Chapter II. The Religious Songs of the Negro
CHAPTER II: THE RELIGIOUS SONGS OF THE NEGRO
Characteristic of the Race. The religious songs of the Negro have commonly been accepted as characteristic music of the race. The name "spirituals" given them long years ago is still current and many songs still retain their former qualities. The publication of the old spirituals and the appearance of the Jubilee Singers brought out the emotional beauty and simplicity of expression which won for the Negro a definite place in the hearts of those who had not hitherto known him. He was often judged by these songs alone, reported imperfectly, rendered artistically outside of the environment of the native folk.
Forthwith came expressions of delight and enthusiasm — expressions which indicate the power and the inherent appeal of the plaintive melodies. Whatever may be the relative place they hold in the life, history, and nature of the Negro, there will scarcely be any doubt as to the power of their appeal, then or now. Keeping in mind the later presentation of secular and social songs, and the present tendency to abandon the spirituals, we do well to review some of the descriptive statements that came from persons first hearing the old Negro songs. Said one, [1] "The hymns of a congregation of impassioned and impressible worshipers have been full of unpremeditated and irresistible power." Sung "with the weirdest intonations," they have indeed appeared "weird and intensely sad." Or again, "such music, touching and pathetic as T . have never heard elsewhere," "with a mystical effect and passionate striving throughout the whole." Or still again, "Never, it seems to me, since man first lived and suffered, was his infinite longing and suffering uttered more plaintively." Besides being relaxation and solace to the Negroes such religious songs were "a stimulus to courage and a tie to heaven." And again: "I remember that this minor-keyed pathos used to seem to me almost too sad to dwell upon, while slavery seemed destined to last for generations; but now that their patience has had its perfect work, history cannot afford to lose this portion of the record.
There is no parallel instance of an oppressed race thus sustained by the religious sentiment alone. These songs are but the vocal expression of the simplicity of their faith and the sublimity of their long resignation." Such songs "are all valuable as an expression of the character and life of the race which is playing such a conspicuous part in our history. The wild, sad strains tell, as the sufferers themselves could, of crushed hope, keen sorrow and a dull, daily misery, which covered them as hopelessly as the fog from the rice swamps. On the other hand the words breathe a trusting faith in rest for the future to which their eyes seem constantly turned. The attitude is always the same, and, as a comment on the life of the race, is pathetic. Nothing but patience for this life — nothing but triumph for the next." "One can but feel that these quaint old spirituals with their peculiar melodies, having served their time with effectiveness, deserve a better fate than to sink into oblivion as unvalued and unrecorded examples of a bygone civilization." Many have thought that these songs would pass away immediately with the passing of slavery and that the old system of words and songs "could not be perpetuated without perpetuating slavery as it existed, and with the fall of slavery its days were numbered." And "if they be found neither touching in sentiment, graceful in expression, nor well balanced in rhythm, they may at least possess interest as peculiarities of a system now no more forever in this country."
Satisfaction in Singing.
The Negro found satisfaction in singing, not only at church, bult perhaps even more while he performed his daily tasks. Those who heard the old slaves sing will never forget the scenes that accompanied the songs. After the lighter songs and brisk melodies of the day were over the Negroes turned toward eventide to more weird and plaintive notes. The impressions of such singing have been expressed : "Then the melancholy that tinges every Negro's soul would begin to assert itself in dreamy, sad and plaintive airs, and in words that described the most sorrowful pictures of slave life — the parting of loved ones, the separation of mother and child or husband and wife, or the death of those whom the heart cherishes. As he drove his lumbering ox-cart homeward, sitting listlessly upon the heavy tongue behind the patient brutes, the creaking wheels and rough-hewn yokes exhibiting perhaps his own rude handiwork, the Negro slave rarely failed to sing his song of longing. What if its words were rude and its music ill-constructed? Great poets like Schiller have essayed the same theme, and mighty musicians like Beethoven have striven to give it musical form. What their splendid genius failed adequately to express, the humble slave could scarce accomplish; yet they but wrought in the same direction as the poor Negro, whose eyes unwittingly swam in tears, and whose heart, he scarce knew why, dissolved in tenderness as he sang in plaintive minor key one or another of his songs."
