Chapter VII: Front Matter (7)

You may bury me in the north,
You may bury me in the south, _etc._

A close negro variant of the above spiritual song is in Marsh, p. 136. Both the Marsh song and the present one are rather degenerate descendants, apparently, of 'Morning Trumpet' in this collection. See also _White Spirituals_, 254.

No. 189
RIVER OF JORDAN or HAPPY IN THE LORD, OSH 493

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

[Music]

Jesus, my all, to heav'n is gone,
Happy, O happy,
He who I fixed my hopes upon,
Happy in the Lord;
His tracks I see and I'll pursue,
Happy, O happy,
The narrow way till him I view,
Happy in the Lord.
We'll cross the river of Jordan,
Happy, O happy,
We'll cross the river of Jordan,
Happy, in the Lord.

The way the holy prophets went,
The road that leads from banishment;
I'll go, for all his paths are peace,
The King's highway of holiness.

Then I will tell to sinners round,
What a dear Savior I have found.
I'll point to thy redeeming blood
And say, "Behold the way to God."

The core of the text is attributed to John Cennick, the English hymn writer. Also found in the _Social Harp_ of 1855.

No. 190
I'M BOUND FOR THE LAND OF CANAAN or SWEET CANAAN, OSH 87

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

[Music]

O who will come and go with me?
I am bound for the land of Canaan;
I'm bound fair Canaan's land to see,
I am bound for the land of Canaan.
O Canaan, sweet Canaan,
I'm bound for the land of Canaan;
Sweet Canaan 'tis my happy home,
I'm bound for the land of Canaan.

I'll join with those who're gone before, I am _etc._
Where sin and sorrow are no more, I am _etc._
_Chorus_

If you get there before I do, I am _etc._
Look out for me, I'm coming too, I am _etc._
_Chorus_

Text is based on a poem by Watts. The stanzas which are associated with the above are numerous, as are also the refrains and choruses. Found also BHTBK (1857), p. 334; and MHTBK (1889), No. 885. In _The Musical Quarterly_, vol. xxii., No. 2, I have shown the relationship between the above tune and Stephen Foster's 'The Glendy Burk' and 'Old Uncle Ned'. See also Dett, p. 188, for a negro song showing some textual and melodic influences.

No. 191
OLD SHIP OF ZION (A), OSH 79

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

[Music]

What ship is this that will take us all home?
O glory hallelujah,
And safely land us on Canaan's bright shore?
O glory hallelujah.

'Tis the old ship of Zion, hallelujah, hallelu,
'Tis the old ship of Zion, hallelujah.

The winds may blow and the billows may foam,
But she is able to land us all home.

She's landed all who've gone before,
And yet she's able to land still more.

If I arrive there before you do,
I'll tell them that you are coming up too.

The text is said to have been written around 1800 by Rev. Samuel Hauser of North Carolina. The tune is called the "North Carolina Version" of the immensely popular song. See _White Spirituals_, 257-258. Closely related to the above tune is 'Sweet Canaan' in this collection.

No. 192
BABYLON IS FALLEN, GOS 613

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

[Music]

Hail the day so long expected,
Hail the year of full release;
Zion's walls are now erected,
And her watchmen publish peace.
Throughout Shiloh's wide dominion,
Hear the trumpet loudly roar.
Babylon is fallen, is fallen, is fallen,
Babylon is fallen to rise no more.

All her merchants stand with wonder,
What is this that comes to pass?
Murmuring like the distant thunder,
Crying "O, alas, alas!"
Swell the sound, ye kings and nobles,
Priest and people, rich and poor;
Babylon is fallen _etc._

Blow the trumpet in Mount Zion!
Christ shall come the second time;
Ruling with a rod of iron,
All who now as foes combine.
Babel's garments we've rejected,
And our fellowship is o'er.
Babylon is fallen _etc._

Negro borrowings of this chorus and the changing of its tune to a major key are to be seen in Dett, p. 2.

No. 193
MARTIN or WAY OVER IN THE PROMISED LAND, SOC 29

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

[Music]

We have fathers in the promised land,
We have mothers in the promised land;
I hope one day we'll all get there,
Way over in the promised land.
_Chorus_
Away over in the promised land,
Away over in the promised land;
I hope one day we'll all get there,
Way over in the promised land.

John G. McCurry, the compiler of the _Social Harp_, and William C. Davis, both of Georgia, seem to have been the first to record this tune. McCurry dates it 1854. A recently recorded variant of this tune is 'Long White Robe', Richardson, p. 67. Compare for melodic similarities the country dance 'Once I Loved a Maiden Faire' on page 47 of Playford's _The English Dancing Master_.

[Music]

No. 194
HEBREW CHILDREN, OSH 481

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

[Music]

Where are the Hebrew children?
Where are the Hebrew children?
Where are the Hebrew children?
Safe--in the promised land.

Though the furnace flamed around them,
God while in their troubles found them,
He with love and mercy bound them,
Safe--in the promised land.

Where are the twelve apostles? _etc._
They went up through pain and sighing,
Scoffing, scourging, crucifying,
Nobly for their Master dying,
Safe _etc._

Where are the holy Christians? _etc._
Those who've washed their robes and made them
White and spotless pure and laid them
Where no earthly stain can fade them,
Safe _etc._

Of the author, the editor of the OSH says: "Peter Cartwright [the presumptive author of tune and words] was a minister of the gospel, and used this tune in his camp meetings long before it was ever placed in notation.--Peter Cartwright was born in Amherst County, Va., 1785, and died in Sangamond [sic] County, Ill., 1872." The song has been widely sung by the negroes who have added numerous stanzas. See _White Spirituals_, 263. A pre-Civil War secular negroid parody on 'Hebrew Children' was published by C. Bradlee & Co., Boston, 1844. Its first stanza is:

O whar is de spot dat we was born on, (_three times_)
Way down in Car'line State.

Mrs. Annabel Morris Buchanan has made an excellent arrangement of a version of 'Hebrew Children' for chorus. It is published by J. Fischer and Brother, New York.

