Chapter IV: Front Matter (4)

God give you strength your race to run
And keep your footsteps right;
Though fast you go and I so slow,
You are not out of sight.
When you get to that world above,
And all God's glory see,
On that bright shore, your journey o'er,
Then look you out for me.

I'm coming on fast as I can.
Nor toil nor danger fear;
God give me strength!--may I at length
Be one among you there.
Then all together we shall meet--
Together we will sing;
Together we will praise our God
And everlasting King.

The tune is one of the comparatively few correct dorian recordings--not minorized--in the fasola song books. The compiler of the _Olive Leaf_ gives the following note below the song: "I learned this air of Rev. Samuel Anthony, of Georgia, more than thirty years ago, Wm. Hauser, M. D., March, 1878." See Introduction, p. 14, as to the 'Babe of Bethlehem' tune family to which 'Happy Souls' belongs. An Irish variant is 'The Peevish Child', Petrie, No. 591.

No. 51
BABE OF BETHLEHEM, SOH 78

Hexatonic, mode 4 a (I II -- IV V 6 7)

[Music]

Ye nations all, on you I call,
Come hear this declaration,
And don't refuse this glorious news,
Of Jesus and salvation.
To royal Jews came first the news
Of Christ the great Messiah,
As was foretold by prophets old, Isaiah, Jeremiah.

To Abraham the promise came,
And to his seed forever,
A light to shine in Isaac's line,
By scripture we discover;
Hail, promised morn, the Savior's born,
The glorious Mediator--
God's blessed word made flesh and blood,
Assumed the human nature.

His parents poor in earthly store,
To entertain the stranger
They found no bed to lay his head,
But in the ox's manger;
No royal things, as used by kings,
Were seen by those that found him,
But in the hay the stranger lay,
With swaddling bands around him.

On the same night a glorious light
To shepherds there appeared,
Bright angels came in shining flame,
They saw and greatly feared;
The angels said, "Be not afraid,
Although we much alarm you,
We do appear good news to bear,
As now we will inform you.

"The city's name is Bethlehem,
In which God hath appointed,
This glorious morn a Savior's born,
For him God hath anointed;
By this you'll know, if you will go
To see this little stranger,
His lovely charms in Mary's arms,
Both lying in a manger."

When this was said, straightway was made
A glorious sound from heaven,
Each flaming, tongue an anthem sung,
"To men a Savior's given,
In Jesus' name, the glorious theme,
We elevate our voices,
At Jesus' birth be peace on earth,
Meanwhile all heaven rejoices."

Then with delight they took their flight,
And wing'd their way to glory,
The shepherds gazed and were amazed,
To hear the pleasing story;
To Bethlehem they quickly came,
The glorious news to carry,
And in the stall they found them all,
Joseph, the Babe, and Mary.

The shepherds then return'd again,
To their own habitation,
With joy of heart they did depart,
Now they have found salvation.
Glory, they cry, to God on high,
Who sent his son to save us,
This glorious morn the Savior's born,
His name it is Christ Jesus.

The tune, evidently dorian, is of a type that was widely used and varied by folk singers. I mentioned this type in the Introduction, page 14, and called it the 'Babe of Bethlehem' family of tunes because the above seems to have been one of its best members. Other members, in either the dorian or the aeolian mode, are 'Happy Souls (A)', 'Marion', 'Atonement', and 'Enquirer' in this collection; related spiritual tunes not included here are 'Help me to Sing', OSH 376; 'Staunton', SKH 26; 'Melody', PB 313; 'Brownson', OL 259; 'Howland', REV 73; and 'Sweet Prospect', OSH 65.

Related worldly songs are 'The Peevish Child', Petrie, No. 591; a song without title, Petrie, No. 193; 'When First I Left Old Ireland', Petrie, No. 863; 'Lowlands of Holland', Sharp, i., 200; 'Virginian Lover', Sharp, ii., 149; and 'The Little Red Lark of the Mountain', Petrie, No. 383. John Powell has set 'Babe of Bethlehem' in a beautiful dorian-mixolydian form for mixed chorus. It is published by J. Fischer and Brother, New York.

Ninety-eight Folk-Hymns

No. 52
WASHINGTON, OSH 147

Heptatonic aeolian, mode 2 A + b (I II 3 IV V 6 7)

[Music]

Dismiss us with thy blessing, Lord,
Help us to feed upon thy word.
All that has been amiss forgive,
And let thy truth within us live.
All that has been amiss forgive,
And let thy truth within us live.

Tho' we are guilty, thou art good,
Wash all our works in Jesus' blood;
Give every fetter'd soul release
And bid us all depart in peace.
Give every fetter'd soul release
And bid us all depart in peace.

The text is credited to Joseph Hart, tune to Munday, in the _Original Sacred Harp_. Melodic relationship is to be seen between this and 'Ye Mariners of England'. See Dolph, _Sound Off_, p. 228.

No. 53
STEPHENS, PB 338

Pentatonic, mode 3 (I II III -- V VI --)

[Music]

From whence doth this union arise,
That hatred is conquer'd by love?
It fastens our souls in such ties
That nature and time can't remove.
It cannot in Eden be found
Nor yet in a paradise lost;
It grows on Immanuel's ground,
And Jesus' dear blood it did cost.

My friends are so precious to me,
Our hearts all united in love;
Where Jesus is gone we shall be,
In yonder blest mansions above.
O! why then so loath for to part,
Since we shall ere long meet again,
Engraved on Immanuel's heart,
At distance we cannot remain.

And when we shall see that bright day,
And join with the angels above,
Leaving these vile bodies of clay,
United with Jesus in love.
With Jesus we ever shall reign,
And all his bright glories shall see,
Singing hallelujah, Amen,
Amen, even so let it be.

This is probably a homespun text. Its tune is called a "popular old melody." I find it almost identical with a 'Kilrush Air' in Petrie, No. 167, and with a close variant of the latter, Petrie, No. 283. Other related tunes are 'Tweed Side', SMM, p. 9; 'Inkle and Yarico', _The English Repository_, p. 226; 'O I'm So Happy', 'Faithful Soldier', and 'Sawyer's Exit' in this collection.

