Religious Folk-Songs of the Southern Negroes Part 17

Well the blind man stood by the grave and cried, Well the blind man stood by the wave and cried, Yes, the blind man stood by the wave and cried.

He cried, "O Lord, don't you hear po' me?"

Hark, the blind man stood by the wave and cried, He cried, "O Lord, don't you hear po' me?"

Brother don't you hear the blind cries, blind cries?

Brother don't you hear the blind cries, blind cries?

O brother, don't you hear the blind cries?

Jesus he give de blind man sight, blind man sight, Jesus he give de blind man sight, blind man sight, Yes, Jesus he give de blind man sight.

He also sings "_sister_, don't you hear," etc., _brother_, _father_, _preacher_. A peculiar modification of "Walking in the Light" is the song of the same name among the negroes, which seems to have its origin in the scriptural injunction, "Ye are the light of the world."

Let yo' light s.h.i.+ne all over the world, Walkin' in the light, beautiful light.

Mos' wonderful light, s.h.i.+ne by night, Let yo' light s.h.i.+ne all over the world.

I am the light, most pitiful light, Let yo' light s.h.i.+ne all over the world.

Follow the light, mos' beautiful light, Let yo' light s.h.i.+ne all over the world.

Sinner, what you gwine do when the lamp stops burnin', Let yo' light s.h.i.+ne all over the world?

The negro prays to be remembered at Calvary; so, too, he asks to remember Calvary and the Lord. A single fragment of the old song remains:

O Lord remember me, remember Calvary, For without any doubt and you remember the Lord, I pray thee, Lord, remember me, O Lord, remember me, remember Calvary.

The "Pilgrim's song" that has been considered so beautiful is still a favorite; the words of the stanzas differ little. It may be called a standard hymn of the negroes. There is a story that Bishop Allen, the founder of the A. M. E. church, composed the song on his dying bed. He was very well educated and a man of considerable ability and feeling. While the sadly hopeful words of the song are of a higher type than the average spiritual, and while its metrical form is far above the usual, the song still combines many of the ideas and phrases of the favorite spirituals of the slaves. One of these songs, "I hope my mother will be there, In that beautiful world on high", embodies the same sentiment and in similar words. Another, "Give 'way Jordan, I want to go across to see my Lord. I heard sweet music, I wish dat music would come here", represents the other part of the song. The Pilgrim's song as it is found is:

I am a poor way-faring stranger, While journeying through this world of woe, But there is no sickness, toil, nor danger, In that bright world to which I go.

_I'm going there to see my cla.s.smates, They said they'd meet me when I come, I'm just a going over Jordan, I'm just going over home._

I know dark clouds'll gather round me, I know my road is rough and steep, Yet there bright fields are lying just before me, Where G.o.d's redeemed and vigils keep.

_I'm going there to see my mother, She said she'd meet me when I come, I'm just going over Jordan, I'm just a going over home._

I'll soon be free, free every trial, My body will sleep in the old churchyard.

I'll quit the cross of self-denial, And enter in my great reward.

_I'm going there to see my mother, She said she'd meet me when I come, I'm just a going over Jordan, I'm just going over home._

The only differences in the versions of the old song and its present form is the subst.i.tution of "But" for "yet", "and" for "their", and "free" for "from", "drop" for "quit" in the various lines. Very much in the same cla.s.s of song is "Steal Away". The present version is much the same in general as the old, of which there were several, differing only in minor details. There is in some of the church song books a version of the song; however, the most common verses now sung are:

O the green trees a-bowin', An' po' sinner stan' tremblin', Well the trumpet soun' in my soul, An' I ain't got long to stay here.

_O steal away, steal away, O steal away to my Jesus, Steal away, steal away, For I ain't got long to stay here._

My Lord is a callin', Po' sinner he can't answer, Well, the trumpet sound in my soul, An' I ain't got long to stay here.

One of the most beautiful and at the same time simple and pathetic songs of the negroes is "Heal me, Jesus". Here the negro is at his typical best in prayer: without pretension, without reserve, claiming nothing, he simply pleads for his desire.