No. 195
COME ALONG AND SHOUT ALONG or HEAVEN BORN SOLDIERS or NEVER GET
TIRED, SOC 184

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

[Music]

O thou by long experience tried,
Never get tir'd a-serving of the Lord;
Near whom no griefs can long abide,
Never get tir'd a-serving of the Lord.

Come along and shout along,
Ye heav'n born soldiers,
Come along and shout along
And pray by the way.

The misfit of words and notes in the first part of the song is quite evident. The compiler of the _Social Harp_ credits J. F. Wade with the song and dates it 1854. The popularity of the melodic trend in the above chorus may be realized when we see it in 'Ecstacy' in this collection; in the negro _Slave Songs_, Nos. 78 and 114; in 'William and Polly', Sharp, ii., 141; and 'Rebel Soldier', Sharp, ii., 212-215.

No. 196
TO LAY THIS BODY DOWN or WHITE or I'M A LONG TIME TRAVELING, OSH 288

Hexatonic, mode 1 b (I II -- IV V VI 7)

[Music]

Ye fleeting charms of earth, farewell,
Your springs of joy are dry;
My soul now seeks another home,
A brighter home on high.
I'm a long time trav'ling here below,
I'm a long time trav'ling away from home;
I'm a long time trav'ling here below
To lay this body down.

Farewell, my friends, whose tender care
Has long engaged my love;
Your fond embrace I now exchange
For better friends above.

Elder Edmund Dumas of Georgia is supposed to have made the tune. He very likely was the first to record it, that is, for the 1859 edition of the _Sacred Harp_. A variant is 'Converted Thief (A)' in this collection. The negroes have caught the significant part of the chorus in their song 'Lay This Body Down', _Slave Songs_, No. 26. One couplet of this song is

And my soul an' your soul will meet in de day
When we lay dis body down.

No. 197
HAD I WINGS or ECSTACY, OSH 106

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

[Music]

O when shall I see Jesus,
And reign with Him above,
And from the flowing fountain
Drink everlasting love?
O had I wings, I would fly away and be at rest,
And I'd praise God in his bright abode.

Further stanzas of the John Leland text are given under 'Faithful Soldier'. The tune seems, according to the note in the _Sacred Harp_, to have been first recorded by T. W. Carter of Georgia in the 1840's. The tune of the chorus is essentially the same as in 'Heaven-Born Soldiers'; in the negro tune 'Every Hour in the Day', SS p. 58; the negro tune 'O Daniel', SS p. 94; 'William and Polly', Sharp, ii., 141; 'Rebel Soldier', Sharp, ii., 212-215; and Petrie, Nos. 1191 and 1290.

No. 198
SAVE MIGHTY LORD, OSH 70

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

[Music]

Jesus, my all, to heav'n is gone,
Save, mighty Lord;
He whom I fix my hopes upon,
Save, mighty Lord.

O save, save, mighty Lord,
And send converting power down,
Save, mighty Lord.

Further stanzas of the John Cennick text are given under 'River of Jordan'. The tune is attributed, in the _Social Harp_, p. 99, to J. A. and J. F. Wade.

No. 199
GRACE IS FREE, REV 50

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

[Music]

Thy ceaseless, unexhausted love,
Unmerited and free,
Delights our evil to remove,
And helps our misery.
O! hallelujah! grace is free;
There's enough for each there's enough for all,
There's enough for evermore.

Thou waitest to be gracious still;
Thou dost with sinners bear;
That, saved, we may thy goodness feel,
And all thy grace declare.

Thy goodness and thy truth to me,
To every soul abound;
A vast unfathomable sea
Where all our thoughts are drowned.

Its streams the whole creation reach,
So plenteous is the store;
Enough for all, enough for each,
Enough for evermore.

Two more stanzas of text are in the _Revivalist_. The tune is of the type seen in 'The Rejected Lover', Sharp, ii., 96ff.; and a closer variant is 'Come All You Worthy Christians', JFSS, ii., 117.

No. 200
FOR ME THE SAVIOR DIED or ATONEMENT, REV 13

Hexatonic, mode 2 b, with cadentially raised seventh (I -- 3 IV V 6 7 [VII])

[Music]

For ever here my rest shall be
Close to thy bleeding side;
This, all my hope and all my plea,
For me the Savior died.
For me the Savior died,
For me the Savior died,
This, all my hope and all my plea,
For me the Savior died.

My dying Savior and my God,
Fountain for guilt and sin,
Sprinkle me ever with thy blood,
And cleanse and keep me clean.

Wash me and make me thus thine own,
Wash me and mine thou art;
Wash me, but not my feet alone--
My hands, my head, my heart.

Th' atonement of thy blood apply
Till faith to sight improve;
Till hope in full fruition die,
And all my soul be love.

The tune is related to 'The Greenwood Siding', Cox, p. 522; 'Babe of Bethlehem' in this collection; and 'Come all you Worthy Christians', fourth version, JFSS, ii., 117.

No. 201
HEAVENLY PORT or WE'LL STEM THE STORM, OSH 378

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

[Music]

On Jordan's stormy banks I stand
And cast a wishful eye
To Canaan's fair and happy land,
Where my possessions lie.
_Chorus_
We'll stem the storm, it won't be long,
The heav'nly port is nigh.
We'll stem the storm, it won't be long,
We'll anchor by and by.

The words, given more fully under 'Jordan', are Samuel Stenett's. The _Sacred Harp_ editors attribute the tune to Elder Edmund Dumas, the Georgia Primitive Baptist preacher, who was at the same time a zealous musician of the fasola variety. A close melodic relative is 'O How I love Jesus', REV 456. It will be seen as akin to 'Merrily we Roll Along'. The tune as adopted by the negroes is found in Dett, p. 189.

No. 202
SAY BROTHERS, REV 173

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

[Music]

Say, brothers, will you meet us?
Say, brothers, will you meet us?
Say, brothers, will you meet us on Canaan's happy shore?
Glory, glory hallelujah!
Glory, glory hallelujah!
Glory, glory hallelujah!
We are marching on.

