The Red Sea waters overwhelmed and drowned Pharaoh’s chariots and armies (Exodus 14:28). In “This Is Me,” the singer is pursued by armies of words: “Whenever the words wanna cut me down/ I'll send a flood to drown 'em out/ I'm gonna send a flood/ Gonna drown them 'em out.” Just as Pharaoh’s armies “sank into the bottom as a stone” (Exodus 15:5), cruel words will be drowned out.
The Y-Studs mashup of “The Greatest Show,” “This Is Me,” “From Now On,” and “Come Alive” might just be “where you wanna be” this Passover.
In addition to the messages of (re)claiming identity and self-acceptance, there are themes and turns of phrase that are similar to the Exodus story.
In 1865, when P.T. Barnum was a state representative, he spoke in favor of ratifying the Thirteenth Amendment, abolishing slavery and involuntary servitude. The story of the Exodus also focuses on emancipation for enslaved people.