Booker T. Washington's Estimate.
The above quotations suffice to give the general attitude toward the songs of the Negroes in the antebellum days and since. One other will be added, giving the expression of a distinguished Negro leader toward the songs of the slave, as perhaps the best interpretation that has come from within the race. In his introduction to Twenty-four Negro Melodies by Coleridge-Taylor in The Musician's Library, Booker Washington said:
"The Negro folk song has for the Negro race the same value that the folk song of any other people has for that people. It reminds the race of the 'rock whence it was hewn,' it fosters race pride, and in the days of slavery it furnished an outlet for the anguish of smitten hearts. The plantation song in America, although an outgrowth of oppression and bondage, contains surprisingly few references to slavery. No race has ever sung so sweetly or with such perfect charity, while looking forward to the 'year of Jubilee.' The songs abound in Scriptural allusions, and in many instances are unique interpretations of standard hymns. The plantation songs known as the 'spirituals' are the spontaneous outbursts of intense religious fervor, and had their origin chiefly in the camp-meetings, the revivals and in other religious exercises. They breathe a childlike faith in a personal Father, and glow with the hope that the children of bondage will ultimately pass out of the wilderness of slavery into the land of freedom. In singing of a deliverance which they believed would surely come, with bodies swaying, with enthusiasm born of a common experience and of a common hope, they lost sight for the moment of the auction block, of the separation of mother and child, of sister and brother. There is in the plantation songs a pathos and a beauty that appeals to a wide range of tastes, and their harmony makes abiding impression upon persons of the highest culture. The music of these songs goes to the heart because it comes from the heart." [2 ]
Effectiveness of Spirituals.
It will thus be seen that emphasis has been placed almost entirely upon the emotional beauty of the Negro songs. They have been portrayed as the exponent of sadness in the race, and the feeling of the black folk have been described with no little skill. Observation for the most part has been made by those who have heard the Negro songs but have not studied them. No careful analysis has been attempted. Perhaps casual observers have been mistaken as to the intensity of the emotions expressed and have given undue emphasis to its practical relation and effect upon the individual and upon the race. The judgment of those- who have not known the Negro and to whom his singing is a revelation, leads to sweeping generalizations. On the other hand, those who have known the Negro in many walks of life, and have come to know him better than any others have often emphasized a single phase of the Negro folk song. There can be no doubt as to the beauty and weirdness of the Negro singing, but a careful analysis of the general emotional feeling predominating, together with careful interpretation of all things concerned, makes comparisons less dangerous and expressions less extravagant. Slavery has passed, six decades of liberty for the slave people have signalized the better civilization, and there still remains among the Negroes the same emotional nature, the same sad, plaintive, beautiful, rhythmic sorrow-feeling in their songs.
Some of the qualities of the Negro's emotions as seen in his singing will be noted subsequently. Omitting for the present this feature of his songs, and qualifying the statement by interpreting his nature and environment, it may be affirmed that all that has been, said of the spirituals is true. They are beautiful, childlike, simple and plaintive. They are the Negro's own songs and are the peculiar expression of his own being. Many of the spirituals are still popular among the Negroes, and often take the place of the regular church hymns. Ministers of all denominations take advantage of their peculiar power to sway the feelings
of the Negroes into accustomed channels. Many of the old spirituals that were common in slavery are still current and are sung with but little modification; others are greatly modified and enlarged or shortened. Traces of the slave songs may be found in the more modern spirituals that have sprung up since the Civil War. The majority of the songs have several versions, differing according to localities, and affected by continual modifications as they have been used for many years. Some have been so blended with other songs, and filled with new ideas, as to be scarcely recognizable, but are clearly the product of the Negro singers. Besides the old and the mixed songs, there are many that are entirely new, arising out of various circumstances and developing with successive renditions.
Present-day Songs.
