550
All God's Chillun Got Shoes
White, in ANFS 69-70, gives references to several i^riiited col-
lections containing traditional texts of this delightfully naive spirit-
ual. He remarks that it is sung by college glee clubs, as well as
in the traditional way by Negroes, and that a version of it was
"even featured in Ziegtield's Follies, opening in 1927." It was
quoted and sung gleefully by white people during the economic de-
pression of the 1930s, in response to a somewhat untactful remark
by Frances Perkins, Secretary of Labor under Franklin D. Roose-
velt, to the etTect that the South should be an attractive market
for shoe manufacturers since so large a jiroportion of its people
went barefoot. For good settings of traditional versions, see
'Gwine to Shout All over God's Heaven' in Emily Hallowell, Cal-
houn Plantation Songs (Boston, 1901), p. 58; and W. A. Fisher,
Se-i'cnty Negro Spirituals (Boston, 1926), pp. 41-5.
A
'All God's Chillun Got Shoes (1 Got Slioes).' From Newman 1. White.
Durham, February 20, 1945, with this note : "I have known this song
since about 1913. I set it down here to accompany the record of Riddick
(T-VIII), for which text is missing."
1 I got sh(;es, you got shoes,
All ( jod's chillun got shoes ;
When I get to Heah'n gomia i)ut on m\- shoes,
Gonna walk all oher God's Ileah'n.
Ileah'n. Heah'n —
6o8 NORTH CAROLINA FOLKLORE
Ever'body talk about Heab'n ain't goin' there,
Heab'n, Heab'n, gonna walk all ober God's Heab'n.
2 I got a robe, etc.
3 I got a harp, etc.
4 I got a crown, etc.
B
No title. From Lucille Cheek, Chatham county ; undated. A fragment.
You got shoes, I got shoes.
All God's children got shoes.
We all are going to walk over God's Heaven.
No title. From William B. Covington, of Norfolk, Virginia (Trinity
College A.B. 1914), November 17, 1913: "Reminiscences of my early
youth spent in the country on the border of the sand hills of Scotland
County" (N. C). "A Negro song." After the opening phrase of stanza
3, the informant notes, "Verses unlimited."
1 You got a ring. I got a ring.
All God's chillun got a ring.
If your ring don't fit like mine
We'll march all around God's Heaven.
Heaven, Heaven.
March all around God's Heaven.
2 You got a shoe. I got a shoe.
All God's chillun got a shoe.
If your shoe don't fit like mine.
We'll march all around God's Heaven.
Heaven. Heaven.
March all around Ciod's Heaven.
3 You've got a coat. etc.
D
No title. From Lucille Clieek, Chatham county ; undated. Fragment.
When I get to heaven I going to have shoes on, shoes on ;
When I get to heaven I going to have shoes on, etc.
--------------
550
All God's Chillun Got Shoes
'All God's Chillun Got Shoes.' ('I Got Shoes'.) Sung by Alfonso Coleman,
Alliance, Pamlico coimty, in 1927. Contributed by J. P. Boyd. Cf. Mellows
156.
F-486
I got shoes, you got shoes, All God's chil - lun got shoes;
When I get to Heab - 'n gon - na put on my shoes.
I'm gon - na shout all ob - er God's- Heab - 'n,-
Heab -'n,- Heab-'n- Ev - 'ry - bod - y talk - in' 'bout
Heab-'n ain't- go - in' there, Heab-'n,- Heab -'n,-
gon na shout all ob God's- Heab - 'n.-
For melodic relationship cf. ***ANS i8o; BANS i 71; there is an elision
at the end of the first phrase and the beginning of measure eight.
Scale: Mode III, plagal. Tonal Center: f. Structure: abed (4,4,4,4). The
overlapping of the cadence and the beginning of the last phrase is quite evident,
especially when compared with measures 7-8 (elision). Cf. above remarks
to BANS I 71. In the above analysis, d is partially related to c as well as
the ending of b.