Going Home by Antonin Dvorak

Going Home by Antonin Dvorak
Many people believe that Antonin Dvorak was the person who wrote the lyrics of the song Going Home. However, this belief is not correct as the song Going Home lyrics were written by one of Antonin Dvorak’s student called William Arms Fisher in 1922. William Arms Fisher drew his inspiration from the challenge of Antonin Dvorak in his interview for the New York Herald newspaper where he challenged the American composers to draw inspirations from the rich heritage of their country. Antonin Dvorak composed the song Going Home using the lyrics of his student Antonin Dvorak. The song going home gained fame especially in funerals as it was sung in many funerals including President Gerald Ford’s and President Franklin Roosevelt’s funerals.
The first controversy in this song “Going Home is most people are still in an argument on who composed the lyrics of the song. Some people say that it was Antonin Dvorak while others say that it was his student William Fisher. The truth of the matter is that William Fisher wrote the lyrics of this song, but Antonin Dvorak composed the song. The second controversy that exists in this song is whether home refers to heaven or actual earth home. An atheist will argue that home in this song refers to the homeland of the slave while Christians will argue that argue that home refers to heaven in this song. The third controversy that exists in this song is when the author refers to home as a place that is nearby. It is controversial since no one can estimate the distance traveled by dead people to arrive in heaven.

In other words when the author refers to heaven as a place nearby we are unsure whether it is true that heaven is a place nearby or not.
”The song “Going home” is an expression of a slave who longs to see his family and friends who are already dead. The slave wishes to escape his slavery through death where he sees death as a good thing rather than a bad thing. According to the composer of this song the word home means heaven where he looks forward to be reunited with his family. The composer of this song uses melodrama where he refers death as a good thing rather than a bad thing. Additionally, the word heaven is exaggerated through the use of the word home to refer to it. In most case, one expects that death is something to be feared and one that should not be rejoiced at, however; the composer of this song exaggerates death by stating it as a gateway of the escape of his or her slavery (Boruch & Marianne, 46-63)
The emotions in this song are both sad and joyous emotions. The composer of this song brings sad emotions when he talks about home meaning heaven which can only be accomplished through dying. Additionally, the composer also remembers the dark shadows that revolve in his life. One can only imagine that the dark shadows are due to the harsh experience of being a slave, being forced to do heavy and tiring tasks all day long, being treated as inferiors in the society, being separated from their families and the death of their families and friends. On the other hand the composer of this song brings joyous emotions as he explains the beginning of a new life full of hope, full of a confident life without fear and a life near his family and friends (Urakami & Yuko, 149-157).
The song talks about the anguish of separation of slaves from their families. The anguish is shown where the slave views death as the only way of reuniting with his family and friends. This song covers the plight of the slaves during the 19th and 20th century even if this is done in a shallow manner. The song brings out both joyous and sad emotions experienced by slaves concerning their position as slaves. The song “Going Home” depicts slaves as spiritual people as they hope to reunite with their families in heaven which is denoted as home in the song.
As a listener to this song, one is forced to identify with the emotions and feelings of the slave since this song is a sorrowful one in nature. Listening to this song or reading the lyrics of this song enables listener or the reader to identify himself or herself as an anti-slavery supporter since the pain of the slave whose emotions are being expressed in this song seems to have lost the meaning of life. Thus, he opts to die so as to put an end to his sufferings. This song enables the reader or listener to identify death as an event of joy rather than an event of sorrow in the lives of slaves during the 19th and 20th century.
Works Cited
Boruch, Marianne. “Worlds Old and New.” The Iowa Review (1997): 46-63.
Urakami, Yuko, et al. “Electroencephalographic gamma-band activity and music perception in musicians and non-musicians.” Act Nerv Super Rediviva 55 (2013): 149-157.