The spirituals current among the Southern Negroes today are very much like those that were sung three or four decades ago. The differences may be seen in the comparisons that follow in the examples given. There are more rhymed words in the present-day Negro song than there were in the earlier ones; consequently there is often less meaning in a line or stanza. The tendency seems to be more toward satisfactory sound impression than for spontaneous feeling expression as in the older spirituals. Meaning and words in general are often sacrificed in the effort to make rhyme, to make the song fit into a desired tune, to bring about a satisfying rhythm, or to give prominent place to a single well-sounding word or phrase. It would thus seem that the religious songs composed in the usual way by the Negroes of the present generation have less conviction, and more purposive features in their composition. The dialect of the older songs is purer than that of the present-day Negro song. One finds little consistency in the use of dialect in the songs that are sung now; rarely does one hear the lines repeated in exactly the same form. Dialect or the common form of the word, it would seem, is used according as feeling, the occasion, and the necessity for rhyme or rhythm permit or demand.
Many of the Negro songs that are the most beautiful in their expression would appear expressionless were they robbed of their dialect and vividness of word portrayal. The imagery and dialect give the songs their peculiar charm; the more mechanical production that is apparently on the increase may be sung to the same melody, but the song itself has little beauty. However, the Negroes themselves prefer the old songs, and the older Negroes almost invariably return to the singing of the more primitive ones that have become a part of their heritage.
In those cases where the tunes differ from the old melodies the song has assumed a characteristic nature, either from its origin and composition, from constant usage by the Negroes, from local qualities, or from unusual combinations. And in these original creations of the Negro religion are found the truest expression of nature and life as it is reflected in the Negro of
today; it is not the expression of complex life, but of simple longing. In the outbursts of joyous song and melody the note of victory is predominant; in the sadder-toned songs, sung in "plaintive, rhythmic melody," the prevailing note is that of appeal. In either case there is some sort of conviction back of the song, and it becomes the expression of primitive human life. They set forth the more simple thoughts of an emotional and imaginative worship. They magnify the personal and the spectacular in religion. They satisfy the love of melody, rude poetry, and sonorous language. Simple thought is expressed in simple rhyming phrases. Repetition of similar thoughts and a single chorus, with simple and pleasing music which lends itself easily to harmonious expression, are characteristic. The music is specially adapted to the chorus-like singing which is produced by the clever and informal carrying of many parts by the singers.
The song often requires a single leader, and a swelling chorus of voices takes up the refrain. It is but natural that these songs should be suited to protracted services as good "shoutin' songs" or "runnin' speerichils." The same rhythm makes them pleasing to the toilers who are disposed to sing religious songs while they work, and promotes a spirit of good fellow- ship as well as being conducive to general "good feelin'." The united singing of children is also beautiful. Throughout these characteristic songs of the Negro the narrative style, the inconsequential, disjointed statements, the simple thought and the fastidious rhymes are all expressive of the Negro's mental operations.
Church Singing.
All of the Negro's church music tends to take into it the qualities of his native expression — strains minor and sad in their general character. The religious "tone" is a part of the song, and both words and music are characterized by a peculiar plaintiveness. The Negroes delight in song that gives stress and swell to special words or phrases that for one reason or another have peculiar meanings to them. For the most part, all religious songs are "spirituals" and easily merge into satisfying melodies when occasion demands. With the idea gained from the music of the songs must be joined the church scene and its personalities freely mingled with the music.
The preaching, praying, singing, and with it shouting, and unity of Negro worship — perfection of rhythmic sing-song — these, with the throbbing instinct of the people, make the Negro music what it is. The Negroes often sing their regular denominational hymns with the same feeling as they do the spirituals, and while mention must be made of their church hymns as such they often reach in singing them a climax similar to their most fervent outbursts, and freely mingle them with the old songs. In addition to the tune in which the hymn is written the Negro puts his own music into the singing, and his own interpretation into the words. This, together with the "feeling-attitude'' which is unconsciously his, and the satisfaction which he gets from his singing, places Negro church music in a class of its own. A glance at the part which singing plays in the Negro's church services will aid in the interpretation of his songs.