No. 54
SEPARATION, UHH 27

Heptatonic aeolian, mode 2 A + b (I II 3 IV V 6 7)

[Music]

Our cheerful voices let us raise
And sing a parting song;
Although I'm with you now, My friends,
I can't be with you long.
For I must go and leave you all;
It fills my heart with pain.
Although we part perhaps in tears,
I hope we'll meet again.

Found also SOH 30. The tune is like that of the English morris dance 'I'll Go and Enlist for a Sailor', Sharp, _Morris Dances_, Set No. VIII., 6; 'Gilderoy', SMM, No. 5; and 'Come all ye Faithful Christians', JFSS, ii., 115-120.

No. 55
VESPER, _Baptist Hymnal_, No. 65

Hexatonic, mode 3 A (I II III -- V VI VII)

[Music]

The day is past and gone, the evening shades appear;
O may we all remember well, the night of death is near.

We lay our garments by, upon our beds to rest;
So death will soon disrobe us all of what we here possess.

Lord, keep us safe this night, secure from all our fears;
May angels guard us while we sleep, till morning light appears.

Miss Gilchrist compares this tune with 'Sprig of Thyme'. See JFSS, viii., 70. Lowell Mason calls it an "Old American Tune" in using it in his _Harp of the South_, p. 123.

No. 56
MISSIONARY'S FAREWELL, OL 333

Hexatonic, mode 3 A (I II III -- V VI VII)

[Music]

Yes, my native land, I love thee;
All thy scenes I love them well;
Friends, connections, happy country,
Can I bid you all farewell!
Can I leave you, can I leave you,
Far in heathen lands to dwell?
Can I leave you, can I leave you,
Far in heathen lands to dwell?

Home, thy joys are passing lovely,
Joys no stranger heart can tell;
Happy home! indeed I love thee;
Can I, can I say, "Farewell!"
Can I leave you, _etc._

Scenes of sacred peace and pleasure,
Holy days and Sabbath bell--
Richest, brightest, sweetest treasure--
Can I say a last farewell?
Can I leave you, _etc._

The words are ascribed to "Rev. Samuel F. Smith, Baptist, Boston, Mass." The tune was "learned [by William Hauser, compiler, of the _Olive Leaf_] in Burke Co., Ga., 1841."

No. 57
KEDRON, SOH 3

Heptatonic aeolian, mode 2 A + b (I II 3 IV V 6 7)

[Music]

Thou man of grief, Remember me,
Thou never canst thyself forget
Thy last expiring agony,
Thy fainting pangs and bloody sweat.

The tune is attributed in the southern books to "Dare". Found also GCM 165, OSH 48, SOC 175, HOC 45, WP 16. The tune is of a type which was widely sung to texts of the extremely solemn sort. The introduction of slight variation in the expression of this melodic idea led to tunes with other titles and various composers (?). I have called this tune family the 'Kedron' group. Its members are 'Distress', OSH 50; 'Solemnity', MOH 40; 'Salem', UH 22; 'French Broad' in this collection; 'Child of Grace', KNH 74; and 'Messiah', VH 30. Secular songs showing the same general melodic trend are 'McAfee's Confession', Sharp, ii., 16, and Cox, p. 525; 'A Brisk Young Sailor', Sharp, _One Hundred English Folksongs_, No. 94; 'Lord Bateman', ibid., No. 6; and 'Samuel Young', Sharp, ii., 271.

No. 58
ALL IS WELL, OSH 122

Hexatonic (6th missing, cannot be classified but obviously ionian) (I II III IV V -- VII)

[Music]

What's this that steals, that steals upon my frame?
Is it death, is it death?
That soon will quench, will quench this mortal flame?
Is it death, is it death?
If this be death I soon shall be
From every pain and sorrow free.
I shall the King of glory see,
All is well, all is well.

Weep not, my friends, weep not for me,
All is well, all is well!
My sins forgiv'n, forgiv'n, and I am free,
All is well, all is well!
There's not a cloud that doth arise,
To hide my Jesus from my eyes.
I soon shall mount the upper skies,
All is well, all is well!

Tune, tune your harps, your harps ye saints on high,
All is well, all is well!
I too will strike my harp with equal joy,
All is well, all is well!
Bright angels are from glory come,
They're round my bed, they're in my room,
They wait to waft my spirit home,
All is well, all is well.

As to sources we quote the 1911 editor of the _Original Sacred Harp_. After attributing tune and words to J. T. White, nephew of B. F. White, compiler of the 1844 _Sacred Harp_, the editor states: "The tune had been published before it was printed in the [1844] _Sacred Harp_." A negro version of the song was recently recorded in Texas and appears in the _Publications of the Texas Folk-Lore Society_, vii., 109.

No. 59
FAITHFUL SOLDIER, SOH (1835) 122

Hexatonic, mode 1 A (I II III IV V VI --)

[Music]

O when shall I see Jesus and dwell with him above,
And from the flowing fountain drink everlasting love?
When shall I be deliver'd from this vain world of sin?
And with my blessed Jesus drink endless pleasures in?

But now I am a soldier, my Captain's gone before;
He's given me my orders and bids me ne'er give o'er;
His promises are faithful--a righteous crown he'll give,
And all his valiant soldiers eternally shall live.

Through grace I am determined to conquer tho' I die,
And then away to Jesus on wings of love I'll fly.
Farewell to sin and sorrow, I bid them both adieu,
And O, my friends, prove faithful, and on your way pursue.

Whene'er you meet with troubles and trials on your way,
Then cast your cares on Jesus and don't forget to pray.
Gird on the gospel armor of faith and hope and love,
And when the combat's ended He'll carry you above.

O do not be discouraged for Jesus is your friend,
And if you lack for knowledge, he'll not refuse to lend.
Neither will he upbraid you, though often you request,
He'll give you grace to conquer and take you home to rest.

And when the last loud trumpet shall rend the vaulted skies,
And bid th' entombed millions from their cold beds arise;
Our ransomed dust, reviv-ed, bright beauties shall put on,
And soar to the blest mansions where our Redeemer's gone.

Our eyes shall then with rapture, the Savior's face behold;
Our feet, no more diverted, shall walk the streets of gold.
Our ears shall hear with transport the hosts celestial sing;
Our tongues shall chant the glories of our immortal King.

