index, number 10075. The title is biblical, based on Luke 9:62.
The earliest date in which this spiritual appears in written form is in 1917, in the Cecil Sharp Collection, while the earliest recording is from 1930 under the title of "Keep Yo' Hand on the Plow, Hold On" by the Hall Johnson Negro Choir."Keep Your Hand on the Plow". The Traditional Ballad Index: An annotated source to folk song from the English-speaking world, edited by Robert B. Waltz.
Like most African American spirituals, Gospel Plow can be defined as a "musical poem, not attributable to any specific poet or composer" that describes some aspect of the "early Afro-American's view of life."Tyler, Mary Ann L. "The Music of Charles Henry Pace and Its Relationship to the Afro-American Church Experience" (Ph.D. diss., University of Pittsburgh, 1980), 15. Contained in: Darden, Robert. “What Spirituals Are, What Spirituals Mean.” People Get Ready! A New History of Black Gospel Music, 2015, pp. 70–93.
The allusion to the plow makes clear reference to the enslaved condition of African Americans working in the fields. Presumably, this spiritual must have been a message of encouragement connected to Luke 9:62's teaching that to keep plowing is to be fit for the kingdom of God.
Another famous rendition of the song is under the name of "Keep Your Hand on the Plow" by gospel singer and civil rights activist Mahalia Jackson. The lyrics are slightly different:
The structure of Jackson's rendition is interesting because it does not follow the traditional spiritual composition format of four-line stanzas in the AAAB or AABA rhyme scheme.“What Spirituals Are, What Spirituals Mean.” People Get Ready! A New History of Black Gospel Music, 2015, p. 73 Instead, it is composed in three-line stanzas that follow the AAB rhyme scheme which might be attributed to being a gospel adaptation of the traditional spiritual form of the song.
This song must have been an important one for Jackson, considering that the title of one of the chapters of her autobiography Movin' On Up is precisely "Keep your hand on the plow."Jackson, Mahalia, and Evan McLeod Wylie. Movin' on Up. 1st ed., Hawthorn Books, 1966. In this chapter, she makes reference to pushing through during times of physical exhaustion after her tour through Europe.
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