There is no one official version of the lyrics of this song, such as is the case with many traditional spirituals and folk songs in general whose authorship is unknown. Perhaps the most famous rendition of "Gospel Plow" is Bob Dylan's in 1962: Another famous rendition of the song is under the name of "Keep Your Hand on the Plow" by gospel singer and civil rights activist
Mahalia Jackson. The lyrics are slightly different: The structure of Jackson's rendition is interesting because it does not follow the traditional spiritual composition format of four-line stanzas in the AAAB or AABA
rhyme scheme. Instead, it is composed in three-line stanzas that follow the AAB rhyme scheme which might be attributed to being a gospel adaptation of the traditional spiritual form of the song. This song must have been an important one for Jackson, considering that the title of one of the chapters of her autobiography ''Movin' On Up'' is precisely "Keep your hand on the plow." In this chapter, she makes reference to pushing through during times of physical exhaustion after her tour through Europe. ==Recordings==