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Our Singing Country Folk Songs and Ballads
By JOHN A. LOMAX, ALAN LOMAX Dover Publications, Inc.
Copyright © 1968 Alan Lomax
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-486-17399-3
CHAPTER 1
RELIGIOUS SONGS
1. Negro Spirituals
2. White Religious Songs
3. The Holiness People
I. 1. NEGRO SPIRITUALS
PRAYER
No. 233. Negro, Raleigh, N.C., 1936.
This evening, our Father,
We begin before death in early judgment—
This evening, our Father,
I come, in the humblest manner I ever knowed
Or ever thought it,
To bow.
I'm thanking Thee, O Lord,
O Lord, thanking Thee this evening, my Father,
That my laying down last night wasn't my cooling board;
O Lord, thanking Thee this evening, my Father,
That my cover was not- my winding sheet;
O Lord, thanking Thee this evening, my Father,
That my dressing room this morning was not my grave;
O Lord, thanking Thee this evening, my Father,
That my slumber last night was not for eternity.
O Lord,
Just bless the widows and orphans in this land,
I pray Thee in Jesus' name,
Take care of them, my Father,
And guide them;
And then, my Father,
When they all is standing in Glory
And Thou art satisfied at my staying here,
Oh, meet me at the river, I ask in Thy name.
Amen.
ADAM IN THE GARDEN PINNIN' LEAVES e'. No. 105. Alberta Bradford, 72, and Becky Elsy, 86. Avery Island, La., 1934. Text partly from Me, p. 37.
Chorus:
"Oh, Eve, where is Adam?
Oh, Eve, where is Adam?
Oh, Eve, where is Adam?"
"Adam in the garden pinnin' leaves."
1I know my God is a man of war,
Oh, Adam in the garden pinnin' leaves,
Yes, he fought that battle at Jericho walls,
Oh, Adam in the garden pinnin' leaves.
2 First time God called, Adam 'fused to answer,
Adam in the garden layin' low,
Second time God called, Adam 'fused to answer,
Adam in the garden layin' low.
3 Nex' time God called, God hollered louder,
Adam in the garden, pinnin' leaves,
Nex' time God called, God hollered louder,
Adam in the garden pinnin' leaves.
Alternate Chorus:
"You, Eve, can't see Adam,
You, Eve, can't see Adam,
You, Eve, can't see Adam."
"Adam 'hin' the fig-tree pinnin' leaves."
SAMSON
f. No. 2659. Sylvester Johnson, Knight, La., 1939. Additional stanzas: Jesse Allison and Dock Reed, Livingston, Ala., 1939; Willie Johnson, Golden Gate Quartet, New York City, 1940.
1 Delilie was a woman, fine an' fair,
A-very pleasant-lookin' an' coal-black hair;
Delilie she gained old Samson's mind
When he saw the woman an' she looked so fine.
Oh, whether he went to Timothy, I can't tell,
But the daughters of Timothy, they treated him well.
He 'plied to his father to go an' see,
"Can't you get this beautiful woman for me?"
Chorus:
He said, "An' if I had-n my way,"
He says, "An' if I had-n my way,"
He says, "An' if I had-n my way,
I'd tear the buildin' down."
He cried, "O Lord, O Lord,
O Law Lordy, Lordy, O Lord."
He cried, "O Lord, O Lord,
O Law Lordy, Lordy, O Lord, yes!"
He said, "An' if I had-n my way,"
He says, "An' if I had-n my way,"
He says, "An' if I had-n my way,
I'd tear the buildin' down."
2 Samson's mother 'plied to him,
"Can't you find a wife among our kin?"
Samson's father said, "'T grieve your mother's mind
To see you marry a woman of the Philistines."
Read about Samson from his birth,
He was the strongest man that ever lived on earth.
Read away down in ancient times
He killed three thousand Philistines.
3 Stop an' let me tell you what Samson done,
He looked at the lion, an' the lion run;
It's written that the lion had killed men with his paw,
But Samson had his hand in the lion's jaw.
He kilt the lion, the lion is dead;
Bees made honey in the lion's head.
Samson was a man, large in size.
Overpowered a man and plucked out his eyes.
4 Samson burnt up a field of corn,
They looked for Samson but he was gone;
A-so many thousand formed a plot,
It wasn't many days 'fore he was caught.
