In the christmas spiritual song, the lyrics are "Mary Had a Baby, the people keep a coming and the train done gone." what is this a reference to?

I'm pretty sure it is as if the singer is wondering why all the people are arriving after the train has left the station. It's because they're not coming for the train, they're coming to see baby Jesus!

It's more likely that this is a reference to the Undergroud Train, a movement which helped slaves to escape the plantations. Many spirituals speak of a "train" or a journey to cross the "river Jordan" to the freedom of a "homeland". In reality, to reach the free country meant crossing the river Ohio into the northern territory, where they would be out of the reach of their captors. The slaves saw a parallel between the enslaved Israelites at the time of Moses and themselves. In "Mary Had a Baby" Jesus is the saviour who ensures that, even if physical freedom is impossible, his people are free spiritually; the final release into the afterlife is the other meaning of "crossing over" into the "promised land".

Yes that is true. Because in the song it speaks about Jesus going to Egypt. This has spiritual meaning because of the birth death and resurrection. Christmas is only the beginning in us as well. We must be certain He can complete in us what He started.

The beautiful lyrics of this song carry a vital message of life. The phrases identified the movements of the Underground Railroad. These words were the beacons of light sung with devotion and truth for all who have ears and hearts to hear.