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Down By the Riverside/Ain't Going to Study War/Study War No More/
Tradtional Old-Time, Gospel;
ARTIST: Sandburg 1927
CATEGORY: Traditional Bluegrass Gospel;
DATE: 1800s; First Recorded in 1920 (recording, Fisk University Jubilee Quartet)
RECORDING INFO: Down By the Riverside [Me III-C 10]
Rt - Ain't Going to Study War No More
Mf - Gonna Lay Down That Limerick Nuke
Pb - Down on the Freedom Line
Snyder, Jerry (arr.) / Golden Guitar Folk Sing Book, Hansen, Fol (1972), p 44
Herder, Ronald (ed.) / 500 Best-Loved Song Lyrics, Dover dn500/500, Sof (1998), p 83b
Belleville A Cappella Choir. Southern Journey. Vol. 11: Honor the Lamb, Rounder 1711, CD (1998), trk# 8f [1960/04/28]
Carawan, Guy. This Little Light of Mine, Folkways FG 3552, LP (1959), trk# A.08
Christian Tabernacle Church. Folk Box, Elektra EKL 9001, LP (1964), trk# 41
Lopez, Trini. Trini Lopez at PJ's, Reprise R-6093, LP (196?), trk# B.03b
McGhee, Brownie; and Sonny Terry. Walk On, Astan AST 20051, LP (1984), trk# A.01 (Gonna Lay My Burden Down)
McGhee, Brownie; and Sonny Terry. Walk On, Astan AST 20051, LP (1984), trk# B.02
Reid, Harvey. In Person, Woodpecker Wp 112CD, CD (1997), trk# 2.06b [1996/05/25]
Reid, Harvey. Chestnuts, Woodpecker WP 109, Cas (1994), trk# A.07a
Tharpe, Sister Rosetta. Sister Rosetta Tharpe / Complete Recorded Works, Vol 2, Document DOCD 5335, CD (1995), trk# 7 [1943/01]
Villagers. We Give a Hoot! Live Hootenanny at the Ice House in Pasadena, RCA (Victor) LSP-2821, LP (1963),
Dixie Jubilee Singers, "I Ain't Gonna Study War No More" (Banner 7237/Domino 4206/Challenge 937 [as Jewel Male Quartet], 1928)
Elkins Payne Jubilee Singers, "Down By the Riverside" (Paramount 12071, 1923)
Fisk University Jubilee Quartet, "I Ain't Goin' to Study War No More" (Columbia A3596, 1922; rec. 1920)
Jimmie Lunceford & his Orch. "I Ain't Gonna Study War No More" (Columbia 26938, n.d.; Columbia 35567, 1940)
[Lester] McFarland & [Robert] Gardner, "Down By the Riverside" (Brunswick 108/Vocalion 5127, 1927; rec. 1926?)
Golden Echo Quartet, "Study War No More" (Deluxe 1005, 1945)
Memphis Minnie [Lizzie Douglas], "Down by the Riverside" (Conqueror 9936, 1941)
Missouri Pacific Diamond Jubilee Quartette, "Study War No More" (OKeh 8472, 1927)
Morehouse Quartet, "Down by the Riverside" (OKeh 4887, 1923)
C. Mae Frierson Moore, "Going to Study War No More" (Paramount 12323, 1925)
Norfolk Jubilee Quartet, "Down by the Riverside" (Paramount 12445, 1927)
Oak Ridge Quartet, "Ain't Gwine to Study War No More" (Capitol 40057, 1947)
Pete Seeger, "Study War No More" (on PeteSeeger14) (on PeteSeeger15) (on PeteSeeger44) (on PeteSeeger48)
Pete Seeger & Sonny Terry, "Study War No More" (on SeegerTerry)
Sister Rosetta Tharpe, "Down By the Riverside" (Decca 48106, n.d. but probably 1950s)
Three Little Maids, "Ain't Gonna Study War No Mo'" (Bluebird B-5860, 1935; rec. 1933)
OTHER NAMES: "Ain' Go'n to Study War No Mo'," "Study War No More," "Down by de Ribberside," "Down By the Riverside,""I Ain't Goin' to Study War No More" "Old Satan's Mad (Brown)"
SOURCES: Folk Index; Meade
REFERENCES (6 citations):
BrownIII 624, "Old Satan's Mad" (5 texts, of which the short "A" text is probably "Free at Last"; "B" is a variation on "Down By the Riverside (Study War No More)"; "C" has the "Old Satan's Mad" stanza but a "climbing Zion's walls" chorus; D" is an unidentifiable fragment perhaps related to "I Belong to that Band; and "E" is also a fragment, perhaps of "Free At Last")
Sandburg, pp. 480-481, "Ain' Go'n to Study War No Mo'" (1 text, 1 tune)
BrownIII 566, "Down by de Ribberside" (1 text)
PSeeger-AFB, p. 50, "Study War No More" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 281, "Study War No More" (1 text)
NOTES: "Ain't Going to Study War" is known under various titles derived from the white spiritual, 'We'll Wait Till Jesus Comes', published in an 1868 upstate hymnal "The Revivalist."
We'll Wait Till Jesus Comes- 1868
My heavenly home is bright and fair,
We'll be gathered home.
Nor death nor dying visit there,
We'll be gathered home.
CHORUS: We'll wait, until Jesus comes
We'll wait, until Jesus comes
we'll wait, until Jesus comes
And we'll be gathered home
It's glittering towers the sun outshine
We'll be gathered home.
That heavenly mansion shall be mine,
We'll be gathered home.
Several related songs use the "down by the river" response for the verses. Most of these are older releated song but a different form.
DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE William Stickles, 1948
Oh, hallelujah to the lamb
Down by the river
The Lord is on the giving hand
Down by the riverside
CHORUS: Oh, we’ll wait ‘till Jesus comes
Down by the river
Oh, we’ll wait ‘till Jesus comes
Down by the riverside
Oh, we are pilgrims here below
Down by the river
Oh, soon to glory we will go
Down by the riverside
The following song is found in the Brown Collection with floating "Satan's mad" lyrics:
'Old Satan's Mad' Brown Collection of NC Folklore From Miss Jewell Robbins, Pekin, Montgomery county (later Mrs. C. P. Perdue), July 1922. Phonograph recording. Cf. White ANFS 1 17-18. Cf. refrain and chorus with 'Down by the Riverside' and songs cited in the headnote.
1. Old Satan wears a slippery shoe
Down by de ribber.
An' ef you don' min' he'll slip up on you,
Down by the riverside.
Chorus: We'll end dis warfare,
Down by de ribber;
We'll end dis warfare,
Down by de ribberside.
2. Old Satan's mad and I am glad,
Down by de ribber;
He lost dis soul he thought he had,
Down by the ribberside.
3. Old Satan wears a long-tailed coat,
Down by de ribber ;
An' ef you don't mind he'll cut yo' throat.
Down by the ribberside.
Another version was collected by Howard W. Odum and Guy B. Johnson, which is printed in The Negro and His Songs (1925; reprinted Negro Universities Press, 1968, p. 101; without tune). They writes: this "combines the old camp meeting song 'Down by the River Side,' and a new element of peace, the origin of which is not known."
I AIN'T GOIN' TO STUDY WAR NO MORE
Well, there's goin' to be a big camp meetin',
Well, there's goin' to be a big camp meetin',
Well, there's goin' to be a big camp meetin',
Down by the river side.
Well, I ain't goin' to study war no mo',
Well, I ain't goin' to study war no mo',
Well, I ain't goin' to study war no mo'.
Well, such a shoutin' an' prayin',
Down by the river side.
Well, I goin' to meet my sister,
Down by the river side.
Well, the brothers got to shoutin',
Down by the river side.
There're at least 14 black gospel recordings before World War II (according to Blues and Gospel Records 1890-1943, 4th ed., OUP, 1997). One of the earliest is Elkins-Payne Jubilee Singers' "Down by the Riverside" (1923) [on Elkins-Payne Jubilee Singers 1923-1929, Document DOCD-5356], which is a variant of the "camp meeting song." Norfolk Jubilee Quartet's "Down by the Riverside" (1927) [on Norfolk Jazz and Jubilee Quartets, vol. 3 (1925-1927), Document DOCD-5383] is a version we are now familar with.
Meade et al.'s Country Music Sources (p. 582) lists 6 recordings of "Ain't Gonna Study War No More," the earliest of which is "Ain't Gwine To Study War No More" by Vaughan Quartet (rec. 1924).
A version with the "I'm going to lay down my heavy load" line was sung by Rosetta Tharpe with Lucky Millinder Orchestra in 1943, which is on Sister Rosetta Tharpe, vol. 2 (1942-1944) (Document DOCD-5335).
The "camp meeting song" they refers to seems to be the song in Religious Folk Songs of the Negro, new edition (1920; with a different tune; not contained in the first edition of Hampton and Its Students, 1874):
DOWN BY THE RIVER
1. When Christ the Lord was here below,
Down by the river,
About the work He came to do,
Down by the river side.
REFRAIN:
We will end this warfare,
Down by the river;
We will end this warfare,
Down by the river side.
AIN' GO'N' TO STUDY WAR NO MO'- Sandburg
For example, the black spiritual, 'Down by the Riverside', is derived from the white spiritual, 'We'll Wait Till Jesus Comes', published in an 1868 upstate hymnal "the Revivalist."
Among spirituals used by African-Americans as work songs this is to be mentioned. "They sing it by the hour," students at the University of Alabama told me, referring to "Ain' Goin' to Study War No Mo' " As they go on, hour by hour, they bring in lines from many other spirituals. The tempo is vital, never actually monotonous, never ecstatic, yet steady in its onflow, sure of its pulses. It is a work song-spiritual. War is pronounced "wah" or "waw" as if to rhyme with "saw." Horse is "hawss." And so on with negro economy of vocables in speech and song.
1. I'm go'n' to lay down my sword and shield,
I'm go'n' to lay down my sword and shield,
Down by de ribber-side, down by de ribber-side,
I'm go'n' to lay down my sword and shield.
CHORUS: I ain' go'n' to study war no mo', I ain' go'n' to study war no mo',
I ain' go'n' to study war no mo', I ain' go'n' to study war no mo'.
2. I'm go'n' to ride on a milk-white horse,
I'm go'n' to ride on a milk-white horse,
Down by de ribber-side, down by de ribber-side,
I'm go'n' to ride on a milk-white horse.
I ain' go'n' to study war no mo', I ain' go'n' to study war no mo',
I ain' go'n' to study war no mo', I ain' go'n' to study war no mo'.
3. I'm go'n' to wear a starry crown,
I'm go'n' to wear a starry crown,
Down by de ribber-side, down by de ribber-side,
I'm go'n' to wear a starry crown.
4 I'm go'n' to wear a snow-white robe,
I'm go'n' to wear a snow-white robe,
Down by de ribber-side, down by de ribber-side,
I'm go'n' to wear a snow-white robe.
5 I'm go'n' to ride with my King Jesus,
I'm go'n' to ride with my King Jesus,
Down by de ribber-side, down by de ribber-side,
I'm go'n' to ride with my King Jesus.
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