Steal away, steal away, steal away to Jesus!
Steal away, steal away home, I hain’t got long to stay here.
My Lord calls me, He calls me by the thunder;
The trumpet sounds it in my soul,
I hain’t got long to stay here.
Steal away, steal away, steal away to Jesus!
Steal away, steal away home, I hain’t got long to stay here.
Green trees are bending, poor sinners stand trembling;
The trumpet sounds it in my soul,
I haven’t got a long time to stay here.
Steal away, steal away, steal away to Jesus!
Steal away, steal away home, I hain’t got long to stay here.
My Lord calls me—He calls me by the lightning;
The trumpet sounds it in my soul;
I hain’t got long to stay here.
Steal away, steal away, steal away to Jesus!
Steal away, steal away home, I hain’t got long to stay here.
Tombstones are bursting—poor sinners stand trembling;
The trumpet sounds it in my soul;
I hain’t got long to stay here.
Steal away, steal away, steal away to Jesus!
Steal away, steal away home, I hain’t got long to stay here.
Listen to a recording of “Steal Away” from 1902.
Audio source: Dinwiddie Colored Quartet, “Steal Away,” October 29, 1902. Included in the National Jukebox, Library of Congress, courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment.
Source: “Steal Away,” in Jubilee Songs: Complete. As Sung by the Jubilee Singers of Fisk University, Under the Auspices of the American Missionary Association. New York: Bigelow & Main, 1872 (University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries)
Discussion Questions
- Like many Negro spirituals, “Steal Away to Jesus” has multiple meanings. How do you interpret the meanings of the song? Support your thinking with evidence from the lyrics.
- In what ways was “Steal Away to Jesus” able to deliver a coded message to the enslaved?
- Why do you think spirituals like “Steal Away to Jesus” were so powerful in religious worship in enslaved communities?