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Can't Feel at Home/This World Is Not My Home/ Heaven Will Be My Home/ I Can't Feel at Home in this World Anymore
Tradtional Old-Time, Bluegrass Gospel
ARTIST: Marie Knight
YouTube Jim Reeves: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ndMZqT6i4I
CATEGORY: Traditional and Public Domain Gospel;
DATE: probably 1800s (1919 Meade); First recording 1924 (recording, Stove Pipe No. 1)
RECORDING INFO: Can't Feel at Home/This World Is Not My Home [Me III-C 95]
Rt - I Ain't Got No Home (in this World Anymore)
At - Heaven Will Be My Home
Sing Out Reprints, Sing Out, Sof (1959), 2, p29 (I Can't Feel at Home [in this World] Anymore)
Blood, Peter; and Annie Patterson (eds.) / Rise Up Singing, Sing Out, Sof (1992/1989), p 97
Greenwood, Colin. Banjo Newsletter, BNL, Ser (1973-), 1980/12,p 5b
Kentucky Thorobreds. Paramount Old Time Recordings, JSP 7774A-D, CD( (2006), trk# C.09 [1927/04/13]
Maddox, Rose. Glorybound Train, Stetson HAT 3079, LP (1960), trk# 2
Maddox, Rose. Beautiful Bouquet, Arhoolie 5030, LP (1983), trk# 5 (I Can't Feel at Home [in this World] Anymore)
Mainer, Wade; and Mainer's Mountaineers. Wade Mainer and the Mainer's Mountaineers, Old Homestead 90002, Cas (1971), trk# B.04
Redpath, Jean; and Lisa Neustadt. Angels Hovering Round, Fretless 138, LP (1978), trk# B.01
Simmons Family. Stone County Dulcimer, Dancing Doll DLP 112, LP (197?), trk# 2.09
Smith, Carl; Trio. Sunday Down South, Columbia CL 959, LP (1957), trk# 1
Upper Mississippi Bluegrass. South Dakota Fiddling Contest, Foss, LP (1978), trk# B.10
OTHER NAMES: "Heaven Will Be My Home" "I Can't Feel at Home in this World Anymore" "This World Is Not My Home"
SOURCES: Meade
NOTES: "Can't Feel at Home" or "This World Is Not My Home" is a folk hymn recorded by the Marie Knight in 1956. Her version is typical of the rockin' blues version found on black gospel labels in the 1950s and 60s. I've played this many times and was told it was an old hymn. It's listed as being published in 1919 by Meade.
Meade lists Stovepipe No 1 (Sam Jones) 'Lord Don't You Know, I Have No Friend Like You' recorded August 1924 in NYC and issued as Co 210-D in November 1924. This is followed by The Kentucky Thoroughbreds 'This World Is Not My Home' recorded in April 1927 in Chicago and issued as Paramount 3014 (no date given), and then the Carters' 1931 recording. J.E. Mainer's Mountaineers, with vocal by Zeke Morris, recorded it on 6 August 1935 in Atlanta, issued as Bluebird B60288 - several months before the Monroe Brothers 17 February 1936 recording (Bluebird B6309). The song was the basis for Woody Guthrie's "I Ain't Got No Home."
Charles Wolfe says the Monroes learned the song from the 1935 'hit' record by the Prairie Ramblers on ARC, but the song had its roots deep in the black gospel tradition. In his liner notes to vol 5 of the Rounder set of Carter RCA material, Wolfe said it had been recorded before the Carter's 1931 recording by several black gospel groups - unfortunately, he doesn't say which - and 'had appeared in a number of white gospel songbooks as "arranged" by one composer or another'.
There are two black gospel recordings of "This World Is Not My Home" before World War II listed in Blues and Gospel Records 1890-1943 (Oxford): Golden Echo Quartet (rec. Atlanta, Ga; 1 April, 1927) and Jessie May Hill (rec. Chicago; 5 May, 1927). Hill's version (backed by Sisters of Congregation ("The Church of God in Christ") and probably accompanied by Arizona Dranes on the piano) is a variant.
Ballad Index: This World Is Not My Home
DESCRIPTION: "This world is not my home; I'm just a passing through." "Oh Lord, you know, I have no friend like you. If Heaven's not my home, then, Lord, what will I do? Angels beckon me to Heaven's open door, And I can't feel at home in this world any more."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1924 (recording, Stove Pipe No. 1)
KEYWORDS: religious nonballad
FOUND IN: US(Ap,SE)
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Warner 135, "The World Is Not My Home" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 354, "I Can't Feel At Home In This World Any More" (1 text)
DT, CANTHOME*
Roud #7481
RECORDINGS:
Alphabetical Four, "I Can't Feel At Home In This World Anymore" (Decca 7840, 1941; on AlphabFour01)
Carter Family, "Can't Feel at Home" (Victor 23569, 1931/Bluebird B-6257, 1936)
Pete Cassell, "I Can't Feel At Home in this World" (Decca 6077, 1942; rec. 1941)
Kentucky Thorobreds, "This World Is Not My Home" (Paramount 3014, 1927)
Collins Bros. "I Can't Feel At Home In This World" (Decca 5635, 1939; rec. 1938)
Golden Echo Quartet, "This World Is Not My Home" (Columbia 14572-D, 1931; rec. 1927)
Jessie May Hill, "This World Is Not My Home" (OKeh 8546, 1927)
J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers, "This World Is Not My Home" (Bluebird B-6088/Montgomery Ward M-4714, 1935)
Monroe Brothers, "This World Is Not My Home" (Bluebird B-6309/Montgomery Ward M-4745, 1936)
Prairie Ramblers, "This World Is Not My Home" (Banner 33449/Melotone 13416/Conqueror 8503, 1935)
Claude Sharpe & Old Hickory Singers, "This World Is Not My Home" (Columbia 20450, 1948; rec. 1946)
Southern Sons Quartette, "I Can't Feel At Home Any More" (Trumpet 143, n.d.)
Stove Pipe No. 1, "Lord Don't You Know I Have No Friend Like You" (Columbia 210-D, 1924)
Hank Thompson, "Can't Feel At Home In The World Anymore" (Capitol 1163, 1950)
Frank Welling & John McGhee, "This World Is Not My Home" (Champion 16585, 1933; rec. 1932)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "I Ain't Got No Home" (structure, lyrics, tune)
Notes: This is really a group or cluster of songs with verses that float effortlessly between them. - PJS
CAN'T FEEL AT HOME- Marie Knight 1956
http://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/32976
Oh, Lord, you know I have no friend like you
If heaven's not my home, lord, what should I do
Angels beckon me to heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home in this old world anymore
Heaven is expecting me, that's one thing I know
Fixed it up with Jesus, a long time ago.
And should He take me in although I'm weak and poor
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore
[instrumental- solo]
And should you get there first, I'll be on just the same
I'm down here shouting victory, prayin' my Jesus name.
You know my mother, my father has gone on too, they left me her to press on through
I just can't feel at home in this world anymore.
Oh, Lord, you know I have-a no friend like you
If heaven's not my home, Oh Lord, what should I do
Angels beckon me to heaven's open door
You know I can't feel at home in this old world anymore
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