They bound him with rope and, while walkin' along,
He looked on the ground and he saw an old jawbone;
He moved his arms, the rope popped like threads,
When he got through killin', three thousand was dead.
5 Samson, he went wanderin' about,
Samson's strength was never found out,
Till his wife sat on his knee,
She said, "Tell me where your strength be, if you please."
Samson's wife, she talked so fair,
Samson told her, "Shave off my hair,
Shave my head as clean as my hand
And my strength will be like a natural man."
6 Shave his hair like the pa'm o' his hand,
His strength become as a natural man.
Took po' Samson to the judgment hall,
Bind him and chained him to the wall;
He called a little boy about three foot tall,
Said, "Place my hands up against the wall."
He placed his hands up against the wall
And he tore that buildin' down.
Second Chorus:
He said, "An' now I got my way,"
He says, "An' now I got-n my way,"
He says, "An' now I got-n my way,
I'll tear the buildin' down."
He cried, "O Lord, O Lord,
O Law Lordy, Lordy, O Lord,"
He cried, "O Lord, O Lord,
O Law Lordy, Lordy, O Lord, yes!"
He said, "An' now I got-n my way,"
He says, "An' now I got-n my way,"
He says, "An' now I got-n my way,
I'll tear the buildin' down."
THE MAN OF CALVARY No. 186. Sin Killer Griffin, Darrington, Texas, 1934.
Reverend Sin Killer Griffin is pastor of one of the largest congregations in the world—the Negro convicts of the penitentiary. This is a fragment of his Easter Sunday sermon, transcribed from a group of records made in 1934. His sermon is at once poetry and song and must be chanted and sung in a highly dramatic manner. (See record for the manner of rendition.)
Roman soldiers come ridin' at full speed on their horses and splunged Him in the side.
We seen the blood and water come out.
Oh-h, Godamighty placed it in the minds of the people,
Why, the water is for baptism
And the blood is for cleansin'.
I don't care how mean you've been,
Godamighty's blood 'll cleanse you from all sin.
I seen, my dear friends,
The time moved on....
I seen while he was hangin',
The mounting begin to tremble on which Jesus was hangin',
The blood was dropping on the mounting,
Holy blood, dropping on the mounting,
My dear friends, corrupting the mounting.
I seen about that time while the blood was dropping down,
One drop after another,
I seen the sun Jesus made in creation;
The sun rose, my dear friends,
And it recognized Jesus hanging on the cross.
Just as soon as the sun recognized its Maker,
Why, it clothed itself in sack clothing and went down.
Went down in mourning!
"Look at my Maker hangin' on the cross."
And when the sun went down,
We seen the moon—that was his maker, too,
Oo-oo, he made the moo-oon,
My dear friends, yes, both time and the seasons.
We seen, my dear friends,
When the moon recognized Jesus hangin' on the cross,
I seen the moon, yes, took with a judgment hemorrhage and bleed away.
Good God, the dying thief on the cross
Saw the moon going down in blood,
Saw it go down and bleed away.
I seen the little stars, great God, that was there;
They remembered Jesus when he struck on the anvil of time;
And the little stars recognized their Maker dying on the cross;
Each little star leaped out of its silver orbit
To make the torches of a dark and unbenointed world.
It got so dark until the men who was puttin' Jesus to death,
They said they could feel the darkness with their fingers.
Great Godamighty! they was close to one another,
And it was so dark they could feel one another,
And feel one another talk, but they couldn't see one another.
I heard one of the centurions say,
"Sholy, sholy, this must be the son of God."
'Bout that time we seen, my dear friends—
The prophet Isaiah said the dead in the graves would hear His voice and come forward—
We seen the dead getting up out of their graves on the east side of Jerusalem,
Getting out of their graves,
Walking about,
Going down in town,
Oh-h-h, way over on Nebo's mounting!
I seen the great lawgiver
Get up out of his grave and begin to walk about, my dear friends,
Walk about, because Jesus said it was finished.
I shouldn't wonder, my dear friends,
That the church will save you when you get in trouble.
I heard the church so many times singing when you get in trouble,
The church would sing, How can I die while Jesus lives?