Subsequent stanzas are made by substituting for "brothers" the word "sisters" etc., then come phrases like

By the grace of God we'll meet you, _etc._
Where parting is no more.

That will be a happy meeting, _etc._
On Canaan's happy shore.

Jesus lives and reigns forever, _etc._
On Canaan's happy shore.

Glory, glory hallelujah, _etc._
Forever, evermore.

This will be recognized as the tune which Julia Ward Howe used for the chorus of her 'Battle Hymn of the Republic'. It is still popular in the above form in negro churches of the South.

No. 203
O BROTHER BE FAITHFUL, REV 433

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

[Music]

O brother, be faithful,
O brother, be faithful,
O brother, be faithful, faithful, faithful,
Till we all arrive at home.

Further stanzas are constructed on: O sister, be faithful; There we shall see Jesus; There we shall shout glory; There'll be no more parting; etc.

Miss Gilchrist found the above song in the _Wesleyan Psalmist_ (1842); see JFSS, viii., 67. In Flanders and Brown's _Vermont Songs and Ballads_ the song (dating from 1831) entitled 'The Gospel Ship' has a chorus text which is identical with the above. A negro version of both tune and words is in _Slave Songs_, No. 71.

No. 204
SOON WE SHALL LAND or AUTAUGA, OSH 322

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

[Music]

O when shall I see Jesus,
And reign with him above,
And from the flowing fountain
Drink everlasting love;
Soon we shall land on Canaan's shore,
Soon we shall land on Canaan's shore;
Soon we shall land on Canaan's shore to live forevermore.

The text by John Leland is given more fully under 'Faithful Soldier'. The tune reappears with unimportant changes as a negro spiritual in _Slave Songs_, No. 115. The first melodic sentence of the tune is almost identical with the opening of 'The Winter it is Past', Petrie, No. 439.

No. 205
WARRENTON or I AM BOUND FOR THE KINGDOM, GOS 275

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

[Music]

Whither goest thou, pilgrim stranger,
Passing thro' this darksome vale?
Know'st thou not 'tis full of danger,
And will not thy courage fail?
_Chorus_
I am bound for the kingdom,
Will you go to glory with me?
Hallelujah, praise the Lord.

Pilgrim, thou dost justly call me,
Wand'ring o'er this waste so wide;
Yet no harm will e'er befall me,
While I'm blessed with such a Guide.
_Chorus_

Such a Guide!--no guide attends thee,
Hence for thee my fears arise;
If a guardian pow'r befriend thee,
'Tis unseen by mortal eyes.
_Chorus_

Four more stanzas are in _Good Old Songs_. It is found also as 'Pilgrim Stranger' in Dadmun's _Melodeon_, Boston, 1861, and as 'Female Pilgrim' in the _Christian Lyre_, 18th edition, New York, 1835. The song is apparently one of the so called dialogue hymns of the early English Methodists. The men sitting on one side of the meeting house, and the women sitting opposite, sang alternate stanzas. Lightwood cites one as follows:

_Men_:
Tell us, O women, we would know
Whither so fast ye move.

_Women_:
We're called to leave the world below,
Are seeking one above.

_Chorus_:
Hallelujah.

See _Hymn Tunes and Their Story_, p. 144.

No. 206
SEND US A BLESSING, SOG 100

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

[Music]

_Chorus_
O Lord, send us a blessing,
And O Lord, send us a blessing,
And O Lord, send us a blessing,
O send us a blessing from heaven above.
_Verse_
Of him who did salvation bring,
I could forever think and sing;

Arise, ye needy,--he'll relieve;
Arise, ye guilty,--he'll forgive.

I ask but grace, and lo, 'tis given;
Ask, and he turns your hell to heaven.

Though sin and sorrow wound my soul,
Jesus, thy balm will make it whole.

Six more stanzas are in _Songs of Grace_ under the song 'He was Found Worthy'. This tune is a clear adaptation of 'Johnny's So Long at the Fair.'

No. 207
I WENT DOWN TO THE VALLEY

Pentatonic, mode 1 (I II -- IV V VI --)

[Music]

I went down to the valley to pray,
Studying about the good old way.
Who will wear the starry crown?
Oh Lord, teach me to pray.

Recorded by the author from the singing of Donald Davidson, in Nashville, Tennessee, January 20, 1932. He had heard his father, W. B. Davidson, sing it twenty years before in Fayetteville, Tennessee. Negro versions are in Marsh, p. 156, and _Slave Songs_, No. 104.

No. 208
GIVE ME JESUS, REV 89

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

[Music]

When I'm happy, hear me sing,
When I'm happy, hear me sing,
When I'm happy, hear me sing,
Give me Jesus;
Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus;
You may have all the world,
Give me Jesus.

When in sorrow, hear me pray, _three times_
Give me Jesus, _etc._

When I'm dying, hear me cry, _three times_
Give me Jesus, _etc._

When I'm rising, hear me shout, _three times_
Give me Jesus, _etc._

When in heaven, we will sing, _three times_
Blessed Jesus, _etc._

By thy grace we are saved, _three times_
Blessed Jesus, _etc._

The noting of this tune, evidently from oral tradition, will be seen as quite faulty. A close variant of the song was found by Miss Gilchrist in the _Wesleyan Psalmist_ and reproduced by her, JFSS, viii., 88. 'Sweet William and Lady Margaret', Davis, p. 570, is similar throughout to this tune. A negro version is in Marsh, p. 140, under the same title. The compilers of _Slave Songs_ rejected a song called 'Give Me Jesus' as "spurious", that is, as being of white origin. (See _Slave Songs_, p. vi.)

No. 209
I DON'T EXPECT TO STAY or DONE WITH THE WORLD, OSH 88

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

[Music]

Jesus, my all, to heav'n is gone,
And I don't expect to stay much longer here;
He whom I fix my hopes upon,
And I don't expect to stay much longer here.

