Discussion Topic
Songs Related to 'Chains'
Summary:
The songs "Redemption Song" by Bob Marley and "A Change is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke relate to Chains by depicting themes of slavery, resilience, and hope. Marley's lyrics resonate with Isabel's struggle for freedom, while Cooke's song echoes the hope for change and survival amidst oppression. Additionally, traditional slave songs like "Wade in the Water," "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," "Song of the Free," and "Go Down Moses" serve as fitting soundtracks, reflecting the historical context and emotional journey of the characters.
What are two songs that relate to Chains?
Two songs that can relate to Chains are songs that depicts the difficult condition of slavery.
Slavery is the backdrop for Chains. Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" can relate to the experiences Isabel has as a slave. Marley's song shows the sadness of slavery with lines like, "Old pirates, yes, they rob I;/ Sold I to the merchant ships." Isabel experiences this reality with Madame Lockton. Isabel and her sister had no say as Madame Lockton took ownership of them. A great deal of Isabel's anger is that she feels Madame Lockton "robbed" her of her freedom. While Marley's song relates to the anger and sadness of slaves, it also speaks to the resilience needed to counteract slavery. Marley writes that slaves must "emancipate yourselves from mental slavery/ None but ourselves can free our minds." This relates to how Isabel comes to terms with Madame Lockton's cruelty:
She cannot chain...
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my soul. Yes, she could hurt me. She'd already done so...I would bleed, or not. Scar, or not. Live, or not. But she could not hurt my soul, not unless I gave it to her.
While Isabel exists in "chains," she will be mentally free. She will not surrender her soul to Madame Lockton. In refusing to yield to injustice, Isabel sings "a song of freedom" that invariably leads to her "redemption."
Slaves in Colonial America confronted a complex reality. Fighting for colonial freedom would not change their imprisoned condition. Many African-Americans had to face a challenging set of conditions as they fought in the American Revolution. They fought for someone else's freedom. Isabel understands this when she hears Grandfather's words:
This is not our fight... British or American, that is not the choice. You must choose your own side, find your road through the valley of darkness that will lead you to the river Jordan.
His words carry more weight with Isabel when he says to her, "A scar is a sign of strength... the sign of a survivor." While enslaved African-Americans faced difficulty, words like Grandfather's showed how they fought for change. A song that could relate to this struggle would be Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come." Cooke wrote the song about the injustices African-Americans faced during the Civil Rights Movement. The same connection can be made to slavery. When Cooke sings that he knows, "A change gon' come, oh yes it will," it is reminiscent of how Grandfather urges his fellow slaves to search for their own "road through the valley of darkness," When slaves do this, a change will happen because they will find their "river Jordan." Grandfather's words to Isabel about how scars represent strength and survival can be heard in Cooke's "There been times that I thought I couldn't last for long/ But now I think I'm able to carry on." Cooke's song captures the spirit of hope and struggle that Grandfather's words communicate to Isabel and other slaves.
Which songs relate to the book 'Chains'?
Chains presents a specific situation: that of enslaved Africans in colonial New England. While African-American songs from the 19th century, especially the Civil War era, are more familiar today, people from Africa and their American-born descendants had developed a significant musical tradition by the late 18th century.
The church was one important domain where distinctive music developed. According to the Library of Congress, the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church was one of the earliest established, such as the Philadelphia congregation established by Richard Allen. In 1801, he published the first African-American hymnal, or collection of spiritual songs.
While some African-American music was distinct, and much of it drew on African traditions, black people also learned and sang European and Euro-American songs. To some extent, performance was occasion- and context-specific, as African songs and dances might be performed on traditional religious feast days that were merged into the Christian calendar. Numerous African instruments, such as drums and other percussion instruments, continued in use in the Americas.
[Southern, Eileen. 1997. The Music of Black Americans: A History. 3rd ed. New York: W. W. Norton.]
References
Isabel is a slave in America, so any of the songs traditionally sang by slaves would work well as a "soundtrack" song for Chains. "Wade in the Water" is a particularly well known slave song. Another popular song would be "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." This song even sings about the freedom of home and a river, which applies quite well to Isabel's and Curzon's escape in a boat. "Song of the Free" would work well too. It is a song that goes to the tune of "Oh! Susanna" and is about slaves gaining freedom by escaping to Canada. A fourth slave spiritual song that would work is "Go Down Moses." It sings about a people being oppressed so much that they cannot even stand. This applies well to Isabel's situation because there are times that Madam Lockton beats Isabel so mercilessly that Isabel is delirious. Here are some lyrics from the song:
When Israel was in Egypt's land
Let my people go
Oppress'd so hard they could not stand
Let my people go