Wade in the Water

This song belongs to the famous American Spirituals. They were the songs of the African slaves in America. They expressed their suffering, their unshakable hope and their unswerving faith. The text of "Wade In The Water" speaks of Moses and wading through water and recalls the flight of the Israelite people from slavery in Egypt.

Gospel songs are subject to constant change. On every occasion new lines are added to the gospels, old lines are left out or changed. There is actually no original version. The gospels were and are usually handed down orally. You can find dozens of different text versions of "Wade in the Water" on the Internet.

In 1966 "Wade in the Water" was an instrumental hit by the Ramsey Lewis Trio, later (1967) by Herp Alpert and The Tijuana Brass, and Billy Peston. In 1988 Tony Toni Tone used the melody for the hit "Little Water". The version of the Golden Gate Quartet also appears on the album "Nick Cave - Roots & Collaborations" (2009) and established the song in Australia as an inspiration for artists.

Markus Götz transformed this song into a jazz rock version for wind orchestra, creating a whole new interpretation.