571. Golden Slippers
White ANFS 106 gives details of the history of the song and a text from Alabama. He notes: "Walking the golden streets is a
phrase from the early-nineteenth-century religious songbooks." citing Zion Songster (1827) ; and records testimony that 'Golden Slippers' was sung in the 1870s as a minstrel song. It was printed by Auner of Philadelphia as a penny song, and included as "Dem Golden Slippers. Words and music by James A. Beard," in The Celebrated. Original and Only Madame Renty's Songster (New York, 1880 ). p. 45. ANFS 107 gives further comparative references and a text from Durham, somewhat like the following.
'Going Up.' From Mrs. Sutton, as sung by her sister Pearl. Phonograph recording, Lenoir, 1922.
1. What kind of shoes are you going to wear?
Golden slippers.
What kind of shoes are you going to wear ?
Golden slippers.
Golden sli])pers, Pni a-going away, a-going away,
Agoin" away.
Golden slippers, I'm a-going away, going up
To live with the Lord,
(ioin' up, goin' up. goin' up. goin' up. gcjin" u]).
Goin' up. goin" up. goin" up, goin' up. goin" u]),
Goin" up. goin" u]).
Goin up to live with the Lord.
2 What kind of robes are you goin' to wear?
Long white robes.
AX'hat kind of robes are you goin' to wear?
Long white robes.
Long white robes. I'm a-goin' away, goin' awav.
Long white robes. I'm a-goin' awav. goin' uj)
To live with the Lord.
Goin' u]). goin" up. goin' uj). goin' up. goin' up,
(ioin' u]). goin' u]), goin' up. goin' up, goin' up,
(join' UJ). goin' up.
Goin' up to live with the Lord.
3 What kind of gates are you goin' through ?
Pearly gates.
[Repetition after pattern of stanzas i a)id j.\
4 What kind of streets arc you i^<>in' in walk?
Golden streets.
[Repetition after pattern of stan:zas 1, 2, ?.J
---------------------------
571
Golden Slippers
'Golden Slippers.' From Mrs. Sutton, as sung by her sister, Pearl. Phono-
graph recording, Lenoir, 1922(111 622), but no trace of it can now be found.
571(1)
'Golden Slippers.' Sung by Dr. L G. Greer at his home in Chapel Hill for
this editor, who visited there in 1953. The text of this version is totally
different from that given in III 622-3. In contrast to the sources given there,
we find that MSON 195 attributes words and music to James A. Bland, and
so does RAS 154. TNFS 172 quotes our chorus as that for 'Raccoon Up
in De 'Simmon Tree.' The tune of our stanza is almost identical with that
of 'Polly-Wolly-Doodle,' SA 97.
F-503
An' my long, white robe
dat I bought las' June, I'm- gwine-ter git changed Kase it
fits too soon, An' de old grey hoss dat I used to drive,
will hitch him to de char - iot in de morn.
Oh, dem gold - en slip - pers. Oh, dem gold - en slip-pers,
Gold - en slip-pers Fse gwine ter wear, be - cause dey look so
neat. Oh, dem gold - en shp-pers. Oh, dem gold - en slip-pers,
Gold -en slip-pers Fse gwine ter wear. To walk de gold - en street.
For melodic relationship cf. ***RAS 154; MSON 195, stanza only;
CRS Kit T 30; SA 97, stanza only.
Scale: Heptachordal, plagal. Tonal Center: e-flat. Structure: abcdabcdee^feeif
(2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,4,2,2,4) = aabb^ (8,8,8,8). Taking the chorus as the epode
to the preceding Stollen, we would have an over-all relationship of stanza and
refrain as a barf orm : mmn (8,8,16).