I seen the horse come steppin' on Calvary's bloody brow,
Pawing, my dear friends, with thunder in his train,
And the lightnin' was playing on the bridle reins which Death had in his hands.
He come ridin'! He come ridin'!
And the dyin' thief looked Death in the face,
Caught sight of the object side of the horse,
He saw a new name written there,
He read the name, and the name read like this—
"Death and Hell followeth him."
I heard the dying thief say,
"Lord, O Lord! Lord, O Lord!
When thou come to thy father's kingdom,
I pray remember me.
Oh, motherless child,
Hangin' on the cross,
An' I want you to remember me."
Jesus, my dear friends—
The dying thief had so much confidence in Him—
Jesus, hung just like He was,
Jesus, daggered in the side,
Blood dripping, great God! —
Jesus caught ahold of the bridle, my dear friends,
Caught it by the bridle,
And the old horse began to paw,
Oh-h-h, Elijah didn't catch ahold of him, when he was comin',
Oh-h-h, Job didn't catch ahold of him when he was comin',
Oh-h-h, Great Godamighty!
Moses, the great lawgiver, didn't catch ahold of him,
But over yonder, the incarnate Son of God
Caught the horse by the bridle and held him still.
Jesus begin to speak,
Yes! says to the dyin' thief,
"Pay no attention to death."
Says to the dyin' thief,
"This day your spirit will be with me in heaven."
Says, "Oh, yes, this day it will be with me...."
* * *
God met the Devil when He seen him comin',
We began to wonder where he was goin'
(You needn't wonder, but just keep still,
He'll let you know what He's comin' for);
And then He fastened the great dragon,
Great God! bound him for so many thousand years,
Seen Him, my dear friends, when He got ahold of Death,
Twist the stinger away from Death—
Death haven't got no dominion over a child of God!
I seen Jesus whisper from hell to His Father,
Told Him to send down angels of grace—
"Let them roll back the stone,
Then stay there and let my mother know I am gone as I said."
Great Godamighty!
We seen when Godamighty with His omnipotent power,
Good God!
Called Michael and Gabriel,
Both peaceful angels,
"Both angels that obey me."
Praise God! Seen when Jesus told the boys,
"Don't, don't harm those peoples that is settin' at the grave,
Don't say nothin' to 'em,
I'll give power,
I'll cause the earth to quake ahead of yuh!"
Those angels left Godamighty's throne,
Leaped over the battlements of glory.
I seen forty and four thousand angels in heaven,
Just in a moment, the twinklin' of an eye,
Great God! bowed on their knees,
Hung up their harps on the willow,
Great God! Three and twenty elders
Left their seats, each one cryin',
"Ho-ly, ho-ly, holy!"
And when the angels got near the earth,
The earth began to quake and tremble,
The peoples began to say, "What's the matter here?"
Good Godamighty!
First and second day, no harm, nothing happened;
But here on the third mornin',
Looky here! the earth quakin'!
Good God! the earth began to quake!
'Bout that time while they were a-watchin' the earth,
The angels darted down and took a seat right by the side of 'em,
Rolled back the stone,
Took a seat by the side of 'em,
Never said a word to 'em, but just set there.
And when the angels took their seats,
Good God! Jesus got up!
Yes, got up out of His grave.
Began pulling off His graveclothes,
Great God! taken the napkin from 'round His jaws,
Laid 'em down in the grave.
We seen the angels watch old Mary and Marthy;
Shook the girls and told 'em just about when the morning star would appear,
Told the girls to go on down into the grave,
Told the girls not to grieve and cry,
Because He would come again.
Every child of God has something to carry to Jesus!
Oh-h-h, how you abused me in this world,
And how you caused me to shed briny tears,
How you caused me to stand with folded arms!
But some day, some day,
Some long, lonesome day, when the final roll is called,
I will fly to the arms of Jesus and be at rest.
JOB g. No. 1321. Vera Hall and Dock Reed, Livingston, Ala., 1937.
"Job" is an early type of spiritual in which the leader sings a story in short phrases and the congregation responds by singing "uh-huh" after each phrase and by joining in on the chorus at the conclusion of each stanza.
