Down by the Riverside–we used to sing it at Y Camp.
We have to pray for peace and work for it. Here Grandpa Elliott leads singers and musicians from all over the world in this beloved traditional hymn.
Tag: spirituals
‘This Train’
Rosetta Tharpe put something a little extra into this spiritual worship song, This Train. A nice way to start the day.
Be Request, ‘He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands’
Wow! Would you believe we used to sing this in grade school? And no one complained!
Sung by the choir of the Tennessee Gospel Society: He’s Got the Whole World In His Hands.
And way, way, way better Him than us.
By Request, ‘Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord’
Requested by Erlene, just the thing to get started in the morning–Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord, sung by Tennessee Ernie Ford (with lots of backup). Given the kind of nooze we hear each day, maybe we ought to pay more attention to these lyrics.
Bonus Hymn: ‘Oh, Sinner Man’
I have a doctor’s appointment this morning, which I really hate as a waste of time, have to play catch-up all day…
Meanwhile, what do you get when you take a Caribbean folk hymn and transfer it to some cold, grey islands in the Irish Sea?
You get this awesome rendition of Oh, Sinner Man–one of my favorites.
With seals, no less. (Would you believe we sang this in junior high school? Times have NOT changed for the better!)
‘Oh, Sinner Man’
Would you believe we used to sing this in junior high school–O, Sinner Man, Where You Gonna Run To?
Take a Caribbean spiritual, move it to the northern reaches of the Irish Sea, add a few seals… and you can see that this hymn is a message to us all, wherever we may be.
By Request, ‘Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho’
You have to click “Watch on YouTube” to see this video, but it’s worth the extra effort.
Requested by Thewhiterabbit, two national treasures for the price of one: Mahalia Jackson on Nat King Cole’s TV show in 1957, singing Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho.
Would you believe we used to sing this in junior high school? Times change–and not for the better.
By Request, ‘We Are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder’
Here’s a classic spiritual, requested by Phoebe–We Are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder, sung by Bernice Johnson Reagon.
Would you believe we used to sing these in public school? It’s true: big, big difference between then and now.
Bonus Hymn: ‘O, Sinner Man’
The wisdom of this world is blowing up in our faces, our so-called leaders can’t handle it, and I just can’t bear to write about it just now. The lyric is right: We shoulda been a-prayin’.
Our only refuge is in the name of the Lord.
Let’s here O, Sinner Man–sung amid the cold, cold waters of the sea around Scotland.
By Request, ‘Go Down, Moses’
We used to sing this at Y camp, of all places.
Requested by Thewhiterabbit, Go Down, Moses–and who better to sing it than Louis Armstrong?
Hello, out there! If you’d like to share a hymn, just let us know.