I am done with the world, and I want to serve the Lord,
And I don't expect to stay much longer here.

This spiritual with its text core made of the John Cennick words (given more fully under 'River of Jordan') seems to have been first recorded for the earliest edition of the _Sacred Harp_, that is, in the early 1840's. A negro version of the chorus is in Marsh, p. 188.

No. 210
OLD SHIP OF ZION (B) or HAPPY SAILOR, HH 355

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

[Music]

Come along, come along and let us go home;
O glory hallelujah!
Our home is over Jordan, hallelujah!
Our home is over Jordan,
Hallelujah!

What ship is this that will take us all home?
O glory hallelujah!
'Tis the old ship of Zion _etc._

Do you think she'll be able to take us all home?
I think she'll be able _etc._

We have some friends who're gone before;
By and by we'll go and see them.

If you get there before I do,
You may tell them that I'm coming.

What will the Christian do when his lamp burns out?
Go shouting home to heaven.

It is found also in OSH 388. Negro adoptions under the same tide are Dett, p. 81, and _Slave Songs_, p. 125. For additional stanzas of the text see 'Old Ship of Zion (A)'. The _Sacred Harp_ (1844) version of the text begins:

Come tell me of your ship and what is her name?
Oh, tell me happy sailor.
Come tell me of your captain and what is his fame?
Oh, tell me happy sailor.
She's the old ship of Zion, hallelu, hallelu,
And her captain, Judah's Lion, hallelujah.

An interesting dressing-up of this straightforward folk-text came from Boston in Dadmun's _Melodeon_ in 1860, p. 102, where we read:

What vessel are you sailing in?
Pray tell me its name;
Our vessel is the ark of God,
And Christ our Captain's name.

How old the American versions of the 'Ship of Zion' songs are I have not been able to learn. Newman I. White points to versions in the 1820's (_American Negro Folk-Songs_, p. 94).

An early use of the same allegory in religious song is seen in the German folksong collection of Erk and Böhme, _Deutschyer Liederhort_, vol. iii., p. 628f. I find no melodic similarities between the German and the American songs; but the texts show remarkable parallels. To make this clear I shall cite a few of the German stanzas, comparing with them passages taken from various "ship" songs as sung by whites and blacks in America.

_From a German manuscript of 1470-1480_

Uf einem stillen wage
kumpt uns das schiffelin,
es bringt uns riche gabe
die heren künigin.

Das schiflin das gat stille
und bringt uns richen last,
der segel ist diu minne,
der heilig geist der mast.

_American "ship" songs_

O she runs so level and steady.
O see that ship come sailing.
Dat ship is heavy loaded.
King Jesus is the captain.

O she runs so level and steady.
Dat ship is heavy loaded.
Behold the sails expanded,
Around the towering mast.

_A song from the year 1608_

Uns kompt ein Schiff gefahren,
Es bringt ein schöne Last,
Darauf viel Engelscharen
Und hat ein groszen Mast.

O see that ship come sailing.
Dat ship is heavy loaded.
She's loaded with bright angels.

No. 211
ANGELS HOVERING ROUND, REV 74

Pentatonic, cannot be classified (I II III -- V -- VII)

[Music]

There are angels hov'ring round,
There are angels hov'ring round,
There are angels, angels hov'ring round.

To carry the tidings home _etc._
To the new Jerusalem _etc._
Poor sinners are coming home.
And Jesus bids them come.
Let him that heareth come.
We're on our journey home.

The song is found also in Mason's _Harp of the South_, p. 272, where the composer is given as "Husband". The same tune with minor variations appeared in the 1859 edition of the _Sacred Harp_, p. 425, where it was attributed to J. L. Pickard. Its two one-line verses are:

I am on my journey home _etc._
To the New Jerusalem _etc._

No. 212
HOLY WAR, SWP 170

For mode see note below

[Music]

I've listed in the holy war,
Content to suffer soldier's fare,
_Natural key Chorus_
And we'll all shout for joy,
And we'll give God the glory,
And I hope to join the army by and by.

I've fought through many a battle sore,
And I must fight through many more;
And we'll _etc._

I take my breastplate, sword and shield,
And boldly march into the field.

The banner o'er my head is love,
I draw my rations from above.

The world, the flesh and Satan too
Unite and strive what they can do.

On thee, O Lord, I humbly call,
Uphold me, or my soul must fall.

I've listed and I mean to fight,
Till all my foes are put to flight.

And when the victory I have won,
I'll give the praise to God alone.

Come, fellow-Christians, join with me,
Come, face the foe and never flee.

The heavenly battle is begun,
Come, take the field and win the crown.

With listing orders I have come;
Come rich, come poor, come old or young.

Here's grace's bounty Christ has given,
And glorious crowns laid up in heaven.

But if you will not list and fight,
You'll sink into eternal night.

The tune as it stands is heptatonic dorian. And that is probably a correct notation. The interesting thing is the device employed to legitimize the dorian raised sixth, namely, the device of modulation. The writer of the tune, knowing presumably nothing about the old modes, set his first melodic phrase in _g_-major with a semi-cadence on two of the scale. All went well because the _f_-sharp of _that_ key was not represented. But in the second part of the tune the actual _f_-natural appeared; and the only way he saw of handling it was to change the signature to a "natural key chorus" as he specifically calls it. And the final note in the tune agreed with the key which he took to be _a_-minor.

No. 213
O GOD WHAT SHALL I SAY or ALVERSON, REV 181

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

[Music]

When pity prompts me to look round
Upon my fellow clay,
See men reject the gospel sound,
O God, what shall I say?
O God, what shall I say?

My bowels yearn for dying men,
Doom'd to eternal woe,
Fain would I speak, but 'tis in vain
If God does not speak too.

O sinner, sinner, won't you hear
When in God's name I come?
Upon your peril don't forbear,
Lest hell should be your doom.

One more stanza is in the _Revivalist_. This is a phrygian tune with the second of its scale unused. It reminds one strongly of the melody of 'Gala Water', _Lyric Gems of Scotland_, p. 84.