Church services are opened with song; a leader may occupy his place at a central table or chair, select a song and begin to sing. Or they may wait for the "speerit" and a leader from the pews may begin to sing, others joining in the song, while the congregation begins to gather in the church. The leader often lines his song aloud, reading sometimes one, sometimes two lines, then singing. He often puts as much music. appeal into the lining of the song as he does in the singing. The rhythmical, swinging tone of the reader adds zest to the singing which follows. Most of the Negroes who sing know a great many songs — in fact, all of their regular songs — if they are given a start by the leader. On the other hand, the congregation often gives the leader a start when he lags, and together they keep the song going until they are ready to stop singing or to begin another song.
If the service is prayer meeting or a class meeting the leader usually continues the songs throughout the singing part of the exercises; at regular preaching services the preacher reads the regular hymns and leaves the beginning and the final songs to the leaders. In the class meeting, the general congregation, led by song-leaders, sings, as a rule, while the class leaders
are engaged with their classes. Now a woman on this side, now a man or woman on the other side of the church begins the song and others join in the doleful tunes; so too, while collections are being made the singing is kept up continuously. The process is the same; a leader begins to sing, another joins in the singing, then another and another until the majority
of those present are singing. Most Negroes who attend church participate in the singing, although many will not do so regularly, preferring to remain quiet for a time, then to burst out into song. The Negroes have been proverbial for their good singing and undoubtedly they have won a deserved reputation.
A group of five or ten Negroes singing at a mid-week prayer meeting will often create a volume of song equivalent to that of many times their number of white people singing. The comparison, however, is not a fair one, for the music is entirely different. One can scarcely appreciate the singing of the Negroes until he has heard them on various occasions and in different capacities. Let him listen on a quiet Sunday evening from a position on a hill to the singing of four Negro congregations, each clearly audible. It would appear to be the rhythmical expression of deep human feeling and longing in an unrestrained outburst of ten thousand souls. Inside the church one may watch the leaders as they line the songs and listen to their rich, tremulous voices; he may see the others respond and listen to the music of each peculiar voice. The voice of the leader seems to betray great emotion as he reads the lines and begins to sing. He appears literally to drink in inspiration from the songs while his soul seems to be over-flowing as he sings the words telling of grace and redemption. However, he manifests the same kind of emotion when he sings one song as when singing another, the same emotion when he reads the words wrongly as when he has read them correctly; it makes little difference to him. He is consumed with the music and with the state of feeling which singing brings to him. After all, perhaps, one feeling dominates his whole being while he sings, and there can be no song to him which does not accord with this.
A complete analysis of the Negro church music in its detail is worthy of the efforts of any one who could describe it. And while the folk song is of more importance in the present work than the music of these songs, a few further details that are apparently characteristic of the Negroes will not be amiss. The singing begins slowly and with time-honored regularity, but is followed by the agreeable and satisfying effect made by the joining in of varied voices. Many times the singers begin as if they would sing a simple subdued song, or a hymn with its written music. But in a short while, apparently not being able to resist the impulse to give their feelings full sway, their voices fall into that rhythmical swing peculiar in a large degree to the Negro; all measures alike become stately. The average Negro is proud of his stylish choir because it represents a step towards a model which the Negroes wish to follow; but he does not like the choir's singing as well as his own informal song. In general the Negro's song will characterize his natural self wherever he sings or hears it sung; he is loath to give it up. And while some pastors have testified that there were no members in their church who would not sing the church songs, it is very evident that many of the younger Negroes do not enter fully into the spirit of the old songs, and they must necessarily undergo radical changes and rapidly pass away.
Standard Hymns.
