My fellow worm disdain?
I give my vain distinctions up,
Since Christ did wait on man.
The words were quite evidently made to go with the celebration of the footwashing rite still observed by the Primitive Baptists, from whose hymn book the song is taken. The tune is ascribed to L. P. Breedlove of Georgia. I find it to be a close variant of ‘James Harris’ (or ‘Daemon Lover’ or ‘House Carpenter’) turned around; that is, with the second part of the above tune coming first in the secular ballad tune. For versions of the ‘James Harris’ tune see Thomas 172, Davis 592-594, Cox 524, and Sharp, i., 244-258. The oldest variant tune known to me is that in Motherwell associated with ‘Blue Flowers and Yellow’ (Appendix, Musick, No. 17.) After comparing the above tune with its worldly relatives, it becomes evident that the GOS signature of b-flat should be changed to that of f-natural, raising the sixth and restoring what was evidently a dorian tune.
No. 92
[ROSE TREE], KNH 165
Hexatonic, mode 3 b (I II III IV V VI —)
There is a land of pleasure
Where streams of joy forever roll;
’Tis there I have my treasure,