William Walker, compiler of the SOH, claims the tune. A recent variant of it, orally transmitted, is 'O I'm So Happy', in this collection. Another variant here is 'Stephens'. All these tunes seem to derive from an old one recorded in Kilrush, Ireland, and found in the Petrie collection in two variants, Nos. 167 and 283. Compare also the similar 'Hallelujah' tune family with its members listed under the tune by that title in this collection.

The text is by John Leland and was uniquely popular--as sung in its purity or associated with various refrains and revival choruses--during the early part of the nineteenth century. The negroes have borrowed freely from this poem in making the texts for their spirituals, especially from the fourth and fifth stanzas. Cf. WS 217ff. and 286.

No. 60
GREEN FIELDS, SOH 71

Hexatonic, mode 3 b (I II III IV V VI --)

[Music]

How tedious and tasteless the hours,
When Jesus no longer I see;
Sweet prospects, sweet birds and sweet flow'rs
Have all lost their sweetness to me.
The midsummer sun shines but dim,
The fields strive in vain to look gay;
But when I am happy in him,
December's as pleasant as May.

His name yields the richest perfume,
And sweeter than music his voice;
His presence disperses my gloom,
And makes all within me rejoice.
I should, were he always thus nigh,
Have nothing to wish or to fear;
No mortal so happy as I,
My summer would last all the year.

Content with beholding his face,
My all to his pleasure resigned,
No changes of seasons or place,
Would make any change in my mind.
While blessed with a sense of his love,
A palace a toy would appear;
And prisons would palaces prove,
If Jesus would dwell with me there.

The tune is to be found in S. Baring-Gould's _Songs of the West_, No. 100, as recorded before 1890 from the singing of an old man in Lamerton, England. We are informed by the editor of the collection that the song, 'Both Sexes Give Ear to My Fancy' which used this tune, had been very popular with aged people residing in the North of England, but that it was then "long out of print and handed down traditionally". The earliest form of the tune seems to have been 'Es nehme zehn-tausend Ducaten' in Johann Sebastian Bach's cantata _Mer hahn en neue Oberkeet_ (Cf. Bach-Gesellschaft, Vol. 29, p. 195). The earliest printed form of the Bach tune in England, according to Baring-Gould, was in _The Tragedy of Tragedies_, or _Tom Thumb_, 1734, as the setting of the song 'In Hurry Posthaste for a License'. The earliest occurrence of the tune with the 'Both Sexes' text was in _The Lady's Evening Book of Pleasure_, about 1740. The air is also found in _Vocal Music, or the Songster's Companion_, second edition, 1782, to the song entitled 'Farewell, Ye Green Fields and Sweet Groves'. This was probably the song whose tune was taken over bodily and whose words were parodied to make the above song 'Green Fields'. The author of the parody text was sometimes given in the fasola books as John Newton. The incidence of the song in southern song books of the first half of the nineteenth century (MOH 52, GCM 144, UH 112, KNH 80, OSH 127, HH 345, SOC 30, CM 24, HOC 16, TZ 237, SKH 18, PB 312, GOS 303, etc.) indicates its one-time wide popularity also on this continent.

No. 61
SAINTS' RAPTURE, REV 17

Heptatonic ionian, mode 3 A + b (I II III IV V VI VII)

[Music]

High in yonder realms of light
Dwell the raptured saints above,
Far beyond our feeble sight
Happy in Immanuel's love.
Pilgrims in this vale of tears,
Once they knew like us below,
Gloomy doubts, disturbing fears,
Torturing pain and heavy woe.

Days of weeping now are o'er,
Past those scenes of toil and pain;
They will feel distress no more,
Never, never weep again.
'Mid the chorus of the skies;
'Mid angelic choirs above;
They now join the songs that rise,
Songs of praise to Jesus' love.

There are two more stanzas of the text in the _Revivalist_. The tune and the text are obviously a parody on 'Reuben, Reuben, I've Been Thinking'.

No. 62
ANIMATION, SOH (1835) 85

Hexatonic, mode 2 A (I II 3 IV V -- 7)

[Music]

Drooping souls, no longer grieve,
Heaven is propitious;
If in Christ you do believe,
You will find him precious.
Jesus now is passing by,
Calls the mourner to him,
Brings salvation from on high;
Now look up and see him.

For the complete text see 'Lebanon' in this collection. This song was taken into the _Southern Harmony_ from the _Dover Selection_. The tune is related to 'Maid Freed From the Gallows', Thomas, p. 164, and to the old Irish 'Tell Me Dear Eveleen', in _A Select Collection of Original Irish Airs_, No. 6, composed by Beethoven.

No. 63
INVITATION, OL 247

Hexatonic, mode 3 A (I II III -- V VI VII)

[Music]

Hark, I hear the harps eternal
Ringing on the farther shore,
As I near those swollen waters
With their deep and solemn roar.
Hallelujah, hallelujah,
Hallelujah, praise the Lamb;
Hallelujah, hallelujah,
Glory to the GREAT I AM!

And my soul, tho' stain'd with sorrow,
Fading as the light of day,
Passes swiftly o'er those waters,
To the city far away.
Hallelujah _etc._

Souls have cross'd before me, saintly,
To that land of perfect rest;
And I hear them singing faintly,
In the mansions of the blest.
Hallelujah _etc._

The compiler of the _Olive Leaf_ found this song, as he tells us, in F. R. Warren's _Dream Music_. The tune shows unmistakable family relationships, especially in the chorus, to 'Nettleton' in this collection.

No. 64
HARK MY SOUL, CHH 224

Hexatonic, mode 3 b (I II III IV V VI --)

[Music]

Hark, my soul, it is the Lord;
'Tis thy Savior, hear his word!
Jesus speaks, he speaks to thee:
"Say, poor sinner, say, poor sinner,
Say, poor sinner, lov'st thou me?

"I deliver'd thee when bound,
And, when wounded, healed thy wound;
Sought thee wand'ring, set thee right;
Turned thy darkness, turned thy darkness,
Turned thy darkness into light.

"Can a mother's tender care
Cease toward the child she bare?
Yes, she may forgetful be,
Yet will I re-, yet will I re-,
Yet will I remember thee."

