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Books of the Bible/Old Testament in Verse
Taditional Old-Time, Bluegrass Gospel;
ARTIST: from Buck Sisson of Joplin, Mo. who learned it circa 1905.
CATEGORY: Traditional Bluegrass Gospel;
DATE: 1800s;
RECORDING INFO: Books of the Bible
Ozark Folksongs: Religious songs and other items By Vance Randolph
OTHER NAMES: "Old Testament in Verse"
SOURCES: Folk Index; Randolph
NOTES: "The Books of the Bible" or the "Old Testament in Verse" is a traditional gospel song collected by Vance Randolph in 1923 from Buck Sisson of Joplin, Mo. who learned it circa 1905. Sisson could only remember teh first and last verses. The complete verse are here:
Books of the Bible- Randolph 1923 from Buck Sisson of Joplin, Mo. who learned it circa 1905
In GENESIS, the world was made;
In EXODUS, the march was told;
LEVITICUS contains the Law;
In NUMBERS are the tribes enrolled.
In DEUTERONOMY again,
We're urged to keep God's law alone;
And these five books of Moses make
The oldest holy writing known.
Brave JOSHUA to Canaan leads;
In JUDGES oft the Jews rebel;
We read of David's name in RUTH
And FIRST and SECOND SAMUEL.
In FIRST and SECOND KINGS we read
How bad the Hebrew state became;
In FIRST and SECOND CHRONICLES
Another history of the same.
In EZRA, captive Jews return,
And NEHEMIAH builds the wall;
Queen ESTHER saves her race from death;
These books "historical" we call.
In JOB we read of patient faith;
In PSALMS are David's songs of praise;
The PROVERBS are to make us wise;
ECCLESIASTES next portrays,
How fleeting earthly pleasures are;
The SONG OF SOLOMON is all
About true love, like Christ's,
And these Five books "Devotional" we call.
ISAIAH tells of Christ to come,
While JEREMIAH tells of woe,
And in his LAMENTATIONS mourns
The Holy City's overthrow.
EZEKIEL speaks of mysteries;
And DANIEL foretells kings of old;
HOSEA over Israel grieves;
In JOEL blessings are foretold.
In AMOS, too, are Israel's woes;
And OBADIAH's sent to warn,
While JONAH shows that Christ should die
And MICAH where He should be born.
In NAHUM Nineveh is seen;
HABAKKUK tells of Chaldea's guilt;
In ZEPHANIAH are Judah's sins;
In HAGGAI the Temple's built.
Then ZECHARIAH speaks of Christ;
And MALACHI of John, His sing;
The Prophets number seventeen,
And all the books are thirty-nine.
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