1 O Job, Job, (uh-huh)
Oh, what you reckin? (uh-huh)
Your children's dead, (uh-huh)
O Job, Job, (uh-huh)
Oh, what you reckin? (uh-huh)
Your servant's dead. (uh-huh)
O Job, Job, (uh-huh)
Oh, what you reckin? (uh-huh)
Your daughter's dead, (uh-huh)
Just listen at Job, (uh-huh)
What Job said, (uh-huh)
"Oh, blessèd be (uh-huh)
The name of the Lord, (uh-huh)
The Lord he giveth, (uh-huh)
And the Lord take away, (uh-huh)
An' blessèd be (uh-huh)
The name of the Lord." (uh-huh)
Chorus:
Oh, run Mount Zion,
Run Mount Zion,
Oh, run Mount Zion in the mornin'.
2 Oh, Joshu-ay, (uh-huh)
He prayed to God (uh-huh)
To stop the sun (uh-huh)
Right on the line. (uh-huh)
An' the battle was foughten (uh-huh)
Ten seven times. (uh-huh)
Choruses:
An' the sun stop steady,
Sun stop steady,
Sun stop steady in the mornin'.
Oh, swing low, chariot,
Swing low, chariot,
Oh, swing low, chariot, in the mornin'.
I want to go to heaven,
Want to go to heaven,
Want to go to heaven in that mornin'.
3 Well, Methuselah
Was the oldest man,
The oldest man
Ever lived on earth,
He lived nine hundred
And sixty-nine,
And died and went to Heaven,
Well, in due time.
4 Joshu-ay
Was the son of Nun,
And God was with him
Until his work was done.
God opened the window
And began to look out,
The ram horn blowed
And the children did shout,
The children did shout
Till the hour of seven,
Till the walls fell down
An' God heard it in Heaven.
Choruses:
Ah, weep on, Mary,
Weep on, Mary,
Oh, weep on, Mary, in the mornin'.
Oh, mourn on, Marthy,
Mourn on, Marthy,
Oh, mourn on, Marthy, in the mornin'.
JOHN DONE SAW THAT NUMBERc' No. 1335. Vera Hall, Livingston, Ala., 1937. See Sa, p. 155.
Sung:
1 John done saw that number,
Way in the middle of the air,
John done saw that number,
Way in the middle of the air.
2 John couldn't read it, Lord,
John couldn't read it, Lord,
John couldn't read it, my Lord,
John couldn't read it.
Chanted: 3 See, see, see, man, read,
Read the Revelation,
Third chapter, third verse,
And there you'll find it there;
There was a man of the Pharisees,
Named Nicodemus, ruler the Jews,
Same came to him by night,
Says, "No man can do these mi'acles
Except God be with him there."
Sung:
4 Cry'n', "Holy, Lord,"
Cry'n', "Holy, Lord,"
Cry'n', "Holy, my Lord,"
Cry'n', "Holy."
5 John couldn't read it, Lord,
John couldn't read it, Lord,
John couldn't read it, my Lord,
John couldn't read it.
Chanted: 6 There was a beast came out of the sea
Havin' ten horns and ten crowns,
On his horns was a-written blaspheme—
Sung:
7 Weep like a willow, mourn like a dove,
You can't get to heaven 'thout you go by love.
8 John saw that number,
Way in the middle of the air,
John saw that number,
Way in the middle of the air.
9 John couldn't read it, Lord,
John couldn't read it, Lord,
John couldn't read it, my Lord,
John couldn't read it.
10 Cry'n', "Holy, Lord,"
Cry'n', "Holy, Lord,"
Cry'n', "Holy, my Lord,"
Cry'n', "Holy."
Chanted: 11 God told the angel,
"Go down, see 'bout old John."
Angel flew from the bottom of the pit,
Gathered the sun all in her fist;
Gathered the moon all 'round her wrist;
Gathered the stars all under her feet;
Gathered the wind all 'round her waist.
Sung:
12 Cry'n', "Holy, Lord,"
Cry'n', "Holy, Lord,"
Cry'n', "Holy, my Lord,"
Cry'n', "Holy."
13 John couldn't read it, Lord,
John couldn't read it, Lord,
John couldn't read it, my Lord,
John couldn't read it.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Our Singing Country Folk Songs and Ballads by JOHN A. LOMAX, ALAN LOMAX. Copyright © 1968 Alan Lomax. Excerpted by permission of Dover Publications, Inc..
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