No. 214
THAT LONESOME VALLEY, Author's recording

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

[Music]

You got to go that lonesome valley,
You got to go there by yourself.
There's no one can go there for you;
You got to go there,
you got to go there by yourself.

Recorded by the author, February 11, 1933, from the singing of Don West of the Highlander Folk School, Monteagle, Tennessee. Mr. West told me that the two subsequent stanzas began, "You got to lie in that lonesome graveyard" and "Some folks say that John was a Baptist." After each verse the tune is repeated to the words of the first stanza.

The source of this spiritual song is very likely 'In Seaport Town', see Sharp, i., 310, in which there is the recurring phrase:

Till at last they came to a lonesome valley,

and where considerable melodic similarity is to be found. Further traces of this typical folk-tune are in 'Young Beichan', Sharp, i., 79; 'My Mother Bid Me', Sharp, ii., 94, tune D; 'Opossum', Sharp, ii., 353; 'Drivin' Steel', Sandburg, p. 150; the negro song 'You Got to Cross it for Yourself', Sandburg, p. 486; and 'That Lonesome Valley', Grissom, p. 2.

In _The Carolina Low-Country_, pp. 284ff., there are two negro spirituals which lean heavily on 'That Lonesome Valley'. The "lonesome valley" symbolized, among both negroes and whites, also the mourning period which was a necessary forerunner of religious conversion.

No. 215
I'M BOUND TO DIE IN THE ARMY or SERVICE OF THE LORD, OSH 80

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

[Music]

Farewell, vain world, I'm going home,
I am bound to die in the army;
My Savior smiles and bids me come,
I am bound to die in the army;
I am bound to live in the service of my Lord,
I am bound to die in the army.

Further stanzas of the text are given under 'Golden Harp'. A variant of this tune is 'Promise' in this collection. 'Antioch' in this collection, is also related. The tune 'Service of the Lord' or 'Antioch' seems to have been borrowed by those who sang 'Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard' as it is found in Sharp, i., 162. Indications that the direction of borrowing was as suggested may be found in the misfit of words to tune in the secular song. See for example where the "ar-my" of the above tune and the "-lu-jah" of 'Antioch' correspond to a mere repetition, "all, all", in the 'Little Musgrave' song. 'Cruel Mother', Sharp, i., 61, tune K, is also closely related to 'Service of the Lord'. For negro adoptions and adaptations see Grissom, p. 60; Marsh, p. 169; _White Spirituals_, pp. 266 and 267; and Dett, p. 120.

No. 216
PROMISE or WITH US TO THE END, SOC 73

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

[Music]

Jesus my all to heav'n is gone,
And he's promis'd to be with us to the end;
He whom I fix my hopes upon,
And he's promis'd to be with us to the end;
_Chorus_
Jesus has been with us and he is still with us
And he's promis'd to be with us to the end.

The text is given more fully under 'River of Jordan'. The song is ascribed by the compiler of the _Social Harp_ to Henry F. Chandler and dated 1854. The tune has evidently been used for the worldly ballad 'Cruel Mother', see Sharp, i., 61. The chorus reappears in the _Wesleyan Psalmist_ (1842) attached to a text which begins:

Children of God, renounce your fears,
Jesus says he will be with us to the end.
Lo, Jesus for your help appears,
Jesus says he will be with us to the end.
_Chorus_
For he has been with us _etc._

This chorus material, words and tune, is used also in 'He's Promised to be With You' in this collection. See for tune relationships also 'Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard', Sharp, i., 162.

No. 217
NEVER TURN BACK (A), OSH 381

Pentatonic, cannot be classified (I II 3 -- V -- 7)

[Music]

When to that blessed world I rise,
I'll never turn back any more;
And join the anthems in the skies,
I'll never turn back any more.
Any more, any more, any more, my Lord,
I'll never turn back any more.

This was a recording from the 1840's. Another, in the _Social Harp_ of 1855, p. 52, has the more indigenous reading "I'll never turn back no more." See 'Never Turn Back (B)' in this collection. A negro variant is in Marsh, p. 174. John Powell tells me that Lydia, negro servant in the Powell house in Richmond, Virginia, and a remarkable singer, sings a variant of this tune to the words:

King cried: "no mo', no mo', my Lord,
I'll never turn to go back to E-jup Land no mo'."

No. 218
OLD-TIME RELIGION

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

[Music]

'Tis the old-time religion,
The old-time religion,
'Tis the old-time religion,
It's good enough for me.

Subsequent verses have "It was good for Paul and Silas" and for practically everybody. It is the author's recording from memory of hearing it sung at meetings of both negroes and whites. Sharp, ii., 291, has the above tune with a judgment-day text under the title 'Sinner Man', a song which had come from negro sources.

No. 219
TAKE ME HOME or I'M ALONE IN THIS WORLD

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

[Music]

My father's gone to glory, I'm alone in this world,
my father's gone to glory, I'm alone.
My father's gone to glory, I'm alone in this world;
Take me home, dear Savior take me home.

Recorded by the author from the singing of Samuel E. Asbury, September 10, 1932, at Nashville, Tennessee. Mr. Asbury learned it in his boyhood in the 1880's, from hearing it at camp meetings in western North Carolina. Subsequent verses substitute "my mother," "my sister," etc. A negro version of the tune is in _Slave Songs_, p. 18.

No. 220
JESTER or I BELONG TO THIS BAND (A), OSH 531

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

[Music]

If our fathers want to go,
Why don't they come along?
I belong to this band, Hallelujah.
Hallelujah, hallelujah,
I belong to this band, hallelujah.

The tune was first printed in the _Union Harp_ as recorded by S. M. Denson of Alabama. Subsequent verses are made by the use of "mothers", "sisters," etc. That the negroes used this formula is shown in _White Spirituals_, 247. The refrain "I belong to this band, hallelujah" reappears in 'I Belong to This Band (B)' in this collection.

