Chorus
Lo, th’incarnate God ascended,
Pleads the merit of his blood;
Venture on him, venture wholely,
Let no other trust intrude.
Chorus
I recorded this song from the singing of Donald Davidson, Vanderbilt University, June, 1935. Joseph Hart published this poem in 1759. The refrain text is probably of camp-meeting origin. The tune has been immensely popular for certainly more than a hundred years in the South. Found also SOH 5, HH 217, WP 25, PB 342, OSH 312 (tune with other words), OSH 81 (words with another tune).
The tune is typical of a traditional trend. Many other songs show either close relationship throughout or use single phrases of this melody. The tunes in this collection which are close to the ‘I Will Arise’ type (mentioned in the Introduction, [p. 14]) are ‘[Humble Penitent]’, and ‘[Be Gone Unbelief]’. Others making use of the second phrase only, marked a, are ‘[Bozrah]’ and ‘[New Orleans]’. A secular tune in the ‘I Will Arise’ form is ‘The Bird Song’, Sharp, ii., 304; and among the secular tunes employing phrase a as their tune beginnings are ‘Oh Love It is a Killing Thing’ and ‘When I first Left Old Ireland’, Petrie, Nos. 469 and 863; and ‘The Cruel Mother’, Cox, p. 522. Thomas gives the beginning of a lullaby which doubtlessly belongs to this tune group, see Devil’s Ditties, p. 17.
No. 240
[I WANT A SEAT IN PARADISE] or NORTH PORT, OSH 324
Hexatonic, mode 2 A (I II 3 IV V — 7)