Religious Folk-Songs of the Southern Negroes Part 16

_My trouble is hard, O yes, My trouble is hard, O yes, My trouble is hard, O yes, Yes indeed, my trouble is hard._

Whilst you are sitting on your seat, Let me tell you something that is sweet, When all G.o.d's people in glory meet, They will slip and slide the golden street.

Stop young man, I've something to say; You know you're sinful and why don't you pray?

You're sinning against a sin-venged G.o.d, Who has power to slay us all.

O Lord, aint it a pity--ain't it a shame-- To see how my Lord and Saviour was slain?

I hate to call the murderer's name, I know they are dead but left the stain.

Read the Scriptures and be content, You are bound to know what Jesus meant, John was here before his advent; Stood in the wilderness and cried "Repent".

Christ called his apostles two by two, He particularly told them what to do, Preach my gospel as I command you, And I'll be with you all the way through.

Just me tell you what David done, Old man Jesse's youngest son: He slayed Goliath that mighty one, Ole Saul pursued him but he had to run.

Ole Saul pursued poor David's life-- It's a mighty good thing he had a wife, They went to his house and did surround And she took a rope and let him down.

G.o.d called Jonah in a powerful way, He told old Jonah just what to say; Tell them people if they don't pray, I'll destroy the city of Nineveh.

Just let me tell you how this world is fixed, Satan has got it so full of tricks, You can go from place to place, Everybody's runnin' down the colored race.

Almost equally interesting is "That's another Witness for my Lord." It will be noticed in these songs that references and phrases taken from the old songs are often used, but in different combinations. They thus lose their former worth. It will be interesting, too, to compare the negro's religious conceptions of the Bible and G.o.d as expressed in these songs with those expressed in the older productions: Has he advanced in his theology?

Read in Genesis, you understand, Methuselah was the oldest man, Lived nine hundred and sixty-nine, Died and went to heaven in due time.

_Methuselah is a witness for my Lord, Methuselah is a witness for my Lord._

You read about Sampson from his birth, Strongest man that lived on the earth, 'Way back yonder in ancient times, He slayed three thousand of the Philistines.

Sampson he went wanderin' about, For his strength hadn't been found out, His wife dropped down upon her knees, Said: "Sampson, tell me where your strength lies, please."

Delila' talked so good and fair; He told her his strength lie in his hair; "Shave my head just as clean as your hands, And my strength'll be like a nachual man's."

_Wasn't that a witness for my Lord?

Wasn't that a witness for my Lord?_

Isaiah mounted on de wheel o'time, Spoke to G.o.d-er-mighty way down the line: Said, "O Lord, to me reveal, How can this vile race be healed?"

G.o.d said: "Tell the sons of men, Unto them'll be born a king, Them that believe upon his Way, They shall rest in the latter day."

_Isaiah was a witness for my Lord, Isaiah was a witness for my Lord._

There was a man amongst the Pharisees, Named Nicodemus and he didn't believe, He went to the Master in the night, And told him to take him out er human sight.

"You are the Christ, I'm sure it's true, For none do de miracles dat you do, But how can a man, now old in sin, Turn back still and be born again?"

Christ said, "Man, if you want to be wise, You'd better repent and be baptized; Believe on me, the Son of Man, Then you will be born'd again."

_Wasn't that a witness for my Lord?

Wasn't that a witness for my Lord?_

"After 'While" gives a slightly different form of verse, but with somewhat the same characteristics in other respects as those just given. There is little regularity in the metrical arrangement, but it makes a good song.

The worl' is full of forms and changes, It's just now so confuse, You will find some danger In everything you use: But this is consolation to every blood washed child, G.o.d's goin' to change our station after while.

_Afterwhile, afterwhile, G.o.d's goin' to change our station, afterwhile._

The devil tries to throw down Everything that's good,

He'd fix a way to confine The righteous if he could, Thanks be to G.o.d almighty, he cannot be beguiled, Ole satan will be done fightin' afterwhile.

Some men and women who help the world along, By constantly complaining of everything that's done, They want to be called Christians and all their badness hide, G.o.d's goin' to open the secret afterwhile.

Preachers in their sermons stand up and tell the truth, They'll go about and murmur with slander and abuse; They want the whole arrangement to suit their selfish style, G.o.d's goin' to rain down fire afterwhile.

In a general mixture of old song and new song, of old traits and new traits, the negro sings a beautiful song which he has called: "Whar' shall I be?" The usual imagery is seen.

Moses lived til he got old, _Whar' shall I be?_ Buried in de mountain, so I'm told, _Whar' shall I be?_

_Whar' shall I be when de fust trumpet sounds?

Whar' shall I be when it sounds so loud?

When it sound so loud that it wake up the dead, Whar' shall I be when it sounds?_

Well G.o.d showed Noar de rainbow sign, Whar' shall I be?

No more water but fire nex' time, Whar' shall I be?

Mathew, Mark, Luke and John, Whar' shall I be?

Tole me whar' my Saviour gone; Whar' shall I be?

John declar'd he saw a man, Whar' shall I be?

Wid seben lamps in his right han', Whar' shall I be?

The exact meaning of the following song could not be ascertained. It is apparently derived from some idea of the scriptural invocation and blessing upon the disciples. It is said to have a special message to the preacher, and is sometimes represented as being the words of G.o.d; at other times the encouragement of a friend and the reply.

Go and I will go with you; Open your mouth and I'll speak for you; If I go and tell them what you say they won't believe me.

Shout and I shout with you; Throw out your arms and I catch you; If they see you going with me, they won't believe on you.

So it's go and I go with you; Open your mouth and I speak for you, Shout and I shout with you, Throw out your arms and I catch you, If I go and tell them what you say they won't believe me.

Another song of the modern type seems to appeal to the negroes very strongly. Again he is seeing a vivid picture of the Christ in the long years ago. But just where he gets the exact ideas by which to make the combinations is a little doubtful. Perhaps he gets the central thought from the miracle of Cana.

If my mother ask you for me, tell her I gone to Gallerlee, I ought to a been there four thousand years ago, To drink of the wine.

_Drinkin' of the wine, drinkin' of the wine, Drinkin' of the wine, Drinkin' of the wine, Christ was there four thousand years ago, Drinkin' of the wine._

You may mourn, sinner, mourn, the Lord help you to mourn, Christ was there four thousand years ago, Drinkin' of the wine.

So, too, you may _moan_, _weep_, _cry_, _pray_, _brother_, _sister_, _father_, _mother_, _backslider_, and any others that the singer happens to think of, and the chorus, "Drinkin' of the wine," is the favorite refrain. Again in "The Blind Man" the picture is one of confusing the scriptural scenes with those of the present, and of placing himself in the stead of the central character of the story.