No. 221
LONG-SOUGHT HOME, CHH 159

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

[Music]

Jerusalem, my happy home,
Oh how I long for thee!
When shall my sorrows have an end,
Thy joys when shall I see.
Home, sweet home, my long-sought home,
My home in heav'n above.

Thy walls are all of precious stone,
Most glorious to behold;
Thy gates are richly set with pearl,
Thy streets are paved with gold.

Thy garden and thy pleasing green
My study long have been;
Such sparkling light by human sight
Has never yet been seen.

The _Christian Harmony_ credits the song to William Bobo, Union, S. C. The words are credited, in the _Primitive Baptist Hymn and Tune Book_, No. 453, to Cowper.

No. 222
BEAUTIFUL HOME SWEET HOME

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

[Music]

Beautiful home, sweet home,
Beautiful home, sweet home,
Beautiful home, sweet home,
Lord, I want to join the angels, beautiful home.

Recorded by the author from the singing of Samuel E. Asbury, September 10, 1932, as he remembered its being sung in the 1880's in camp meetings in western North Carolina. The above is merely the chorus of the song. But it is essentially the same, melodically, as the verse. The text proceeds:

Fathers have a home, sweet home _etc._
Mothers have a home, sweet home _etc._
By and by we'll go and see them _etc._
Won't that be a happy meeting _etc._

No. 223
COME FRIENDS GO WITH ME, CSH 206

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

[Music]

Alas! and did my Savior bleed,
Alas! and did my Savior bleed,
Alas! and did my Savior bleed
And did my Sov'reign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I.
_Chorus_
I want my friends to go with me,
I want my friends to go with me,
I want my friends to go with me
To the new Jerusalem.
I wonder, Lord, shall I ever get to heaven,
The new Jerusalem.

William Hauser included the above tune, with different text, in his _Olive Leaf_. Of the above chorus, "sometimes sung after each verse," he says: "Not worth while to criticise this chorus. Does anybody criticise a camel? No; they take him for his usefulness".

No. 224
I LOVE JESUS, REV 254

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

[Music]

Jesus, my all, to heav'n has gone, Glory hallelujah,
He whom I fix my hopes upon, Glory hallelujah.
_Chorus_
I love Jesus, glory hallelujah,
I love Jesus, glory hallelujah.

Further stanzas of the text are given under 'River of Jordan'. The tune is found in a negro version in Marsh, No. 65. I have, in manuscript, practically the same tune which I recorded from the dulcimer playing of F. S. Russell, Marion, Virginia. He called the tune 'Bonaparte's Retreat'. Compare also the sixteenth century carol tune 'Tempus adest floridum', _The Oxford Book of Carols_, No. 99.

No. 225
HALLELUJAH, OSH 146

Hexatonic, mode 1 b (I II -- IV V VI 7)

[Music]

And let this feeble body fail,
And let it faint or die;
My soul shall quit this mournful vale
And soar to worlds on high.

And I'll sing hallelujah,
And you'll sing hallelujah,
And we'll all sing hallelujah,
When we arrive at home.

This text by Charles Wesley, supplemented by the infectious chorus and sung to this swingful tune, was widely popular in the first part of the nineteenth century. It is given more fully under 'Pleasant Hill'. The song is found, SOH 107 and HH 102.

The tune had qualities which made it widely popular. There is of course no knowing whether the many variant forms which I have found derive from the above tune; but I have given them collectively the name the 'Hallelujah' tune family. Other members of the family in this collection are 'Stephens', 'Pilgrim's Triumph', 'Faithful Soldier', 'Tender Care', 'Sawyer's Exit', 'O I'm So Happy', and 'Converted Thief (a)'. Related melodies with secular texts are 'The Reilly Song', Thomas, p. 166; 'Chickens They are Crowing', Sharp, ii., 378; 'Lord Thomas and Fair Eleanor', Sharp, i., 125; 'Virginian Lover', Sharp, ii., 149f.; 'Banks of Sweet Dundee', Sharp, i., 399; 'The Pinery Boy', Shoemaker, p. 262; 'Kilrush Air' Petrie, Nos. 167 and 283; and 'Tweed Side', SMM, p. 9.

No. 226
FEW DAYS, SOC 209

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

[Music]

I pitch my tent on this camp ground,
Few days, few days,
And give old Satan another round,
And I am going home;
I can't stay in these diggings,
Few days, few days,
I can't stay in these diggings,
I am going home.

The compiler of the _Social Harp_, John G. McCurry, claims this song and dates it 1855. A variant of the tune is in Richardson, p. 72. A negro adoption is given in _White Spirituals_, 266.

No. 227
PARTING HYMN or JOYFUL or O THAT WILL BE JOYFUL, PB 303

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

[Music]

How pleasant thus to dwell below
In fellowship of love!
And tho' we part 'tis bliss to know
The good shall meet above!
The good shall meet above,
The good shall meet above.
And tho' we part, 'tis bliss to know
The good shall meet above.

O that will be joyful, joyful, joyful.
O that will be joyful
To meet and part no more;
To meet and part no more,
On Canaan's happy shore,
And sing the everlasting song
With those who've gone before.

James, editor of the 1911 _Original Sacred Harp_, says that 'Joyful' was composed by Rev. Abraham D. Merrell. He was born in New Hampshire 1796 and died in 1878. The first lines of a widely sung parody of this song (or is the above the parody?) are:

The man who has plenty of good peanuts
And giveth his neighbor none,
Shan't have any of my peanuts
When his peanuts are gone.

Miss Gilchrist informs us as to the relatives of tune and words in England. One parody familiar to her was:

John Wesley had a little ghost,
The color of it was white;
It used to swarm up his bed-post
And frighten him at night.

Another, known to Miss Gilchrist, was 'Three Little Kittens', (See JFSS, viii, 86). I also heard this song as a nursery ditty in my early youth in Monson, Maine, in the 1880's. Compare 'Judgment Scenes' in this collection. The tune was used also for the carol 'Joys Seven', _The Oxford Book of Carols_, No. 70.