Before coming to the further study of the Negro spirituals, it will be well to inquire into the nature of the favorite standard church hymns commonly used by the Negroes in their church services. A comparison may then be made with the popular folk songs. The favorite songs and most common themes sung by the Negroes may best be seen at their prayer meetings or class meetings, or at such gatherings as require no formality. One may attend week after week and hear the same songs and feel the same pathos emanating from the songs which the worshipers have learned to sing and love. They enjoy singing of heaven and rest and luxury where ease abounds and where Sabbaths have no end. They love to sing the praises of the Deliverer who shall free them from life's toils. They have chosen the "good old" songs that have vividness and concrete imagery in them; they have placed a new feeling into them and a different interpretation. The meaning of the words and the sentiment of the song are transcended by the expression in the singing. The accustomed manner, together with their responsive feeling, absorbs whatever of pure devotion might have existed in their attitude — the singing itself becoming
devotion. The Negro looks always to some future state for happiness and sings often:
This earth, he cries, is not my place;
I seek my place in heaven.
The Negroes sing with a peculiar faith the common stanzas of their hymns: "We've seen our foes before us flee," "We've seen the timid lose their fears," "We've seen the prisoners burst their chains," "We've seen the guilty lose their stains." So, too, they conceive, as of old, of the eternal rest, and sing, with its full stanzas:
How sweet a Sabbath thus to spend,
In hope of one that ne'er shall end.
The singing of these hymns is beautiful and impressive, testifying to the truth that their favorites appeal to the fitness of worship and accord with the ideal of rhythmical perfection as expressed in the feeling of the worshiper.
Satisfying Services.
The general state of feeling which accompanies the song thus has' much to do with the song itself. The singing with its results is the most satisfying and agreeable part of the worship to the Negro's nature. It satisfies his social wants and relieves to some extent his childlike psycho-physical cravings. His worship is music to his soul, whether it be in the word-music of the sermon and prayer, or in the natural outburst of his song, or in the rhythm of all combined. It is all freedom from restraint and the gratification of impulse and the experience of sustained languor. Although the Negro expends a great deal 'of energy in his singing, it is nevertheless rest for him as he feels it. Unrestrained expression goes far toward relieving him of his troubles, sometimes real, sometimes imaginary. What the Negro imagines to be total confession and contrite submission has a very soothing effect upon him; the songs reach the climax of this state of feeling. Many Negroes may be seen, with their heads resting backward and eyes closed, singing vigorously their favorite songs; often they lean forward, sway back and forth, apparently in a complete state of passivity. Tears and shouts of joy are not inconsistent with the saddest strains of pathos.
Their senses are all turned toward the perception of one attitude, and besides a wonderful tranquillity of feeling, they also feel and see visions. At such a time the Negro is at ease and is at liberty to give full expression to his feelings among his own people, without incentive to action and without interruption. Is it surprising that after a day's work, while he has passed the hours away in emptiness of thought or in misguided thinking and with perverted notions, he finds sweet rest in some melodious songs and rhythmic verses as he rests his body in the pew? Is it surprising that he is unwilling to leave the church until a late hour or that he does not tire of singing? For what has he to attract him at home where he unwillingly begins to think of work again? It is little surprising, after the outburst of song and shouts which reveal so much of the Negro's nature that his attitude is one, of listlessness and apathy when he has finished.
This revelation of emotions which the Negro shows in his singing but manifests the reality of his religion. And although the greater part of his feeling in religion is pleasurable excitement, it is, nevertheless, for this very reason the one reality in life to him. A study of the emotional element does not, then, detract from the beauty and value of the Negro's song; it does aid in interpreting those songs that arise spontaneously and also shows something of their origin and growth. Indeed, without a knowledge of the Negro's nature and environment, one would scarcely realize the fullest appreciation of his folk songs. In proportion as the investigator becomes acquainted with the people and circumstances which have furnished unique folk songs, to that degree will he be eager to search out their origin and be able to interpret them intelligently.
