AFRICAN-AMERICAN SPIRITUALS Ezekiel Saw the Wheel

Spirituals are religious folksongs, which evolved and are associated with a complex history of revivalism in America, between 1740 and the 19th century. The very first Negro spirituals were inspired by African music even if the tunes were not far from those of hymns. Some of them, which were called �shouts� were accompanied with typical dancing including hand clapping and foot tapping.

Ezekiel Saw the Wheel is a famous folk song, covered by such artists as Woody Guthrie, Paul Robeson, John Lee Hooker, the Dixie Hummingbirds, and the Fisk Jubilee Singers. The song recounts the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel�s divine vision, at the start of the eponymous book.The meaning of these songs was most often covert. Therefore, only Christian slaves understood them, and even when ordinary words were used, they reflected personal relationship between the slave singer and God.