Neil Francis: Among many issues facing English rugby, ‘Swing Low’ is least of them
Instigating a review into the controversial song has conveniently detracted from the Doomsday scenario enveloping the game
FROM an early age every American child is taught at school that the first President of the United States of America was George Washington. A hero and a patriot and a man of great physical and moral courage. The leader of the American forces in the War of Independence. One of the founding fathers of the United States of America and a signatory of the Declaration of Independence. Without doubt, the most iconic figure and figurehead in the United States. Washington’s ethics, sense of values and moral compass are forever enshrined in the fabric of the American nation and in the DNA of his antecedents. Ahem!!
George owned an 18,000 acre plantation in Virginia and, in order to make his farm viable, he needed slaves to work it for him. Washington supported measures passed in law in congress to support and maintain slavery. He owned 317 slaves who “had no moral qualities” and were “a species of property”.
Washington wasn’t known for his generosity in the upkeep of his slaves and regularly had them whipped for insubordination or lack of productivity.
Given events in the last few weeks – whither Washington’s legacy now? That is going to be some airbrush.
As we speak the following have been named after George Washington. One state, 18 cities, 12 major towns, 30 counties, 82 townships and 26 villages! There are 11 universities, five military forts, six major lakes, six major mountains, 10 national parks, eight major city bridges, 14 major monuments and over 10,000 statues and images all across America. There are also a significant number of statues and images around the world.
Protestors pulled down one statue to Washington in Portland, Oregon over the weekend – so that’s a start.
Every founding father – a signatory of the Declaration of Independence – owned slaves. Thomas Jefferson owned 600, Andrew Jackson, Ulysses Grant and even the great Benjamin Franklin stand similarly accused.
All of these distinguished gentlemen appear on dollar bills Washington $1, Jefferson $2, Jackson $20, Grant $50 and Franklin $100. Lincoln is on the $5 bill, the only moral banknote you can really use – until you “burn the bank notes!”
Where does it all start and where does it all end? Should the protestors head over to Giza when they are finished with Washington and knock the pyramids down? They were, after all. built on the back of slave labour.
Constitution
I suspect that an airbrushing of the founding fathers and the redaction of the names on the constitution might be a step too far. Right now, however, the black population in America and Europe have the eyes and the ears of the world – they need to make their moment count.
The drive has crossed into all sectors and, as usual, sport is one of the major players when a cause is to be advanced.
Rugby was no different from any other sport and the examination of ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’ came up last week. Given the fact that Edward Colston’s statue had been thrown into the drink in Bristol for his strong links with slavery, it would be only a matter of time, maybe, before other ‘philanthropists’ like Cecil Rhodes would get caught up in the controversy. In fact, anything connected to the slave trade would be brought up for examination – even a song!
I have read about a dozen articles on the song, its slave history and biblical meaning. If I ever end up on Mastermind, ‘Swing Low’ will be my specialist subject. Every correspondent had been diligent in reporting on the topic to the point of saturation coverage. Rupert Cox of Sky Sports even interviewed Josephine Wright, Professor of Music and Black Studies at Wooster College, Ohio to get an insight into the song. It is there in black and white – I can’t add much more to it. Save to say that in 1988, I was an unused squad member at
I’d be happy to never hear it again, but the general public might view it differently
Twickenham the day that Chris Oti scored his famous hat-trick.
The English crowd were pretty doleful in the first half but their team changed tactic in the second and Oti got a bit of possession. ‘Swing Low’ reverberated around the old ground – everyone seemed to know the words – everyone seemed to enjoy singing it, too. It became England’s “Cockles and Mussels, alive alive-oh.” It was certainly a better refrain than “England, England, England”. Even after the match was over, there were England supporters singing it all the way back home on the train to Waterloo. It caught on, it sounded good in the stadium and it stuck.
I had never heard it before and asked England supporters about it – “slave song”, ‘“black song”, “freedom song” – nobody really cared about its meaning.
They did sing the verses back then but now all that is sung is “swing low, sweet chariot, coming for to carry me home” repeatedly. I would agree with Maro Itoje who said that he didn’t think it was sung with any “malicious intent”.
As an Irishman I would be quite happy never to hear it again but I suppose the general rugby public would view it differently. Martin Offiah probably got it right when he said: “I would not support the banning of such a song. When you do try to ban things like that, it just makes the song more divisive.”
And so we wait for the conclusion of the RFU review in the next few weeks, or so, and hopefully that will be the end of this very taxing issue.
Just one last point. The world is coming to an end. Everyone is going to die in the fifth or sixth wave. The world economy will not recover for 50 years and we won’t have spectator sport for the foreseeable future. In rugby terms the walls are caving in and the hand-to-mouth existence of the game is cruelly exposed.
The RFU are trying to drive the new global calendar ahead. Their clubs are absolutely refusing to budge or play summer rugby. The salary cap has been lowered which is a catastrophe for clubs with big wage bills. The England players are all facing severe wages cuts. Saracens, the bulk provider of the England team, are relegated to semi-professional status. The RFU have pulled funding on their Championship sides. There will be no live audience matches or economic television revenue in 2020 and there will be massive law suits issued by the Premiership clubs... and the RFU want to review a nine word chorus because it might offend – what a stroke of genius.
We are not sure who exactly asked for the review, if anyone, but what a PR whizz! The Armageddon has arrived but throw the dogs a bone and they forget about all the really bad stuff. Slaves to the spin!