Source of Material
The Negro has found much material upon which to base his songs and many sources from which he has selected a wide range of subject-matter. His religion is often synonymous with his song, and he has sung with little restraint the various experiences common to such a religion. The sermon and prayers, even the songs themselves, suggest new themes for an imaginative and religious being to sing. So, too, the church, the Christian and the "world" have furnished themes for his song. Sin, evil and the devil ar^ ever-present subjects for religious thought. The scenes of everyday life form continuous allegories to be imaged with the assistance of the Negro's definite self-feeling. But perhaps nowhere has the Negro found more acceptable subject-matter for his song than in the Scriptures; his songs abound in references to Scriptural characters and often portray individuals and scenes with unusual concreteness. A perusal of the Negro's song thus reveals the most common themes, but it is more difficult to locate the accidental circumstances which gave rise to particular forms of a song, or to ascertain the temperamental nature which originated many of the best known spirituals. In general, it may be said that the/folk song of the Negroes has found its rise in every phase of Negro life. It is scarcely possible to trace the origin of the first spirituals and plantation songs. The American Negroes appear to have had their own songs from the earliest days of slavery. And while their first songs were undoubtedly founded upon the African songs as a basis, both in form and meaning, little trace of them
can be found in the present songs: Negro folk produce spontaneous song. The linguist and the anthropologist are able to find the parallel and apparent origin among the peoples of Africa of many words that have been used by the Southern Negroes in their lore and song, but there is now no practical relation between these words and the meaning of the words in their present usage. The origin of folk song has always been an interesting theme, proving full of fascination for him who finds it, nymphlike, vanishing from his grasp. Still the song of a people is ever present and appears, almost like myths, to have sprung into life in some way and at some time which no one can exactly tell. Many a bard of the common life has intensified their meaning and made them a part of that life.
However, many of the Negro folk songs may be explained when one has observed the Negro in many walks of life, or has found the conditions from which they arose. Many of the old spirituals were composed in their first forms by the Negro preachers for their congregations; others were composed by the slaves in the various walks of life, while still others were first sung by the "mammies" as they passed the time in imaginative melody-making and sought harmony of words and music. A great many of these songs never became current because they lacked the pleasurable features that appealed most to the Negroes. Those that proved satisfactory were seized upon and their growth and popularity dated from the moment they were heard. With the Negroes of today songs have arisen in much the same way. The difference of environment must necessarily make a difference in the nature of the songs; at the same time the coloring of present-day life is much in evidence in some of the old songs qomposed by the slaves but sung by the Negroes of the present, generation. Some suggestions as to the natural origin and growth of Negro songs may be interesting and valuable.
Typical Origins.
The Negroes have always been judged as full of feeling and very expressive. Their natures demand not only some expression of their emotions, but this expression must be easy and rhythmic at the same time that it is intense and continuous. The Negro's musical nature easily turns these expressions into melody, and a word, phrase or exclamation becomes a song in itself. The song is completed by the imaginative mind and the sense of fitness in sound.
Worshipers often follow the preacher through his sermon in a mental state of song and when he has finished they burst out into song, singing no other than an elaborate sentence which the preacher has used in his sermon. When this is joined to a familiar chorus and tune, and then varied, a song has originated. Sometimes the song is remembered and sung again; sometimes, like the words of the preacher, it simply becomes a part of the satisfaction of the hour and is forgotten. A Negro preacher recently reached a climax in his discourse in the phrase, "Oh, with the wings of the morning, I'd fly to that heavenly land." He repeated this a number of times and made gestures with his arms suggestive of flying. His black robe added to the forcefulness of the suggestion, and the impression became a part of the song of that church. So with praying, the pathetic appeal and word-music of a "p-1-e-a-s-e, my Lo-rd" is often the inspiration for a long song when a happy phrase from the prayer becomes an addition to a song that follows. Even more than preaching and praying, shouting gives rise to song among the Negroes; during exciting times in worship the Negroes often sing unheard-of songs, which they never recall again. It is indeed a mixed scene of song and motion, each contributing largely to the other, while the spectator looks on in wonderment at the astonishing inventiveness of the worshipers. The general motion, expressions of the face, words and harmonies, rests and rhythm, sense of fitness and even of humor, repetition — these make an occasion that defies limitation to its expression. If a single personality dominates the whole in an expression that appeals to the present sense of fitness, he is the author of a new song. For example, a visiting minister once shouted out during such a scene: "Oh, the hearse-wheel a-rollin' an' the graveyard opening — ha, ha," but got no further, for his refrain was taken up by the chorus, and the next day was a new version of the well-known song.
