Final answer:
Work songs were an important aspect of slave life, serving as emotional expression and covert communication. They include deep meanings and helped forge a communal identity among enslaved African Americans.
Step-by-step explanation:
Songs sung during slave work are commonly referred to as work songs. These Black Secular Music pieces were more than just entertainment or a way to pass time; they served as an emotional outlet and a form of covert communication amongst enslaved African Americans. Work songs and hollers helped to ease the burden of relentless labor, served as a way to resist the oppressive conditions of slavery, and fostered a sense of community and cultural identity. An example of this genre is 'Go Down Moses', a spiritual used by Harriet Tubman to signal slaves. The complexity of these songs is profound as they often held a double meaning, with a literal interpretation that was non-threatening to slave owners and a more profound interpretation understood by the slaves themselves.