The
Eyes on the Prize documentary took its name from the
protest song (which is also used as a theme song in the movie):
I know one thing we did right
Was the day we started to fight
Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on (hold on)
Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on.
The tune is taken from an old folk song, whose attitude is quite different:
If you want to get to heaven,
I'll tell you how
Keep your hand on the plow
Keep your hand on the plow, hold on.
While both songs are about hard work and persistence, the old song seems to espouse the old notion of "suffer unquestioningly in this world and you'll be rewarded in the next" while the new one is a call for action and social change.
p.s. If I may be highly subjective for a minute, Eyes on the Prize is one of the best films ever made, and it is unquestionably the best film I've ever seen about the Civil Rights Movement. Everyone should see it.