The song was "Arranged by James Christopher, of Spartansburg, S. C.", according to the _Christian Harmony_. Richardson has a variant of this tune used with a text which is a recent mountain eulogy on the whiskey of the hills under the title 'Moonshine', see _American Mountain Songs_, page 94. A hint of the antiquity of this tune form is given by the 'Ass's Sequence' or 'Orientis partibus' from the beginning of the thirteenth century, a tune which was apparently cast in the folk-manner of that age.

[Music]

Orientis partibus
aduentauit asinus
pulcher et fortissimus
Sarcinis aptissimus.
Hez, hez, sire asnes, hez.

Its modern representative is:

[Music]

See _Hymns Ancient and Modern_, No. 413.

No. 65
FROZEN HEART, OSH 93

Hexatonic, mode 3 A (I II III -- V VI VII)

[Music]

Lord, shed a beam of heav'nly day
To melt this stubborn stone away;
And thaw, with rays of love divine,
This heart, this frozen heart of mine;
This heart, this frozen heart of mine;
This heart, this frozen heart of mine.

The rocks can rend; the earth can quake;
The seas can roar; the mountains shake;
Of feeling, all things show some sign,
But this unfeeling heart of mine.

To hear the sorrows thou hast felt,
Dear Lord, an adamant would melt!
But I can read each moving line,
And nothing move this heart of mine.

The text is attributed, in the _Sacred Harp_ of 1844, to Joseph Hart and it is dated 1759. The tune is ascribed to E. J. King. The melodic trend of the refrain brings to mind 'The Campbells are Coming'.

No. 66
LEBANON, KNH 88

Hexatonic, mode 5 A (I -- 3 IV V 6 7)

[Music]

Mourning souls, no longer grieve,
Heaven is propitious;
If on Christ you do believe,
You shall find him precious.
Jesus now is passing by,
Calls the mourner to him;
He hath died for you and I,
Now look up and view him.

He has pardons, full and free,
Drooping souls to gladden;
Still he cries: "Come unto me,
Weary, heavy-laden."
Tho' your sins, like mountains high,
Rise and reach to heaven,
Soon as you on him rely
All will be forgiven.

Precious is the Savior's name,
All his saints adore him;
He to save the dying came--
Prostrate bow before him;
Wand'ring sinners, now return;
Contrite souls, believe him!
Jesus calls you--cease to mourn;
Worship him--receive him!

From his hands, his feet,
his side, runs the healing lotion;
See the consolating tide,
boundless as the ocean!
See the healing waters move
for the sick and dying!
Now resolve to gain his love,
or to perish trying.

Grace's store is always free,
drooping souls to gladden;
Jesus calls: "Come unto me--
weary, heavy laden."
Though your sins like mountains high,
rise and reach to heaven,
Soon as you on him rely,
all shall be forgiven.

Now methinks I hear one say:
"I will go and prove him;
If he takes my sins away,
surely I shall love him.
Yes, I see the Father smile,
now I lose my burden;
All is grace, for I am vile,
yet he seals my pardon."

This text is found HH 413, and also COH 122.

No. 67
SOLDIER'S RETURN, SOH 36

Heptatonic ionian, mode 3 A + b (I II III IV V VI VII)

[Music]

Bright scenes of glory strike my sense,
And all my passions capture;
Eternal beauties round me shine,
Infusing warmest rapture.
I live in pleasures deep and full,
In swelling waves of glory.
I feel my Savior in my soul
And groan to tell the story.

Further stanzas are given under 'Mecklinburg'. The tune was borrowed from 'When the Wild War's Deadly Blast', SMM, No. 131. See also for melodic similarities 'The Mill Mill O', SMM, No. 157; and 'Blue-Eyed Stranger', Sharp, _The Morris Book_, Part I, p. 91. See Greig-Keith, _Last Leaves_, p. 181, for the tune's wide use in the British Isles during the eighteenth century.

No. 68
CHRISTIAN SOLDIER, GOS 207

Heptatonic ionian, mode 3 A + b (I II III IV V VI VII)

[Music]

Here at Thy table, Lord, We meet To feed on food divine;
Thy body is the bread we eat, Thy precious blood the wine.
He that prepares the rich repast, Himself comes down and dies;
And then invites us thus to feast, Upon the sacrifice.

The bitter torments he endured upon the shameful cross,
For us his welcome guests procured these heart-reviving joys.
His body torn with rudest hands becomes the finest bread,
And with the blessings he commands, our noblest hopes are fed.

His blood that from each opening vein in purple torrents ran
Hath filled this cup with generous wine, that cheers both God and
man.
Sure there was never love so free, dear Savior, so divine;
Well thou may'st claim that heart of mine, which owes so much to
thine.

The text is one of those which rationalize religious rites; in this case, that of the communion. The tune is credited to Freeman Price. Its second part reminds of 'The Merry, Merry Milkmaids', Sharp, _Country Dances_, Set No. 5.

No. 69
TRIBULATION, MOH 46

Hexatonic, mode 2 A (I II 3 IV V -- 7)

[Music]

Death, 'tis a melancholy day
To those that have no God,
When the poor soul is forc'd away
To seek her last abode.

In vain to heaven she lifts her eyes;
But guilt, a heavy chain,
Still drags her downward from the skies
To darkness, fire and pain.

Awake and mourn, ye heirs of hell,
Let stubborn sinners fear;
You must be driv'n from earth and dwell
Alone forever there.

See how the pit gapes wide for you,
And flashes in your face;
And thou, my soul, look downward too,
And sing recov'ring grace.

The text has been attributed to Watts. Recent hymnals have been purged of this doleful ditty and of all other songs which make hellfire too realistic. The tune was attributed to Chapin in some books and to Davisson in others. Davisson claims it in his _Kentucky Harmony_ (1815). It is practically identical with 'Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard', Sharp, i., 182, a tune which Sharp heard in Greenwood, Albemarle County, Virginia, Davisson's own territory and near where he is buried. An early variant which is practically identical with both the Sharp and the Davisson tunes is in Motherwell, Supplement, No. 30, associated with 'The Bonnie Mermaid' text. Found also, KYH 43, SOH 119, UH 37, KNH 38, OSH 29, HH 55.

No. 70
VOLUNTEERS, CHH 110

Hexatonic, mode 3 b (I II III IV V VI --)

[Music]

Hark, listen to the trumpeters! They sound for volunteers!
On Zion's bright and flow'ry mount Behold the officers;
Their horses white, their garments bright, With crown and bow they
stand,
Enlisting soldiers for their King, To march for Canaan's land.