No. 228
SOMETHING NEW, UHH 35

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

[Music]

Since man by sin has lost his God,
He seeks creation through;
And vainly strives for solid bliss
In trying something new.
In trying something new,
And vainly strives for solid bliss
In trying something new.

The new, possessed like fading flowers,
Soon loses its gay hue;
The bubble now no longer stays,
The soul wants something new.

And could we call all Europe ours,
With India and Peru,
The mind would feel an aching void
And still want something new.

But when we feel a Savior's love,
All good in him we view;
The soul forsakes its vain delights--
In Christ finds all things new.

Also found, SOC 250, GOS 365, SOH 254. A negro adoption and adaptation is cited in _White Spirituals_, 249.

No. 229
VICTORIA or ONE MORE RIVER TO CROSS, OSH 290

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

[Music]

Alas! and did my Savior bleed,
Alas! and did my Savior bleed,
Alas! and did my Savior bleed
And did my Sovreign die?

I have but one more river to cross,
I have but one more river to cross;
I have but one more river to cross,
And then I'll be at rest.

The text theme of the chorus is seen in the negro spiritual SS 4:

And I hain't but one more river to cross.

The tune is closely related to 'Gaines', HH 122, this collection; 'Geordie', Sharp, i., 240; 'John of Hazelgreen', Sharp, i., 294; 'False Young Man', (2), Sharp, ii., 52; 'True Lover's Farewell', Sharp, ii., 113ff. The 'Geordie' text begins with 'As I crossed over London's Bridge'. This may indicate where the revival folk got their suggestion for tune and text of 'One More River to Cross'.

No. 230
NEW INDIAN SONG or WALK AND TALK WITH JESUS, SOC 45

Heptatonic ionian, mode 1 A + B (I II III IV V VI VII)

[Music]

When I can read my title clear
To mansions in the skies,
I'll bid farewell to ev'ry fear
And wipe my weeping eyes.
Oh, walk and talk with Jesus,
Halle, hallelujah,
Oh, there's glory in my soul.

Ah, poor sinner, you run from the rock,
When the moon goes down in blood,
To hide yourself in the mountain top,
For to hide yourself from God.

Should earth against my soul engage,
And hellish darts be hurled,
Then I can smile at Satan's rage,
And face a frowning world.

Let cares like a wild deluge come,
And storms of sorrow fall;
May I but safely reach my home,
My God, my heaven, my all.

The compiler of the _Social Harp_ ascribes this song to J. A. & J. F. Wade and dates it 1854. The words, excepting those of the chorus, are by Watts.

No. 231
SUBSTANTIAL JOYS or I WANT TO GO THERE TOO, SOC 28

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

[Music]

Jesus, my all, to heav'n is gone,
I want to go there too;
He whom I fix my hopes upon,
And I want to go there too.
_Chorus_
I want to go,
I want to go,
I want to go there too,
Substantial joys shall fill my soul,
And I want to go there too.

John G. McCurry, compiler of the _Social Harp_, recorded it, according to his note, in 1854. In the 1880's in Monson, Maine, I heard almost precisely the same tune sung to the words:

Johnny Morgan played the organ,
His father beat the drum;
His sister played the tambourine
And his brother went bum-bum.

The text of the spiritual song is given more completely under 'River of Jordan'. The tune is akin to 'One Man Shall Mow my Meadow' and 'The Knight and the Shepherd's Daughter', in Sharp, _One Hundred English Folksongs_, Nos. 3 and 100.

No. 232
O HE'S TAKEN MY FEET, REV 114

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

[Music]

I'll praise him while he gives me breath,
I hope to praise him after death.
_Chorus_
O he's taken my feet from the mire and the clay,
And he's placed them on the Rock of Ages.

I hope to praise him when I die,
And shout salvation as I fly.
_Chorus_

And I will tell to sinners round
What a dear Savior I have found.
_Chorus_

No. 233
MY BIBLE LEADS TO GLORY, REV 385

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

[Music]

My bible leads to glory,
My bible leads to glory,
My bible leads to glory,
Ye foll'wers of the Lamb,
Sing on, pray on,
Foll'wers of Immanuel;
Sing on, pray on,
Soldiers of the cross.

Subsequent stanzas are constructed from such sentences as:

Religion makes me happy.
King Jesus is my captain.
I long to see my Savior.
Then farewell, sin and sorrow.
We'll have a shout in glory.
We'll wave our palms forever.

A variant of tune and words is in Richardson, p. 68. The melody is the same as 'Bobbing Around' which was published by Oliver Ditson & Co., Boston, about 1855, as one of a series called _Melodies of the day_.

No. 234
I'M TRAVELING TO MY GRAVE or TRAVELER SOC 37

Pentatonic, mode 1 (I II -- IV V VI --)

[Music]

I'm trav'ling to my grave,
I'm trav'ling to my grave,
I'm trav'ling to my grave
To lay this body down.

My fathers died a-shouting,
rejoicing in the Lord;
The last word I heard them say
Was about Jerusalem,
The saints' delightful home.

The song is ascribed in the _Social Harp_ to John G. McCurry and Wm. C. Davis and dated 1853. For a variant among the negro spiritual tunes see _White Spirituals_, p. 261. Compare 'I'm a Long Time Traveling' in this collection. Similarity is seen also between the above melody and 'The Merchant's Daughter', second tune, JFSS, i., 160.

No. 235
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF JORDAN, REV 465

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

[Music]

On Jordan's stormy banks I stand,
And cast a wishful eye,
On the other side of Jordan, hallelujah!
To Canaan's fair and happy land,
Where my possessions lie,
On the other side of Jordan, hallelujah!
On the other side of Jordan, hallelujah!
On the other side of Jordan, hallelujah!

Further stanzas of the text are given under 'Jordan'. The tune is reminiscent of 'Morning Trumpet' in this collection.

