Deep River is a perennial African American spiritual. Most famously set by Harry T. Burleigh, the piece speaks of 'crossing over into campground', which is a reference to The Promised Land of God. Similar to many spirituals sung during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, this piece took on a double meaning, with campground or promised land referring to a land free of racism, Jim Crow, and the overall suppression of African Americans. The oboe is considered one of the instruments closest to t