It sets my heart all in a flame; a soldier I will be;
I will enlist, gird on my arms and fight for liberty.
They want no cowards in their band (They will their colours fly),
But call for valiant hearted men, who're not afraid to die.

The armies now are on parade, how martial they appear!
All armed and dressed in uniform, they look like men of war;
They follow their great General, the great Eternal Lamb,
His garments stained with his own blood, King Jesus, is his name.

The trumpet sounds, the armies shout, and drive the hosts of hell;
How dreadful is our God in arms! The great Immanuel!
Sinners, enlist with Jesus Christ, th' eternal Son of God,
And march with us to Canaan's land, beyond the swelling flood.

There is a green and flow'ry field, where fruits immortal grow;
There, clothed in white, the angels bright, our great Redeemer know.
We'll shout and sing forever more in that eternal world;
But Satan and his armies too, shall down to hell be hurled.

Hold up your heads, ye soldiers bold, redemption's drawing nigh,
We soon shall hear the trumpet sound; 'Twill shake both earth and
sky;
In fiery chariots then we'll fly, and leave the world on fire,
And meet around the starry throne to tune th' immortal lyre.

The tune is attributed to Wm. Bradshaw. Found also HH 159 and SWP 90. Dett, p. 180, and SOH 301, have the same words but different tunes.

No. 71
BACKSLIDER, REV 208

Pentatonic, mode 3 (I II III -- V VI --)

[Music]

How can I vent my grief? My comforter is fled!
By day I sigh without relief And groan upon my bed.

How little did I think when first I did begin
To join a little with the world it was so great a sin.

I thought I might conform, nor singular appear,
Converse and dress as others did, but now I feel the snare.

My confidence is gone, I find no words to say,
Barren and lifeless is my soul when I attempt to pray.

The tune is similar to those used with several text variants of 'The Wife of Usher's Well'. Sharp, i., 150ff. The oldest American song book record of the 'Backslider' tune is in Ingalls' _Christian Harmony_ of 1805, p. 55, where it is entitled 'The General Doom' and begins:

Behold! with awful pomp,
The Judge prepares to come;
Th' archangel sounds the awful trump
And wakes the general doom.

No. 72
GOOD OLD WAY (B), OL 8

Hexatonic, mode 2 A (I II 3 IV V -- 7)

[Music]

Lift up your heads, Emmanuel's friends,
And taste the pleasure Jesus sends;
Let nothing cause you to delay,
But hasten on the good old way.

Our conflicts here, tho' great they be,
Shall not prevent our victory,
If we but watch, and strive, and pray!
Like soldiers in the good old way.

O good old way, how sweet thou art!
May none of us from thee depart;
But may our actions always say
We're marching in the good old way!

"A tune and song [words] of the Granade period", William Hauser, compiler of the _Olive Leaf_ suggests. John Adam Granade was an evangelist of the "wild" sort who lived 1775 to 1806. A negro tune which combines elements of the above and 'I Went Down to the Valley', in this collection, is in _Slave Songs_, No. 104.

No. 73
REST IN HEAVEN, OL 358

Hexatonic, mode 2 A minorized (I II 3 IV V -- 7 [VII])

[Music]

My rest is in heaven, my rest is not here,
Then why should I murmur at trials severe.
Be tranquil, my spirit, the worst that can come
But shortens thy journey and hastens thee home.

Let trouble and danger my progress oppose;
They'll only make heaven more bright at the close;
Come joy, then, or sorrow--whate'er may befall--
One moment in glory will make up for all.

A scrip on my back, and a staff in my hand,
I march on in haste thro' an enemy's land;
The road may be rough, but it cannot be long;
I'll smooth it with hope, and I'll cheer it with song.

The tune is related to 'Be Gone Unbelief', in this collection, and to the worldly tunes listed under that song. Negro adoptions of the tune are Marsh, pp. 144 and 173, and SS 33.

No. 74
TO DIE NO MORE, GOS 363

Pentatonic, mode 3 (I II III -- V VI --)

[Music]

My heav'nly home is bright and fair,
No pain nor death can enter there;
Its glitt'ring tow'rs the sun outshine,
I hope that mansion shall be mine.
_Chorus_
I'm going home to Christ above,
I'm going to the Christian's rest,
To die no more to, die no more,
I'm going home to die no more.

My Father's house is built on high,
Far, far above the starry sky;
When from this earthly prison free,
I hope that mansion mine shall be.
_Chorus_

I envy not the rich and great,
Their pomp of wealth and pride of state;
My Father is a richer King,
That heav'nly mansion still I sing.
_Chorus_

The tune is identical with one used with the worldly ballad 'Three Ravens', see Davis 562.

No. 75
COLUMBUS, OSH 67

Pentatonic, mode 2 (I -- 3 IV V -- 7)

[Music]

Oh, once I had a glorious view
Of my redeeming Lord;
He said, I'll be a God to you,
And I believ'd his word.
But now I have a deeper stroke
Than all my groanings are;
My God has me of late forsook,
He's gone I know not where.

Oh, what immortal joys I felt
On that celestial day,
When my hard heart began to melt,
By love dissolved away!
But my complaint is bitter now,
For all my joys are gone;
I've strayed! I'm left! I know not how;
The light's from me withdrawn.

Once I could joy the saints to meet,
To me they were most dear;
I then could stoop to wash their feet,
And shed a joyful tear;
But now I meet them as the rest,
And with them joyless stay;
My conversation's spiritless,
Or else I've nought to say.

The words appeared in _Mercer's Cluster_, a Georgia hymn and spiritual-song collection of the 1820's. The earliest appearance of the tune seems to have been in the _Southern Harmony_ (1835). Found also in HH 128, UH 57, KNH 42, HOC 37, SOC 109, GOS 380, PB 343. The tune is a variant of 'Antioch', in this collection.

For negro tune derivatives see _White Spirituals_, 259. Among the tunes in secular environment, 'Virginian Lover', Sharp, ii., 149, tune B, shows closest relationship to the above. See also 'Flat River Girl', Rickaby, p. 6; and 'Driving Saw Logs on the Plover', Rickaby, p. 89.

