Like many other African-American spirituals, 'Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen' originated during the slavery period although it was not published until 1867.
It has been recorded by many famous artists including Marian Anderson, Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong, Harry James, Paul Robeson, Mahalia Jackson and Sam Cooke
Did you know 'Nobody knows the trouble I've been through' features in Michael Tippett's oratorio A Child of Our Time?