What does it mean to belong? When singing this haunting melody, singers portray not just strangers, but poor wayfaring ones “while journeying through this world of woe.” W.E.B. Du Bois refers to spirituals as “Sorrow Songs,” and talks about how this song in particular, like many of that genre, has a double meaning. The lyrics describe being in a "world of woe" and a "land of woe," facing "dark clouds" and a "rough and steep" path. These words convey a sense of displacement and of being an outsider in the current world. But this song also provides a powerful sense of hope for a future home. The "bright land to which I go" and "going over Jordan" represents a promised land of salvation and belonging, while yearning for liberty and freedom in this life. Arranger Victor C. Johnson uses blue notes to reimagine the song's traditional harmonies while incorporating occasional call and response motifs to reinforce a sense of hope and expectation.