No. 76
YONGST, BS 203

Hexatonic, mode 3 b (I II III IV V VI --)

[Music]

Father, I sing thy wondrous grace
And bless my Savior's name,
Who bought salvation for the poor,
And bore the sinner's shame.

His deep distress has raised us high;
His duty and his zeal
Fulfilled the law which mortals broke,
And finished all thy will.

Zion is thine, most holy God;
Thy Son shall bless her gates;
And glory, purchased by his blood,
For thine own Israel waits.

The tune is attributed to W. B. Gillham. It is member of the 'Lord Lovel' group mentioned in the Introduction, page 14. Noteworthy in this connection is a variant of the above tune as sung by a negro in North Carolina; see Scarbrough, p. 55. Further tunes belonging to the 'Lord Lovel' group are listed under 'Dulcimer' in this collection.

No. 77
DOWN IN THE GARDEN, REV 108

Heptatonic ionian, mode 3 A + b (I II III IV V VI VII)

[Music]

Dark was the hour, Gethsemane,
When through thy walks was heard
The lowly Man of Galilee,
Still pleading with the Lord.
Down in the garden, hear that mournful sound;
There behold the Saviour weeping,
Praying on the cold damp ground.
Jesus, my Saviour, let me weep with thee;
Mercy, O thou Son of David,
Mercy's coming down to me.

Alone in sorrow see him bow,
As all our griefs he bears;
Not words may tell his anguish now,
But sweat and blood and tears.
Down in the garden _etc._

Four more stanzas of the text are given in the _Revivalist_. The last part of the tune and the whole text are obvious parodies of the Foster song 'Massa's in the Cold, Cold Ground'. For possible folk sources of Foster's song, see my article "Stephen Foster's Debt to American Folk-Song", _The Musical Quarterly_, xxii (1936), No. 2, p. 159.

No. 78
ALBION, MOH 49

Pentachordal, cannot be classified (I II III IV V -- --)

[Music]

Come, ye that love the Lord,
And let your love be known;
Join in a song of sweet accord
And thus surround the throne,
And thus surround the throne.

The sorrows of the mind
Be banished from this place;
Religion never was designed
To make our pleasures less,
To make our pleasures less.

Let those refuse to sing,
Who never knew our God;
But fav'rites of the heav'nly King
May speak their joys abroad,
May speak their joys abroad.

The words are by Watts. The tune is ascribed to R(obert) Boyd. It is found also, KYH 18, GCM 171, SOH 23, UH 21, GOS 126, KNH 51, OSH 52, HH 201, HOC 12. It sounds like one of the old psalm tunes.

No. 79
DUNLAP'S CREEK, SOH 276

Hexatonic, mode 3 A (I II III -- V VI VII)

[Music]

My God, My Portion, and my Love,
My everlasting all,
I've none but thee in heav'n above,
Or on this earthly ball.

What empty things are all the skies,
And this inferior clod!
There's nothing here deserves my joys,
There's nothing like my God.

In vain the bright, the burning sun
Scatters his feeble light;
'Tis thy sweet beams create my noon;
If thou withdraw, 'tis night.

The words are Watts'. The tune is given as by F(reeman) Lewis. Found also, GCM 63, SOC 238, WP 44, TZ 77, GOS 650, SKH 83, CM 120, _Baptist Hymn and Tune Book_ (1857), p. 106, where it is called a 'Western Melody'. It is practically the same as 'Wife of Usher's Well', Sharp, i., 160, Q. See Introduction, page 14, for mention of the 'Lord Lovel' type of tune to which 'Dunlaps' Creek' belongs.

No. 80
SINNER'S INVITATION, OL 211

Pentatonic, mode 3 (I II III -- V VI --)

[Music]

Sinner go, will you go
To the highlands of heaven,
Where the storms never blow
And the long summer's given,
Where the bright blooming flow'rs
Are their odors emitting
And the leaves of the bow'rs
In the breezes are flitting.

Where the rich golden fruit
Is in bright clusters pending,
And the deep laden boughs
Of life's fair tree are bending;
And where life's crystal stream
Is unceasingly flowing,
And the verdure is green,
And eternally growing.

The tune and words which are parodied here are those of the 'Braes o' Balquhidder'. The text is attributed, by the compiler of the _Olive Leaf_, to "Rev. Wm. McDonald, I guess". The Scotch song begins:

Will you go, lassie, go to the braes o'Balquhidder,
Where the blackberries grow in the bonnie blooming heather.

See Gilchrist, JFSS, viii., 77. Another variant of the 'Braes o' Balquhidder' tune in this collection is 'Lone Pilgrim'. Gilchrist traces the Scotch tune back still farther to 'Brochan Buirn', an old Gaelic air. See JFSS, viii., 76. It influenced Stephen Foster in his making of the tune 'Linda Has Departed'. (See my article in _The Musical Quarterly_, vol. xxii, No. 2.)

No. 81
LAND OF REST, OL 117

Pentatonic, mode 3 (I II III -- V VI --)

[Music]

There is a land of pure delight
Where saints immortal reign,
Infinite day excludes the night
And pleasures banish pain.
O the land of rest, O the land of rest,
Where Christ and His people meet;
The land of the blest, all in beauty drest,
Where the saints all their lov'd ones greet.

"Inspiration of this tune," says the compiler of the _Olive Leaf_, "caught from a female voice at a distance, at Barbee Hotel, High Point, N. C., June 9th, 1868." The mountain woman must have been singing 'Lord Lovel'; for the tunes of that ballad, as found for example in Davis, p. 574, O; and Sharp, i., 148, are practically the same as 'Land of Rest'. See Introduction, page 14.

No. 82
FLORENCE, OSH 121

Pentatonic, mode 3 (I II III -- V VI --)

[Music]

Not many years their rounds shall roll,
Each moment brings it nigh,
Ere all its glories stand revealed,
To our admiring eye.
Ye wheels of nature, speed your course,
Ye mortal pow'rs decay;
Fast as ye bring the night of death,
Ye bring eternal day.

"It is an old melody", J. S. James, editor of the 1911 _Original Sacred Harp_, says. "Prof. T. S. Carter of Georgia took the outlines and arranged it in 1844."