O Lord, I'm sick an' I want to be healed, O Lord, I'm sick an' I want to be healed, O Lord, I'm sick an' I want to be healed, O Lord, I'm sick an' I want to be healed.

_Heal me Jesus, heal me Jesus, Along the heavenly way, Heal me Jesus, heal me Jesus, Along the heavenly way._

O Lord, I'm blind an' I want to see, O Lord, I'm blin' an' I wan' ter see, O Lord, I'm blin' an' I wan' 'er see, Heal me Jesus along the heavenly way.

O Lord, I'm crippl'd an' I wan' 'er walk, O Lord, I'm crippl'd an' I wan' 'er wa-a-a-l-k, O Lord, I'm cri-p-p-l-e-d an' I want 'er walk, Heal me Jesus along the heavenly way.

O Lord, I'm deaf an' I want to hear, etc.

The negroes are great believers in dress and uniform. Color, too, appeals to them as significant and the more strikingly distinct the color, the stronger impression it makes upon their imaginations. Chief among all others is the white which the angels wear; gold and purple, too, are concerned with the heavens. Among men red and black are strongest. This idea of color dressing has become interwoven in many of their songs. The rhyme helps to give the picture its vividness. The following song, with its variants, is still sung with considerable zest.

Who is that yonder all dressed in red?

_I heard the angels singing_; It look like the children Moses led, _I heard the angels singin'_.

_Down on my knees, Down on my knees, I heard the angels singing._

Well who that yonder all dressed in black?

I heard the angels singing; It look like it's de mourner jus' got back, I heard the angels singing.

Yes' who's that yonder all dressed in blue?

It look like the children just come through.

Instead of "mourners jus' got back" the negroes sing "a sister, a sinner, a hypocrite, etc., jus' got back". Once the negroes sang: "Who's that yonder all dressed in black? Must be children of the Israelites", which is the common version for the answer to "Who's all them come dressed in white?" The songs almost invariably have a different chorus for the different versions and combinations. In one of the old songs, the above verses were sung to the chorus

Oh, what you say, John?

Oh, what you say, John?

Oh, what you say, John?

_De ressurection drawin' nigh._

with this last line as a refrain after each line of the song, just as above in "I heard the angels singing". In another of the old songs the chorus was:

Go, Mary, an' ring de bell, Come, John, and call de roll, I thank G.o.d.

The negro visualizes with a good deal of satisfaction. He imagines that he can see the things about which he sings. So they have imagined seeing the people dressed in white, black, red and blue; so he imagined that he could see "two tall angels comin' after me", or "big tall", "long tall", "band of angels" or whatever form the song has taken. So the negroes have told wonderful stories about the whale and the gourd vine; about the "cutter worm" as well as Jonah. The old song, modified and adapted with characteristic phraseology and expression still appeals to the negro. The "Big fish" and "Sherk" represents the terror of the sea to the negro. One old darkey explained this fact by saying that it was because the negroes were terrified as they were brought over from Africa, and that they saw the whales and "fishes" in "de sea" and that "de race hain't nebber got ober it yet". Another ascribes the fear and imagination much to the biblical story of the whale and Jonah. Perhaps neither determines to any marked degree this feeling. However, the song "Big fish swallow Jonah", which has made such a hit in its paraphrases and in the glee clubs, and variously, is still current in this form:

Lord, the big fish, big fish, big fish, swallow ole Jonah whole, The big fish, the big fish, the big fish swallow ole Jonah; The big fish, big fish, big fish, swallow ole Jonah whole.

_Ole Jonah cried, "Lord save my soul", Ole Jonah, ole Jonah, ole Jonah cried "save my-save-m-y-y", Ole Jonah cried "Lord save my soul"._

In the same manner are sung other lines:

Lord, the gourd vine, gourd vine, gourd vine growed over Jonah.

Well, the cutter worm, cutter worm, cutter worm cut that vine down.

In addition to Jonah--and the last two stanzas are not common in the old songs--"Peter on the sea", "Gabriel, blow your trump", "Daniel in the lion's den", are sung. Those who have heard the latest form of this song rendered would scarcely imagine that it was a very appropriate church song.