Religious Folk-Songs of the Southern Negroes

by Howard Washington Odum

Another version in one of the old songs says: “Some go to church to laugh and talk, but dey knows nuthin’ ’bout de Christian’s walk”. “De Ole Ark a-moverin’” was the title of a plantation song which gave the story of Noah and the flood. Noah and his sons “went to work upon dry lan’”, and everything went according to the original “plan”.

Jes’ wait a little while, I’m gwine tell you ’bout de ole ark,
De Lord told Noah for to build him an ole ark,
Den Noah and his sons went to work upon dry lan’,
Dey built dat ark jes’ accordin’ to comman’,
Noah an’ his sons went to work upon de timber,
De proud begin to laugh the silly to point de finger,
When de ark was finished jes’ accordin’ to plan,
Massa Noah took his family both animal an’ man,
When de rain begin to fall and de ark begin to rise,
De wicked hung round wid der groans and der cries,
Fohty days and fohty nights de rain it kep’ a fallin’,
De wicked clumb de trees an’ for help dey kep’ callin’,
Dat awful rain she stopped at las’, de waters dey subsided,
An’ dat ole ark wid all aboard on Ararat rided.

This is the picture which the plantation and slave negro has made for his satisfaction. The present-day song that apparently originated in the above song is less elaborate, having only portions of the old song, and not being much in demand. It, too, is called “Didn’t it rain?”

God told Noah ’bout de rainbow sign—
Lawd, didn’t it rain?
No more water but fier nex’ time—
O didn’t it rain? Halleluyer.
O didn’t it rain, O didn’t it rain?
Halleluyer, didn’t it rain?
Some fohty days an’ nights.
Well it rain fohty days an’ nights widout stoppin’,
Lawd, didn’t it rain?
The sinner got mad ’cause the rain kept a droppin’,
O didn’t it rain? Halleluyer.

Among the most interesting of all the negro spirituals are those which have been composed in recent years. These are significant in their bearing upon the temperament and religion of the present-day negro. These songs are efforts at poetry, while at the same time they unite biblical story with song. How they are often begun and for what purposes they are composed was mentioned in the previous discussion concerning the origin of negro songs. Further analysis of the form may be made in the study of the negro’s mental imagery. The following song, which gets its name from the chorus, is entitled “My Trouble is Hard”, and was composed by “Sister Bowers”. It was printed on a single sheet for distribution; each person who contributed to the collection was entitled to a copy, or a copy could be had for a nickel. She sung her new song to the crowds wherever she went, and then was given a pro-rata of the collections. With the chorus repeated after each stanza, as the negroes always do, it becomes a song of unusual length:

I know a man that was here before Christ,
His name was Adam and Eve was his wife,
I’ll tell you how this man lived a rugged life,
Just by taking this woman’s advice.
My trouble is hard, O yes,
My trouble is hard, O yes,
My trouble is hard, O yes,
Yes indeed, my trouble is hard.
Whilst you are sitting on your seat,
Let me tell you something that is sweet,
When all God’s people in glory meet,
They will slip and slide the golden street.
Stop young man, I’ve something to say;
You know you’re sinful and why don’t you pray?
You’re sinning against a sin-venged God,
Who has power to slay us all.

O Lord, aint it a pity—ain’t it a shame—
To see how my Lord and Saviour was slain?
I hate to call the murderer’s name,
I know they are dead but left the stain.
Read the Scriptures and be content,
You are bound to know what Jesus meant,
John was here before his advent;
Stood in the wilderness and cried “Repent”.
Christ called his apostles two by two,
He particularly told them what to do,
Preach my gospel as I command you,
And I’ll be with you all the way through.
Just me tell you what David done,
Old man Jesse’s youngest son:
He slayed Goliath that mighty one,
Ole Saul pursued him but he had to run.
Ole Saul pursued poor David’s life—
It’s a mighty good thing he had a wife,
They went to his house and did surround
And she took a rope and let him down.
God called Jonah in a powerful way,
He told old Jonah just what to say;
Tell them people if they don’t pray,
I’ll destroy the city of Nineveh.
Just let me tell you how this world is fixed,
Satan has got it so full of tricks,
You can go from place to place,
Everybody’s runnin’ down the colored race.

Almost equally interesting is “That’s another Witness for my Lord.” It will be noticed in these songs that references and phrases taken from the old songs are often used, but in different combinations. They thus lose their former worth. It will be interesting, too, to compare the negro’s religious conceptions of the Bible and God as expressed in these songs with those expressed in the older productions: Has he advanced in his theology?

Read in Genesis, you understand,
Methuselah was the oldest man,
Lived nine hundred and sixty-nine,
Died and went to heaven in due time.
Methuselah is a witness for my Lord,
Methuselah is a witness for my Lord.
You read about Sampson from his birth,
Strongest man that lived on the earth,
’Way back yonder in ancient times,
He slayed three thousand of the Philistines.
Sampson he went wanderin’ about,
For his strength hadn’t been found out,
His wife dropped down upon her knees,
Said: “Sampson, tell me where your strength lies, please.”
Delila’ talked so good and fair;
He told her his strength lie in his hair;
“Shave my head just as clean as your hands,
And my strength’ll be like a nachual man’s.”
Wasn’t that a witness for my Lord?
Wasn’t that a witness for my Lord?
Isaiah mounted on de wheel o’time,
Spoke to God-er-mighty way down the line:
Said, “O Lord, to me reveal,
How can this vile race be healed?”
God said: “Tell the sons of men,
Unto them’ll be born a king,
Them that believe upon his Way,
They shall rest in the latter day.”
Isaiah was a witness for my Lord,
Isaiah was a witness for my Lord.
There was a man amongst the Pharisees,
Named Nicodemus and he didn’t believe,
He went to the Master in the night,
And told him to take him out er human sight.
“You are the Christ, I’m sure it’s true,
For none do de miracles dat you do,
But how can a man, now old in sin,
Turn back still and be born again?”
Christ said, “Man, if you want to be wise,
You’d better repent and be baptized;
Believe on me, the Son of Man,
Then you will be born’d again.”
Wasn’t that a witness for my Lord?
Wasn’t that a witness for my Lord?

“After ’While” gives a slightly different form of verse, but with somewhat the same characteristics in other respects as those just given. There is little regularity in the metrical arrangement, but it makes a good song.

The worl’ is full of forms and changes,
It’s just now so confuse,
You will find some danger
In everything you use:
But this is consolation to every blood washed child,
God’s goin’ to change our station after while.
Afterwhile, afterwhile,
God’s goin’ to change our station, afterwhile.
The devil tries to throw down
Everything that’s good,
He’d fix a way to confine
The righteous if he could,
Thanks be to God almighty, he cannot be beguiled,
Ole satan will be done fightin’ afterwhile.
Some men and women who help the world along,
By constantly complaining of everything that’s done,
They want to be called Christians and all their badness hide,
God’s goin’ to open the secret afterwhile.
Preachers in their sermons stand up and tell the truth,
They’ll go about and murmur with slander and abuse;
They want the whole arrangement to suit their selfish style,
God’s goin’ to rain down fire afterwhile.