The tune is found also, SOC 77, GOS 178. A variant is GOS 165, entitled 'Lonesome Dove'. Another variant is 'The Weary Soul', OSH 72. I find this tune to be a member of the group which I have called the 'Roll Jordan' family of melodies. See the song with that title in this collection.

No. 83
ALBERT, SOC 153

Heptatonic ionian, mode 3 A + b (I II III IV V VI VII)

[Music]

My brethren all, on you I call,
Arise and look around you,
How many foes bound to oppose,
Who're waiting to confound you;
How many foes bound to oppose,
Who're waiting to confound you.

Credited in the _Social Harp_ to E. R. White and dated 1855. The tune is a clear adaptation of 'The Girl I Left Behind Me'.

No. 84
ROYAL PROCLAMATION, SOH 146

Hexatonic, mode 3 A (I II III -- V VI VII)

[Music]

Hear the royal proclamation,
The glad tidings of salvation,
Publishing to every creature,
To the ruin'd sons of nature.
Jesus reigns, he reigns victorious,
Over heaven and earth most glorious,
Jesus reigns.

See the royal banner flying,
Hear the heralds loudly crying:
"Rebel sinners, royal favour
Now is offer'd by the Saviour."
Jesus reigns, _etc._

Hear, ye sons of wrath and ruin,
Who have wrought your own undoing,
Here is life and free salvation,
Offered to the whole creation.
Jesus reigns, _etc._

Although Ananias Davisson claims, in the _Supplement to The Kentucky Harmony_, to have made the tune, no subsequent user of the song seems to have looked on him as its author. It has all the earmarks of an eighteenth century fife-and-drum-corps tune which was appropriately set to the religio-martial text. Found also, UH 91, KNH 91, HH 468, SKH 107, GOS 643.

No. 85
CARRY ME HOME or PENICK, OSH 387

Hexatonic, mode 3 b (I II III IV V VI --)

[Music]

While trav'ling through this world below,
Where sore afflictions come,
My soul abounds with joy to know
That I will rest at home.
Carry me home, carry me home,
When my life is o'er;
Then carry me to my long sought home where pain is felt no more.

Yes, when my eyes are closed in death,
My body cease to roam,
I'll bid farewell to all below
And meet my friends at home.
Carry me home _etc._

And then I want these lines to be
Inscribed upon my tomb:
"Here lies the dust of S. R. P.,
His spirit sings at home."
Carry me home _etc._

The initials in the third stanza belonged to "Professor S. R. Penick, a devoted Christian man, and one who was very fond of music," according to James, 1911 editor of the OSH. But he ascribes tune and words to M. Sikes, a singing-school teacher in Georgia before the Civil War. The tune is a variant of 'Dying Boy' in this collection.

No. 86
JORDAN, SKH 86

Heptatonic ionian, mode 3 A + b (I II III IV V VI VII)

[Music]

On Jordan's stormy banks I stand
And cast a wishful eye,
To Canaan's fair and happy land
Where my possessions lie.

O the transporting rapt'rous scene
That rises to my sight,
Sweet fields arrayed in living green
And rivers of delight.

There generous fruits that never fail
On trees immortal grow;
There rocks and hills and brooks and vales
With milk and honey flow.

(_Four stanzas omitted._)

Soon will the Lord my soul prepare
For joys beyond the skies,
Where never-ceasing pleasures roll,
And praises never die.

The tune belongs to the 'Roll Jordan' group; see Introduction, page 14. See also the song by that title in this collection.

No. 87
ENQUIRER, OSH 74

Hexatonic, mode 4 a (I II -- IV V 6 7)

[Music]

I'm not asham'd to own my Lord,
Or to defend his cause,
Maintain the honor of his word,
The glory of his cross.
Jesus, my God, I know his name;
His name is all my trust;
Nor will he put my soul to shame,
Nor let my hope be lost.

Firm as his throne his promise stands,
And he can well secure
What I've committed to his hands,
Till the decisive hour.
Then will he own my worthless name,
Before his Father's face,
And in the new Jerusalem
Appoint my soul a place.

The words are attributed to Isaac Watts; the tune to B. F. White of Georgia, and dated 1844. The tune is a member of the 'Babe of Bethlehem' group. See Introduction, p. 14, and, 'Babe of Bethlehem' in this collection. A secular related tune is 'Lowlands of Holland', Sharp, i., 200. Since the tune has clear dorian implications, its proper key signature is one flat.

No. 88
WONDROUS LOVE, OSH 159

Hexatonic, mode 4 a (I II -- IV V 6 7)

[Music]

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul;
What wondrous love is this, O my soul;
What wondrous love is this That caused the Lord of bliss
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul.

When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down;
When I was sinking down, sinking down;
When I was sinking down beneath God's righteous frown,
Christ laid aside his crown for my soul, for my soul;
Christ laid aside his crown for my soul.

To God and to the Lamb I will sing, I will sing;
To God and to the Lamb I will sing;
To God and to the Lamb who is the great I AM,
While millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing;
While millions join the theme I will sing.

And when from death I'm free I'll sing on, I'll sing on;
And when from death I'm free I'll sing on.
And when from death I'm free I'll sing and joyful be,
And through eternity I'll sing on, I'll sing on,
And through eternity I'll sing on.

The song is found also, SOH (1854) 252, GOS 436, PB 384, OL 371, and in various tune books of the Baptists up to the present time. The _Southern Harmony_ attributes the tune to "Christopher"; _Good Old Songs_, to "J. Christopher"; and the _Hesperian Harp_ attributes the words to the "Rev. Alex Means, A. M., M. D., D. D., LL. D.", a Methodist minister of Oxford, Ga. It looks as though tune and words were born together, so beautifully they fit. The stanzaic form is that of the 'Captain Kidd' ballad which has been widely sung and parodied since the beginning of the eighteenth century. A spiritual song tune related to 'Wondrous Love' is 'Villulia' in this collection. I have heard the country folk sing this tune with the dorian raised sixth.

No. 89
SALVATION (A), BS 127

Hexatonic, mode 1 B (I II -- IV V VI VII)

[Music]

O thou God of my salvation,
My Redeemer from all sin,
Moved by thy divine compassion,
Who hast died my heart to win.
I will praise thee, I will praise thee;
Where shall I thy praise begin?

