Both the sinner and the seeker has a “hard time” during some time in his experience. The duties of everyday life, too, often seem hard. Now on his knees, now shouting, now sorrowful and now glad, the negro comes from “hanging over hell” to die and “set by de Fadder’s side.” The average negro appears to pity himself, and his song intensifies the feeling. The songs that follow may be classed as those that give the state of uncertainty and doubt, together with pity mingled now and then with the note of triumph. In “Oh, what a hard time”, sisters, brothers, children, preachers, seekers—all have the same difficulties.
Oh, what a hard time, Oh, what a hard time,
Oh, what a hard time—All God’s children have a hard time.
Oh, what a hard time, oh, what a hard time,
Oh, what a hard time, my Lord had a hard time, too.
So in another division will be given the song “My Trouble is Hard”, the idea of which seems to be derived from the old plantation songs, though the new song is entirely different from the old ones. The plantation negroes used to sing “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen”, in which they were “sometimes up, sometimes down, sometimes almost to de groun’.” Others sung it “Nobody knows the trouble I see, or I’ve had”, and asked: “Brother, sister, preacher, will you pray for me?” In the same pathetic tone the “Sinner man” gives another phase of the feeling.
My mother’ n yo’ mother both daid an’ gone,
My mother’ n yo’ mother both daid an’ gone,
My mother’ n yo’ mother both daid an’ gone,
Po’ sinner man he so hard to believe.
My folks an’ yo’ folks both daid an’ gone,
Po’ sinner man he so hard to believe.
My brother ’n yo’ brother both daid an’ gone,
Po’ sinner man he so hard to believe.
In the same way “my sister”, etc., completes the song, with favorite lines, “Down in de valley”, “Upon mountain Jehober spoke”, etc., being inserted as often as they desire. “Hanging over hell” gives more intensity to the feeling of the sinner. He says:
When I wus hangin’ over hell, over hell,
When I wus hangin’ over hell, over hell,
Well, I had no one to pity poor me, poor me.
Well, my mother sick an’ my father daid, father daid,
Well, my mother sick an’ my father daid, father daid,
Well, I ain’t got no one to pity poor me, poor me.
Well, I ain’t got no one to pray for me, to pray for me.
I ain’t got no one to feel for me, feel for me.
Likewise he has no one to “cry” for him, to “mourn” or to “care” for him. It will be noticed that the negroes insert the word “well” frequently. There is no regularity or rule for its use; it apparently gives the song a more plastic turn and makes it seem more conversational. In some of their songs they insert in the same way, “says”, and “er”, “a”, “an”, at will. The struggle is well represented by the song “Keep inchin’ along”, which was also common in the old plantation melodies; the chorus is the same, while the words are entirely different from the older song.
Keep er-inchin’ erlong, keep er-inchin erlong,
Jesus’ll come bye’m bye,
Keep er-inchin’, keep er-inchin erlong,
Jesus’ll come bye’m bye.
De road is rocky here below,
But Jesus’ll come bye’m bye,
But Jesus leads me as I go,
Jesus’ll come bye’m bye.
Sometimes I hangs my head an’ cries,
But Jesus’ll come bye’m bye.
An’ He gwi’ wipe mer weepin’ eyes,
But Jesus’ll come bye’m bye.
Uh, run ’long mourner an’ git yo’ crown,
By yo’ Father’s side set down.
I’m glad that I’m bo’n ter die,
Frum trouble here my soul gwi’ fly.
In the same hopeful strain the negro sings “Boun’ ter cross Jord’n in dat Mornin’,” which has a large number of stanzas, none of which have any similarity of meaning to the general theme.
Yonder come er sister all dressed in black,
She look lak er hipercrit jes’ got back,
I’m boun’ ter cross Jord’n in dat mornin’.
Cross me over,
Great Jehover,
My Lord, I’m boun’ ter cross Jord’n in dat mornin’.
See dat Christian on his knees,
He’s gwin’ ter cross dem jasper seas,
I’m boun’ ter cross Jord’n in dat mornin’.
Swing low chariots in er line,
Carry me ter glory in due time,
I’m boun’ ter cross Jord’n in dat mornin’.
Ain’t but the one thing grieve my min’
Sister goin’ to heaven an’ leave me behin’,
I’m boun’ ter cross Jord’n in dat mornin’.