The song "Go Tell It On The Mountain" has become a song about civil rights just as much as it has been a Christmas carol. The true meaning behind the carol is to express the excitement that people are feeling about the birth of Christ. You want to be able to tell as many people as possible about such a joyous occasion, so it is important to yell about such a wonderful event from the mountain tops. The song was written by an old folk singer from the Memphis area John W. Work. Work typically wrote songs that were played often at spiritual gatherings.

The song "Go Tell It To The Mountain" was revisited a bit when civil rights based writer and activist James Baldwin used it as one of the titles of his books. Baldwin I think was using the song title in a political sense to explain to God that his people, his children have been mistreated. The song itself was originally meant to be joyous so Baldwin took a little creative license there.

The verse When I was a seeker
I sought both night and day,
I asked the Lord to help me,
And he showed me the way. symbolizes to me how the birth of Christ can show people the way to a better tomorrow and to give them hope that their king is here to bring them hope.

The verse about being a watchman appears to me to be about if you are not watching for and then telling people about the birth of Christ then you are possibly the least Christian in the land. That is just my mangled interpretation. Commonly known American folk singers like Simon & Garfunkel along with James Taylor have done such very nice versions of the song in the past. The harmony that Simon & Garfunkel bring to the tune is absolutely amazing.

Go Tell It On The Mountain
 

(Chorus)
Go tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere,
Go tell it on the mountain,
Our Jesus Christ is born.

When I was a seeker
I sought both night and day,
I asked the Lord to help me,
And he showed me the way.
(Chorus)

He made me a watchman
Upon a city wall,
And if I am a Christian,
I am the least of all.
(Chorus)