Passover Coverfolk: Songs of Pharaoh and Moses
(On Finding Freedom in the Story of Exodus)
Tomorrow night, Jews across the world are commanded to retell the story of Exodus. And here in the Howdy House, that means a night of roasts, toasts, revelry and ritual as friends and family descend on the house like plagues.
The story of the Jews’ escape from slavery, and their emergence as a people, has much to offer as a modern parable of freedom. The seder meal is bittersweet, tinged with sorrow for those who had to die that others could be free. As a metaphor for struggle itself, it asks us to be aware that though freedom is paramount, violence is always a last, worst resort; patience and persistence go hand in hand.
The seder traditionally ends with a call to return to and remember the land of one’s ancestors, but in more and more households in this day and age, it’s the freedom to go or stay which is emphasized in the telling. Many modern haggadot frame the tale explicitly with calls to ongoing struggles for freedom throughout the world, and reminders that as long as one human remains enslaved, none of us are truly free. It’s a powerful message for children, and I’m proud to be able to share it with my own, and thus help plant the seed of human rights and social consciousness in yet another rising generation.
To tell the story now would be pre-emptive, of course — far be it from us to take the power of our own retellings, let alone risk trivializing them through popular song, however powerful that song may be. As such, I’ve chosen not to try to compile the story itself in song, though I admit such a task was mightily tempting, at least until I realized how few songs about lice, boils and cattle disease have ever been recorded.
But whether you celebrate or not, every good story needs a cast of characters. Here’s a few favorite coversongs about Moses and Pharaoh, the prime agencies of good and evil in this particular retelling of the eternal struggle for all to be free.
- Tim O’Brien: Moses (trad.)
(from Cornbread Nation, 2005) - The Duhks: Moses Don’t Get Lost (trad., via Tim O’Brien)
(from Migrations, 2006) - Marc Manning: Little Moses (trad.)
(from A Tribute To The Anthology Of American Folk Music By Harry Smith, 2005) - Joan Baez: Little Moses (ibid.)
(from Joan Baez, 1960)
- The House Band: Pharaoh (orig. Richard Thompson)
(from The World is a Wonderful Place: The Songs of Richard Thompson, 1993) - June Tabor: Pharaoh (ibid.)
(from A Quiet Eye, 2000) - Crooked Still: Pharaoh (trad., via Sydney Carter)
(from Still Crooked, 2008)
May we all be so blessed as to find our own leaders, in ourselves and our communities, and follow them to freedom in the year to come. Let the waters part, and the darkness lift; let the fetters fall, and the sky be ours again.
Category: Uncategorized
April 11th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
[...] IX: More covers of and from Mike and Ruthy, Richard Shindell, U2, and YouTubePassover Coverfolk: Songs of Pharaoh and Moses (On Finding Freedom in the Story of Exodus)Covered in Folk: R.E.M. (Redbird, Great Big Sea, Rosie Thomas, Grant Lee Phillips and more!)All [...]
May 12th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
[...] The House Band and June Tabor both cover Pharaoh [...]