Religious Folk-Songs of the Southern Negroes

by Howard Washington Odum

In addition to the above stanzas the Jubilee singers added others. They heard the bell and whistle and “she’s playin’ all her steam an’ power.” The rhyme and imagery of the old song struck a more responsive chord than the present song; this is due to the fact that the negro of to-day sings his railroad songs and enjoys them in his secular music. There he pictures the train with such vividness that the train may be easily heard and seen in his imagination. Other verses of the Gospel Train as it was sung by the Jubilee singers are:

There’s Moses and Noah and Abraham,
And all the prophets, too,
Our friends in Christ are all on board,
O what a heavenly crew.
We soon shall reach the station,
O how we then shall sing,
With all the heavenly army,
We’ll make the welkin ring.
She’s nearing now the station,
O sinner, don’t be vain,
But come an’ get your ticket,
And be ready for the train.
No signal for the other train,
To follow on the line,
O sinner, you’re forever lost,
If once you’re left behind.

While the song as reported by the Jubilee singers does not possess the mere characteristics of form and dialect, it nevertheless appeals to the negroes and it is sometimes sung. One of the fears of the negro is that others may go to heaven and he be left behind. This, as has been indicated, constitutes the sum total of misery. So he has a number of songs in which he expresses this feeling and prays that he may not be left behind in the race of life for the eternal goal. One of the most touching of these songs represents the negro as an orphan who is unwilling to stay alone in the world:

My muther an’ my father both are daid, both are daid,
My muther an’ my father both are dead,
My mother an’ my father both are dead,
Good Lord, I cannot stay here by merself.
I’m er pore little orphan chile in de worl’, chile in de worl’,
I’m er pore little orphan chile in the worl’,
I’m a pore little orphan chile in de worl’,
Good Lord, I cannot stay here by merself.

De train done whistled an’ de cars done gone, cars done gone,
De train done whistled an’ de cars ere gone,
De train done whistled an’ de cars ere gone,
Ezekiel, I cannot stay here by merself.
My brothers an’ my sisters are all gone, all gone,
My brothers an’ my sister’re all gone, all gone,
My brothers an’ sisters all are gone,
Mer Jesus, I cannot stay here by merself.
Git me ticket fer de train, fer de train,
Git me ticket fer de train,
I got mer ticket fer de train,
Thank God, I ain’t gwine stay here by merself.

Very much like the song just given the negroes used to sing: “Dar’s room in dar, room in dar, room in de heaven, Lord, I can’t stay behin’”. So, too, “I can’t or don’t want to stay here no longer” are common and classic verses of negro song. Again they sang the “good news” because “De chariot’s comin’, I doan want her to leave a-me behind, Gwine get upon dat chariot, Carry me home”. In a prayer the negro sang: “Jesus, don’t leave me behind”. In his songs to-day the negro says:

Dear brother, don’t you leave,
Dear brother, don’t you leave,
This ole world’s a hell to me.
This ole world’s a hell to me,
This ole world’s a hell to me.
Yes, I bleedzed to leave this world,
Yes, I bleedzed to leave this world,
Sister, I’s bleedzed to leave this world,
For it’s a hell to me.

While the old negroes used to sing “Oh brother, sisters, mourners, don’t stay away, For my Lord says there’s room enough”, the modern negro sings “You can’t stay away”.

Sister, you can’t stay away,
Sister, you can’t stay away,
Sister, you can’t stay away, stay away.
My Lord is a callin’ an’ you can’t stay away,
My Lord is a callin’ an’ you can’t stay away,
Yes, my Lord is a callin’ an’ you can’t stay away,
An’ you can’t stay away.
King Jesus is a ridin’ an’ you can’t stay away,
O preacher, you can’t stay away.

There have been a great many versions of the song “Ole Ship of Zion”, none of which differ materially. The four or five versions most common in the slave and plantation song represented the Ship of Zion somewhat as follows: “She has landed many a thousand, She can land as many more, Do you think she will be able, For to take us all home? You can tell ’em I’m comin’ home”, “Dis de good ole ship of Zion, An’ she’s maken’ fer de promise lan’. She hab angels fer de sailors. An’ how you know dey’s angels? Dat ship is out a sailin’ she’s a sailin’ mighty steady. She’ll neither reel nor totter, She’s a sailin’ ’way cold Jordan. King Jesus is de captain, captain”. “De gospel ship is sailin’, O Jesus is de captain, De angels are de sailors, O is yo’ bundle ready? O have you got yo’ ticket!” Another version has “her loaded down with angels”; Another “wid a-bright angels”. Another asks what ship is that “you’re enlisted upon”? and answers that it is the “Good ship of Zion”, which “sails like she’s heavy loaded”, and “has King Jesus for the captain”, and “the Holy Ghost is de pilot” The coast negroes had many songs that originated in ideas suggested by the boats. To-day the river negroes have songs of their own, but they do not go into the church songs. The Old Ship of Zion, however, is sung, but only as a remnant of the former song, less elaborate.

This ole ship is a reelin’ an’ a rockin’,
This ole ship is a reelin’ an’ a rockin’ rockin’ rockin’
Makin’ fer de promise lan’.