"I Shall Not Be Moved", also known as "We Shall Not Be Moved", is an
African-Americanslavespiritual,
hymn, and
protest song dating to the early 19th century American south.[1] It was likely originally sung at revivalist
camp-meetings as a
slave jubilee. The song describes being "like a tree planted by the waters" who "shall not be moved" because of faith in
God. Secularly, as "We Shall Not Be Moved" it gained popularity as a protest and union song of the
Civil Rights Movement.[2]
The text is based on biblical scripture:
Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
In 1908 Alfred H. and B. D. Ackley copyrighted a hymn by the name "I Shall Not Be Moved".[3]
Civil rights movement
As "We Shall Not Be Moved" the song gained popularity as a protest and union song of the
Civil rights movement.[2]
The song became popular in the Swedish
anti-nuclear and
peace movements in the late 1970s, in a Swedish translation by Roland von Malmborg, "Aldrig ger vi upp" ('Never shall we give up').[4]
The Spinners set the musical tone of the 1975
Thames Television comedy about a Liverpool working-class family, The Wackers. The closing credits medley featured them singing "We Shall Not Be Moved" and "
You'll Never Walk Alone".[29]
In Great Britain in the 1980s the song was used by the popular British wrestler
Big Daddy as his walk-on music, which would be greeted by cheers from the fans.[30]
David Spener has written a book documenting the history of this song title, including how it was translated into Spanish, changing the first singular to third person plural, "No Nos Moverán"[31] (meaning "They will not move us"). That version was part of the soundtrack of the well-known popular tv series
Verano azul, which popularized the song among the Spanish youth.[32]
JB Burnett covered the song for the first episode of the third season of Supernatural ("The Magnificent Seven").[citation needed]
Playwright Isaiah Reaves used the name for his show describing his grandmother's experiences as a Freedom Rider.[33]
^Louise Pettersson (2010).
"På jakt efter miljörörelsens sångtradition" [In search of the Swedish environmental movement's song tradition]. Hgo.diva-Portal.org (in Swedish). Retrieved 2019-03-25.
^"The Wackers, 1975". British Classic Comedy. 2021-03-03. (the song can be heard at the end of the clips embedded in the article). Retrieved 2021-05-30.
^"Big Daddy". Wilde Life: Official Kim Wilde Fansite. Retrieved 2021-05-22.
^David Spener. 2016. We Shall Not Be Moved / No Nos Moverán: Biography of a Song of Struggle. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
^"¡No nos moverán!". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 2019-08-30. Retrieved 2019-12-09.