No. 236
JESUS IS MY FRIEND (B), REV 311

Hexatonic, mode 4 b (I II 3 IV V -- 7)

[Music]

There is a heav'n o'er yonder skies,
A heav'n where pleasure never dies,
A heav'n I sometimes hope to see,
But fear again 'tis not for me;
But Jesus, Jesus is my friend,
O, hallelujah, hallelujah,
Jesus, Jesus is my friend.

The chorus of the above tune has features similar to 'Jesus Is My Friend (A)', in this collection. The whole tune seems to be a degenerate offspring of 'Davisson's Retirement', in this collection.

No. 237
DERRETT or IT WON'T BE LONG, SOC 108

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

[Music]

Jesus, my all, to heav'n is gone,
O hallelujah;
He whom I fix my hopes upon,
O hallelujah.
And it won't be long,
Nor it can't be long,
O halle, hallelujah,
And it won't be long till Christ will come,
O hallelujah.

The compiler of the _Social Harp_, John G. McCurry, claims the song and dates it 1847. We know the words as those of John Cennick. Additional stanzas are given under 'River of Jordan'.

No. 238
CARTER or NEVER TURN BACK (B), SOC 52

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

[Music]

Jesus, my all, to heav'n is gone,
I'll never turn back no more;
He whom I fix my hopes upon,
I'll never turn back no more.
I'll never turn back no more, my Lord,
I'll never turn back no more.

A variant tune is 'Never Turn Back (A)', this collection. A negro variant is in Marsh, p. 174. Additional stanzas of the text are given under 'River of Jordan'.

No. 239
I WILL ARISE

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

[Music]

Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore,
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, love and pow'r.
_Chorus_
I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in his arms,
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O there are ten thousand charms.

Let not conscience make you linger,
Nor of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness he requireth
Is to feel your need of him.
_Chorus_

Agonizing in the garden,
Lo, your Master prostrate lies;
On the bloody tree behold him,
Hear him cry before he dies.
_Chorus_

Lo, th'incarnate God ascended,
Pleads the merit of his blood;
Venture on him, venture wholely,
Let no other trust intrude.
_Chorus_

I recorded this song from the singing of Donald Davidson, Vanderbilt University, June, 1935. Joseph Hart published this poem in 1759. The refrain text is probably of camp-meeting origin. The tune has been immensely popular for certainly more than a hundred years in the South. Found also SOH 5, HH 217, WP 25, PB 342, OSH 312 (tune with other words), OSH 81 (words with another tune).

The tune is typical of a traditional trend. Many other songs show either close relationship throughout or use single phrases of this melody. The tunes in this collection which are close to the 'I Will Arise' type (mentioned in the Introduction, p. 14) are 'Humble Penitent', and 'Be Gone Unbelief'. Others making use of the second phrase only, marked _a_, are 'Bozrah' and 'New Orleans'. A secular tune in the 'I Will Arise' form is 'The Bird Song', Sharp, ii., 304; and among the secular tunes employing phrase _a_ as their tune beginnings are 'Oh Love It is a Killing Thing' and 'When I first Left Old Ireland', Petrie, Nos. 469 and 863; and 'The Cruel Mother', Cox, p. 522. Thomas gives the beginning of a lullaby which doubtlessly belongs to this tune group, see _Devil's Ditties_, p. 17.

No. 240
I WANT A SEAT IN PARADISE or NORTH PORT, OSH 324

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

[Music]

Jesus, my all, to heav'n has gone,
Glory hallelujah,
He whom I fix my hopes upon,
Glory hallelujah.
I want a seat in paradise,
Glory hallelujah,
I love that union never dies,
Glory hallelujah.

The recording of this tune is credited to Dr. R. R. Osborne, a Georgian. The core of the words is by John Cennick, a text which is given more fully under 'River of Jordan'.

The tune is built up easily on the theme of the first two measures which is similar to the beginning of 'Henry Martin', see Rickaby, p. 161, and Sandburg, p. 176. 'Henry Martin' is based on an incident in British marine history which took place in the year 1476. See S. Baring-Gould, _Songs of the West_, song No. 53, and note. Another old relative of the tune seems to be 'There were Three Ravens' which was recorded in 1611 as follows:

[Music]

There were three ra'ens sat on a tree,
Down a down hey down a down.

See Jackson, _English Melodies from the 13th to the 18th Century_, p. 24. German tunes with practically the same opening phrase and dating from the sixteenth century are in Erk-Böhme, _Deutscher Liederhort_, vol. iii., p. 718.

No. 241
MORNING TRUMPET, OSH 85

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

[Music]

O when shall I see Jesus
And reign with him above,
And from the flowing fountain
Drink everlasting love,
And shall hear the trumpet sound in that morning.

Shout O glory, for I shall mount above the skies
When I hear the trumpet sound in that morning.

This is one of the best examples of the revival spiritual song. It has the John Leland words of matchless popularity in the southern song region, a refrain in clarion tones, a chorus with rare swing, and a primeval melodic mode.

For a negro version and the black man's story of the song's source see _White Spirituals_, pp. 254-255. Found also SOH (1854) 195, SOC 111, HOC 99. Further stanzas of the text are given under 'Faithful Soldier'. A later and simplified version of 'Morning Trumpet' is 'To Hear the Trumpet Sound' in this collection.

No. 242
GREAT PROVIDER or HE'S PROMISED TO BE WITH YOU, UHP 112

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

[Music]

Peace, troubled soul, thou need not fear,
Jesus says he will be with you to the end.
The great provider still is near,
Jesus says he will be with you to the end.
_Chorus_
Hallelujah, hallelujah,
And he's promised to be with you to the end.

The Lord who built the earth and sky,
In mercy stoops to hear our cry;
His promise all may truly claim,
Ask and receive in Jesus' name.

The tune from the start to the chorus is practically the same as the chorus tune in 'With Us to the End' in this collection. It is claimed by S. M. Denson and dated 1908. Mr. Denson recorded many revival tunes. For data as to his life see _White Spirituals_, 107ff. He died 1936. See 'Cruel Mother', Sharp, i., 61, tune K, for melodic similarities.

No. 243
WARFARE, SWP 130

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

[Music]