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And Don't Stay Away/ Don't Stay Away/You Can't Stay Away
Tradtional Old-Time, Spiritual;
ARTIST: from Journal of American folklore, Volume 27 By American Folklore Society 1914
CATEGORY: Traditional and Public Domain Bluegrass Gospel;
DATE: 1800s; 1914 Journal of American folklore, Volume 27 By American Folklore Society
RECORDING INFO: And Don't Stay Away
OTHER NAMES: “Don't Stay Away,” "You Can't Stay Away,"
SOURCES: from Journal of American folklore, Volume 27 By American Folklore Society 1914.
NOTES: “And Don't Stay Away,” or "You Can't Stay Away" is a rare African-American spiritual. This version is from the Journal of American folklore, Volume 27 By American Folklore Society 1914.
SOME NEGRO FOLK-SONGS FROM TENNESSEE. COLLECTED AND EDITED BY ANNA KRANZ ODUM.
The following negro folk-songs were heard in Sumner County, Tennessee, and were all sung by the children of one family, sometimes two or three of the children singing "parts," but oftener by one girl of fifteen, who sang as she worked. These children could not read, and they sang only the songs they had heard from their elders at home, in the fields, or at church; and they represent a link in the perpetuation of the negro folk-songs. They live in a rural community of negroes whose inhabitants are somewhat stationary, but not isolated. A few of the songs which they sang have been published before; but the versions are different, and they are given here for the purpose of comparison with the same songs from other localities. The majority of the songs are religious, or "spirituals;" and it was with difficulty that the few secular songs were collected, for the singers were reticent about singing any but "church songs," because, they said, they "belonged to de church." Other singers from the same community were later heard singing some of these songs.
1O. AND DON'T STAY AWAY.
O brother, don't stay away
O brother, don't stay away
O brother, don't stay away
And don't stay away.
My Lord says there's room enough
My Lord says there's room enough
My Lord says there's room enough
In heaven for us all.
My Lord says there's room enough,
And don't stay away.
"Sister," "mother," "uncle," "auntie," are in turn substituted for "brother." This song is almost the same as the old spiritual, and is probably the origin of the song, "You can't stay away,"' heard in northern Mississippi, which has for its chorus, "You can't stay away," with several verses, among which are,—
My Lord is callin' an' you can't stay away.
King Jesus is a-ridin' an' you can't stay away.
Howrad Odum writes in 1909: While the old negroes used to sing " Oh brother, sisters, mourners, don't stay away, For my Lord says there's room enough ", the modern negro sings " You can't stay away".
Sister, you can't stay away,
Sister, you can't stay away.
Sister, you can't slay away, stay away.
My Lord is a callin' an' you can't stay away,
My Lord is a callin' an' you can't stay away,
Yes, my Lord is a callin' an' you can't stay away,
An' you can't stay away.
King Jesus is a ridin' an' you can't stay away,
O preacher, you can't stay away.
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