Religious Folk-Songs of the Southern NegroesOdum, Howard Washington
Religion
Religious Folk-Songs of the Southern Negroes
Odum, Howard Washington
African Americans -- Music; African Americans -- Southern States -- Music -- History and criticism
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 God.
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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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