Oh Archie, Archie, Archie.....
In this spiritual hymn, the message is that like anyone in the congregation who has had a lot of suffering and travail, so too has had Jesus.... quite obviously even more so to any who is christian and knows Christ's story.
It is a song of comfort in which those feeling very low and seemingly without a way out of a jam can find solace in what Jesus did for that person to save his soul.
That's the religious message. Note, I am not proselytizing. On the other hand, to those who are feeling particularly down, this song has been a message of uplift to many. ..... Obviously not to you.
<Edit>
Note to all. I put the lyrics in jest to reflect the general oh woe is me tone of this thread. If I have offended anyone's sensibilities by injecting a religious tone to it, my apologies as this was not intended.
This particular spiritual has been used in many comedic situations here in the US and I assumed that it would have the same effect here. As in when people over-react to a situation and immediately go to the singing of this song to prove their lament.
Edited by - Indy11 on 5/26/2004 5:21:06 PM