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Bright Angels Above/Run, Mourner, Run
Traditional Spiritual and Gospel Song;
ARTIST: Sweet Honey in the Rock
YOUTUBE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P42j1cOYmSU
CATEGORY: Traditional and Public Domain Gospel;
DATE: 1900s;
RECORDING INFO: Run, Mourner, Run
Sweet Honey in the Rock
Run, Mourner, Run. Work, John W. / American Negro Songs and Spirituals
OTHER NAMES: "Bless That Wonderful Name"
SOURCES: WFMU; http://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/9634
NOTES: "Bright Angels Above," usually titled "Run, Mourner, Run" is a spiritual from the 1800s that is identified with the Underground Railroad. The title "Bright Angels Above" appears in the Mudcat list of African-American Spirituals and is the choral response usually sung by the group after leader sings the first line. Sweet Honey in the Rock (Listen above- see Youtube link) does a great version of this spiritual.
The Underground Railroad site calls this a traditional spiritual:
Oh run, run, mourner, run
Bright angels above
You gotta escape for your life
Bright angels above
The spiritual is a version of the "Patroller song" also known as "Run, Children Run" and not used by its original name. John Work's version does not include the "Bright angels above" response.
"RUN, MOURNER, RUN" from American Negro Songs by J. W. Work, 1940
There’s singing here,
There’s singing there
I believe down in my soul
There’s singing everywhere
Run, mourner, run!
Lo! Says the bible
Run, mourner, run
Lo! Is the way
There’s preaching here,
There’s preaching there
I believe down in my soul
There’s preaching everywhere
There’s praying here,
There’s praying there
I believe down in my soul
There’s praying everywhere
I know de udder world is not like dis.
In his 1867 Slave Songs book William Francis Allen commented about another "bright angels" song: "I heard this in a praise-house at the “Contraband Camp” on President’s Island near Memphis, in September, 1864. I will not vouch for the absolute accuracy of my memory:
BROTHER GUIDE ME HOME- Spiritual 1864
1. Brudder, guide me home an' I am glad,
Bright angels biddy me to come
Brudder, guide me home an' I am glad,
Bright angels biddy me to come.
RUN MOURNER RUN- (Sweet Honey in the Rock)
CHORUS: Oh, run, run, mourner, run.
Bright angels above
Oh, run, run, mourner, run.
Bright angels above
Oh, run, run, mourner, run.
Bright angels above
Oh, run, run, mourner, run.
Bright angels above
VERSE: I would fly away to the kingdom,
Bright angels above (Repeat verse 4X)
VERSE: You gotta escape for your life,
Bright angels above (Repeat verse 4X)
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