Angels now are hov'ring round us,
Unperceived amid the throng;
Wond'ring at the love that crown'd us,
Glad to join the holy song;
Hallelujah, hallelujah,
Love and praise to Christ belong.

The tune is evidently a remake of 'Locks and Bolts'. Compare, for example, Sharp, ii., 19. The difference between the two tunes is probably due in part to their structure, which provided real difficulties for their recorders, and in part to the efforts of the _Bible Songs_ arranger to make the apparently dorian tune fit into current scale formulas. Compare also 'Bed of Primroses', Thomas, p. 176.

No. 90
MOUNT WATSON, OL 272

Heptatonic dorian, mode 2 A + B (I II 3 IV V VI 7)

[Music]

Death shall not destroy my comfort,
Christ shall guide me thro' the gloom;
Down he'll send some heav'nly convoy,
To escort my spirit home.
_Chorus_
O hallelujah! how I love my Savior,
O hallelujah! that I do;
O hallelujah! how I love my Savior!
Mourners, you may love him too.

Jordan's stream shall not o'erflow me,
While my Savior's by my side;
Canaan, Canaan lies before me!
Soon I'll cross the swelling tide.
O hallelujah _etc._

See the happy spirits waiting,
On the banks beyond the stream!
Sweet responses still repeating,
"Jesus! Jesus!" is their theme.
O hallelujah _etc._

William Hauser, compiler of the _Olive Leaf_, informs us that "this tune [is] called after Rev. John H. Watson, whom, in my youth [in the 1820's], I used to hear sing [it]". It is a variant of the beautiful traditional secular ballad 'The Poor Little Fisherman Girl' or 'Green Willow'.

No. 91
CROSS OF CHRIST, GOS 504

Heptatonic aeolian, mode 2 A + b (I II 3 IV V 6 7)

[Music]

Did Christ the great example lead
For all his humble train,
In washing the disciples' feet
And wiping them again?
And did my Lord and Master say:
"If I have wash'd your feet,
Ye also ought to watch and pray
And wash each other's feet."

O blessed Jesus, at thy board
I have thy children met;
The bread I've broke, the wine I've poured,
We've washed each other's feet.
In imitation of my Lord
Whose blood for me did sweat,
I yield unto his sacred word
And wash the pilgrims' feet.

Yea, blessed Jesus, I, like thee,
Would Christians often meet;
The least of all the flock would be,
And wash his children's feet.
For this let men reproach, defame,
And call me what they will;
I still would follow Christ the Lamb,
And be his servant still.

The loving labor I repeat,
Obedient to his word,
And wash his dear disciples' feet
And wait upon the Lord.
Shall I, a worm, refuse to stoop?
My fellow worm disdain?
I give my vain distinctions up,
Since Christ did wait on man.

The words were quite evidently made to go with the celebration of the footwashing rite still observed by the Primitive Baptists, from whose hymn book the song is taken. The tune is ascribed to L. P. Breedlove of Georgia. I find it to be a close variant of 'James Harris' (or 'Daemon Lover' or 'House Carpenter') turned around; that is, with the second part of the above tune coming first in the secular ballad tune. For versions of the 'James Harris' tune see Thomas 172, Davis 592-594, Cox 524, and Sharp, i., 244-258. The oldest variant tune known to me is that in Motherwell associated with 'Blue Flowers and Yellow' (Appendix, _Musick_, No. 17.) After comparing the above tune with its worldly relatives, it becomes evident that the GOS signature of _b_-flat should be changed to that of _f_-natural, raising the sixth and restoring what was evidently a dorian tune.

No. 92
ROSE TREE, KNH 165

Hexatonic, mode 3 b (I II III IV V VI --)

[Music]

There is a land of pleasure
Where streams of joy forever roll;
'Tis there I have my treasure,
And there I long to rest my soul.
Long darkness dwelt around me
With scarcely once a cheering ray,
But since my Savior found me,
A lamp has shown along the way.

My way is full of danger,
But 'tis the path that leads to God,
And like a faithful soldier
I'll march along the heav'nly road.
Now I must gird my sword on,
My breast plate, helmet and my shield,
And fight the host of Satan,
Until I reach the heav'nly field.

I'm on the way to Zion,
Still guided by my Saviour's hand,
O come along dear sinners
And see Emanuel's happy land.
To all that stay behind me,
I bid a long, a sad farewell.
Come now, or you'll repent it
When you do reach the gates of hell.

Echoes of 'Turkey in the Straw' (see Sandburg, p. 94) are heard in this tune. Compare also 'My Grandma Lived on Yonder Little Green', WS 166. The immediate ancestor of the tune, and the source of its title, is the secular song 'A Rose-Tree in Full Bearing', _The English Musical Repository_, Edinburgh, 1811, p. 127. It appeared in William Shield's ballad opera 'The Poor Soldier', 1783. The 'Rose Tree' air was known in Ireland also as 'Moreen O'Cullenan' and was associated, among other texts, with Moore's 'I'd Mourn the Hopes that Leave Us'. See Joyce, p. 40.

No. 93
CLAMANDA, OSH 42

Heptatonic aeolian, mode 2 A + b (I II 3 IV V 6 7)

[Music]

Say now, ye lovely social band,
Who walk the way to Canaan's land;
Ye who have fled from Sodom's plain,
Say do you wish to turn again?
O have you ventured to the field,
Well arm'd with helmet, sword and shield?
And shall the world with dread alarms,
Compel you now to ground your arms?

Beware of pleasure's siren song,
Alas, it cannot soothe thee long.
It cannot quiet Jordan's wave,
Nor cheer the dark and silent grave.
O what contentment did you find,
While love of pleasure ruled your mind?
No sweet reflection lulled your rest,
Nor conscious virtue calmed your breast.

O, come, young soldiers, count the cost,
And say, what pleasures have you lost?
Or what misfortune does it bring,
To have Jehovah for your king?
Shall sin entice you back again,
And bind you with its iron chain?
Has vice to you such lovely charms,
That you must die within its arms?

Is folly's way the way of peace,
Where fear, and pain, and sorrow cease?
Does pleasure roll its living stream,
And is religion all a dream?
Say, what contentment did you find
When love of pleasure ruled your mind?
No sweet reflection gave you rest,
Nor conscious virtue calm'd your breast.