This song is also known as "The Pilgrim's Song" and reminds us of Hebrews 11:13, which says,
These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
The allegory of this song is fitting and recognizable to all believers. The harshness of slave life makes this especially poignant. This world is not our home and we have a new home coming. It required patience and faith while we wait to see it.
The history of this spiritual is more problematic. Sydney Grew, in his 1935 article in Music and Letters, says that Negro minister, Bishop Allen, wrote this on his deathbed. Documented resources on Wikipedia's article on this song state that the song was first published The Makers of the Sacred Harp hymnal, by David Warren Steel and Richard H. Hulan, in 1858. They also state is sung by Union prisoners at the notorious Confederate POW camp, Libby Prison, and written by a dying soldier. Others still claim that it is an Appalachian folk tune. The NegroSpirituals.com website gives no details but includes the song's lyrics in its database testifying as a Negro spiritual. It has been sung by numerous recognizable artists such as Johnny Cash and movies, such as 1917.
While authorship is unknown, people of all ethnicities clearly appreciate the lyrics and powerful melody that captures the human heart in its yearning for a better world free of the hardships that all faces because of Adam's curse.