Bible: NOT REQUIRED: Afro-American Spirituals (A Collection)

Afro-American Spirituals

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SPIRITUALS ARE FOLK melodies that originated in the American South as a fusion of African and European musical styles, sung by black slaves, usually as a coded language of liberation. In this sense they anticipated modern Liberation Theology in Latin America by centuries. Remarkably, these black spirituals teach the Bible better than the Anglo-European hymns of mainstream Christian churches, which sing mainly of another world. These black spirituals speak of the suffering and dignity of people in this world and expect God to redeem them in this world, not another.  Their melodic beauty, the powerful simplicity of their form and language, make these spirituals among the great treasures of the world's music.

OVER MY HEAD

A simple affirmation of belief in God based on an idea, also in the letters of St. Paul (Romans, for example) that, even apart from the Bible, the existence of God should be obvious from Creation.

Over my head I hear music in the air (3)
There must be a God somewhere

GO DOWN, MOSES (LET MY PEOPLE GO)

This is one of the great spirituals of liberation, capturing, in its few lines, the essence of the Bible better than volumes of theology. After all, the Exodus is, for Jews, the foundation (even more than Genesis) of Jewish theology, founded then in freedom and the dignity of the individual created by God and answerable only to God, not Man. Christians of course took this idea and adapted it, or allegorized it, now as freedom from the slavery or bondage of sin. The phrase, "let my people go," has echoed down the ages as a defiant call of freedom against all forms of enslavement and is the basis of Liberation Theology in the Latin American countries and Jamaica, as well as the basis of the abolitionist (anti-slavery) movement in the American South.

When Israel was in Egypt's land, let my people go
Oppresed so hard they could not stand, let my people go.
Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt's land
Tell old Pharaoh, to let my people go.

Thus spake the Lord, old Moses said, let my people go
If not I'll smite your firstborn dead, let my people go.
Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt's land
Tell old Pharaoh, to let my people go.

NOBODY KNOWS THE TROUBLE I'VE SEEN

Another spiritual of stark simplicity. It's a song of suffering yet also of faith (alternate words replace "my sorrow" with "but Jesus"). Even in this version the singer concludes his cry of suffering with a cry of praise: Hallelujah, which means "Praise (hallel) the Lord (Jeohovah)."

Nobody knows the trouble I've seen
Nobody knows my sorrow
Nobody knows the trouble I've seen
Glory, Hallelujah

Sometimes I'm up, sometimes I'm
Oh, yes, Lord
Sometimes I'm almost to the ground
Oh, yes, Lord.

Oh, nobody knows the trouble I've seen
Nobody knows my sorrow.
Nobody knows the trouble I've seen
Glory, Hallelujah.

Although you see me going long so,
Oh, yes, Lord
I have my troubles here below
Oh, yes, Lord.

Oh, nobody knows the trouble I've seen
Nobody knows my sorrow
Nobody knows the trouble I've seen
Glory, Hallelujah.

SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE A MOTHERLESS CHILD

Like many black spirituals, this can be heard on different levels, "home" being both Heaven and Africa, speaking of the broken heart but also of the broken family (the separation of siblings during slavery).

Sometimes I feel like a motherless child (3)
A long ways from home, a long ways from home.
Come, my brother, a long ways from home, a long ways from home.

Sometimes I feel like I'm almost gone (3)
A long ways from home, a long ways from home.
Come, my sister, a long ways from home, a long ways from home.

SWING LOW, SWEET CHARIOT

Spirituals have been done in many ways. There has always been a strong concert tradition for these spirituals, especially in the beginning, probably in the belief that they were too "primitive" and needed European harmonies to make them more beautiful! Of course we'll never know how they sounded in the American slave period, anymore than we'll ever know how the Hebrew (Davidic) psalms sounded chanted against Hebrew instruments. Since one psalm enjoins worshipers to "make a joyful noise unto the Lord" we must assume the psalms sounded more like Rock 'n' Roll than like the more sedate versions of hymns heard in many churches for centuries. Kathleen Battle is an opera singer and her performance is in the concert tradition, though with a unique phrasing that blends black and European cultures. The song itself is among the most famous spirituals, again in coded language, speaking of liberation from slavery, the "chariot" being the secret transport that would take the slaves to freedom, usually at night. Yet the lyric uses biblical images to preach liberation ("looked over Jordan"=might be code for the Ohio river). The "band of angels" is the band of liberators (both black and white abolitionists). Even if the singer doesn't make it to freedom now, she promises she will in the future. The Bible, after all, is a theology of hope.

Swing low, sweet chariot, coming for to carry me home. (4)
I looked over Jordan and what did I see coming for to carry me home?
A band of angels coming after me, coming for to carry home.
Swing low, sweet chariot, coming for to carry me home. (2)
If you get there before I do, coming for to carry me home.
Oh, just tell my friends I'm a-coming too,
Coming for to carry me home.
Swing low, sweet chariot, coming for to carry me home. (2)

This is the same spiritual sung by Country singer, Johnny Cash.

I, JOHN

This song is based on the book of Revelation, supposedly written by John. It's not an Afro-American spiritual but a modern Gospel song. It's been recorded numerous times, including by Elvis Presley, whose version appears here in a rhythmic arrangement. Elvis was brought up on Southern Gospel music, both black and white. In fact he claimed to have gotten his performance style by observing Southern blacks in their churches. Ironically, though he remains the most famous figure in Rock history, Elvis never won a Grammy award for his Rock records, but won three for his Gospel records! His EP, Peace in the Valley was the first Gospel album to sell a million copies. Though his Gospel records are usually dismissed by Rock critics, in fact, to this listener at least, his Gospel records rank among his best work and among the best Gospel recordings of the century.

Oh well, I, John, he saw a mighty number
Away up in the middle of the air
I, John he saw a mighty number
Way in the middle of the air
God Almighty, John, you saw a mighty number
Way up in the middle of the air

Well there were three gates in the east
And there were three gates in the west
Three gates in the north
Three gates in the south
And that makes twelve gates to the city all square wide

John, you saw a mighty number way up in the middle of the air
Well John declared that he saw a man
He held twelve bright stars in his right hand
Well his eyes flashed fire like the burning sun
Old John got scared and he wanted to run
Well he wanted to run but his feet wouldn't go
Cause he felt the gospel cutting like a two-edged sword
And he heard a voice that said John, you take a look
And read what you see and then you write it in a book

And he saw twelve angels in the east
And there were twelve angels in the west
Twelve angels in the north,
Twelve angels in the south
That's a total of forty-eight angels to the city, four square wide