551. All My Sins Been Taken Away
["All My Sins Been Taken Away" is closely tied to "Mary Wore Three Links of Chain" and the similar "Hand Me Down My Walking Chain." James Bland reportedly wrote/arranged "Hand Me Down My Walking Chain" in 1880 but there seems to be little evidence and no sheet music to back up this claim.
The Great Song Thesaurus (Oxford UP) has an entry "(Oh) Hand Me Down My Walking Cane," and it says: 1865 w.m. traditional black American spiritual. Even this seems suspect as there is no reference to the source. The song, "Hand Me Down My Walking Cane" was popular among both blacks and whites and was recorded by various early Country string bands with Gid Tanner then Kelly Harrell both in 1926.
How do you separate the spirituals? Versions of "All My Sins Been Taken Away" usually include lyrics from "Mary Wore Three Links of Chain" while "Hand Me Down My Walking Chain" has more secular lyrics such as, "going to leave here on the midnight train." "All My Sins Been Taken Away" usually doesn't have the "hand me down my walking cane" verse.
One of the early versions of "All My Sins Been Taken Away" was published in 1922 by E. A. Perkins in the Journal of American Folk-Lore.]
551. All My Sins Been Taken Away
The chorus is common to many spirituals, esp. those in White ANFS (and Perkins JAFL xxxv 233-4. Stanza 3 corresponds in part to 'As I Went Down in the Valley to Pray' (q.v.). Other variants are Biblical and spiritual connnonplaces. Cf. Chappell
FSRA 151 (from North Carolina; 609
"Negro fragment." From an anonymous circulated printed program, enclosed in a letter dated Durham, X. C. July 2, to Dr. Brown from Mrs. Mattie Southgate Jones, who explained that the printed song thereon was one of the songs which a Deacon S. Harris used to print for his colored congregation in Durham.
1. I have a song I love to sing,
I have a song I love to sing,
I have a song I love to sing,
Glory hallelujah, praise His name,
All my sins been taken away.
Chorus:All my sins been taken away,
All my sins been taken away,
All my sins been taken away.
Glory hallelujah, praise His name.
All my sins been taken away, taken away.
2. I'm going home on the morning train,
I'm going home on the morning train,
I'm going home on the morning train,
Glory hallelujah, praise His name.
All my sins been taken away, taken away.
3 I went down in the valley to pray,
I went down in the valley to pray,
I went down in the valley to pray,
My soul got happy and I stayed all day.
All my sins been taken away, taken away.
4. Christ went in the temple at twelve years old,
Christ went in the temple at twelve years old,
Christ went in the temple at twelve years old,
They asked him could he cure a sin-sick soul,
All my sins been taken away, taken away.
5. I know the day, remember the time,
I know the day, remember the time,
I know the day, remember the time,
When God Almighty changed this heart of mine,
All my sins been taken away, taken away.
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551
All My Sins Been Taken Away
'Down In the Valley to Pray.' Sung by the Pittman Brothers, Hand, N. C, August 21, 1939. The title is that given by the singers. Actually, the brothers sing a duet, the second voice echoing the first, a common practice with Negro choirs. The second voice was not added in the score. Cf. NS 63, last stanza and first stanza of following song. The first line of the chorus given in printed text also occurs once in the first stanza of No. 363 (III 430- There is no tune for the chorus in our version. For additional texts cf. RAS 60 ; FSoA 103; ANS 158; SCS 12; and FSF 168-9, refrain only.
F-487
3. As I went down — in the val - ley to pray,
As I went down- the val - ley to pray, —
As I went down in the val-ley to pray,
My soul got hap - py and I stayed all day,
All my sins are tak - en a - way, tak - en way.
Scale: Pentachordal. Tonal Center: c. Structure: abed (2,2,2,2). The
tonal center is the lowest tone.
Second stanza :
I'll tell you what I never will do too
3rd stanza :
Oh, if I could, I surely would
Sit on a
4th stanza :
I've been redeemed by the blood of the Iamb
Saved and sanctified I am.
5th stanza :
If you get there before I do
Tell ev'ry child I'm coming too.
(This is all the text that could be gleaned from the recording).