Such occasions might be cited in great numbers. Not infrequently a Negro who has assumed the position of song leader sings a line while the others join in with a chorus of singing and shouting. When the leader has given all the lines that he knows, he will often continue in the simplest manner possible, as if he had known them for a long time, to improvise lines, which often have little meaning, but which fit into the tune and sound well. This process may be continued indefinitely, sometimes with repetition of lines already uttered but slightly varied and the emphasis placed on the variation. It thus happens that
the songs need not have a limit. The necessity of the occasion becomes the cause for the invention of the song. Itinerant worshipers are often thus gratified to sing to new congregations.
As a rule the Negroes always give attention and respect to strangers, so that the man or woman who comes to them is at liberty to sing old or new songs, and they often become skilled in improvising songs. The new songs are then learned
and begin their history as folk song. Again, Negroes often feel themselves called upon to introduce new features into some of their songs and conceive of various novelties. The Negro's feeling toward leadership puts a premium upon such a practice. In this effort, a song that is little known among the Negroes will be changed in some particulars, printed on a sheet of paper and distributed as the song of brother or sister So-and-So. The song may be found in a hymn book. However, songs entirely new and the efforts of their own poetic attempts are often thus circulated. This gives rise to a new class of Negro spirituals, examples of which may be seen in the following pages.
Marching Songs.
A number of popular spirituals apparently had their rise in the effort of the church to satisfy the physical cravings of the Negroes. The church branded the fiddle and the dance as instruments of the devil, and although the Negro was and is passionately fond of dancing, he was forbidden by the church to do so. The church needed some kind of substitute for rhythm and excitement of the dance that would satisfy and still be "in the Lord." Consequently marching services were often instituted. The benches were piled up together and marching room left for the worshipers. They had various orders for this service and many forms of it have been known to exist. Sometimes they marched two by two, a "sister and brother in the Lord," sometimes they marched singly, and at other times they marched in a general "mix-up." At first they followed a leader to a simple melody, keeping step and working into a rhythmic swing. Then as they became more excited they became more expressive, and with the elaboration of the march into a dance their songs became marching songs. Often they thus marched, with intervals for rest, until the hours of the morning. Sometimes they all sang; sometimes the leader sang the leading part and all joined in the chorus with more satisfactory effect. In the march the Negroes swayed back and forth, to and fro, and found the usual satisfaction that comes from absolute lack of restraint.
As the songs given in the following pages indicate, the Negroes often imagined themselves to be the children of Israel, while their marching songs represented Moses leading them out from under the bondage of Pharaoh, or they considered themselves as marching around the wall of some besieged city. Victory would be theirs sooner or later. This is not confined to the songs composed by the slavery Negroes, but is common in the later songs. Such scenes are often portrayed by Negro preachers of the present day and very appropriate applications, as they think, are made. The march songs that have been found current today were composed since emancipation. Often the Negroes enacted similar scenes without the formal putting away of the benches in the church, and the same general results were the outcome. Shouting scenes in Negro worship today are very much similar to the old marches except that they are more promiscuous. The "strange, sweet harmonies and melodies" of the old songs are still good shouting songs.
Spontaneous Origins.
Individuals have composed spirituals while at work or while wandering from place to place, as a simple outgrowth of the circumstances. The expression, so common in Negro songs, "O my Lord," seems to have been introduced into a number of songs in this way. The single expression repeated itself forms a favorite melody that is often sung. A group of Negroes sing while working; one sings a new verse of the song. "Where you git dat?" "I made hit maself, didn't you know I'm a songster?" And he did make it, and thus gratified, tries further; others join him and they have become "songsters."
Negroes, in order to verify a boast that they know a certain song to exist, have been known to compose on the moment just such a song, mixing all sorts of songs together with the ideas that arise. Others who have been offered an attractive price for songs have composed them without scruples of conscience, and, when asked to sing them, have done so with perfect ease. They were paid for the songs, thinking that they had "fooled that white man," who valued his song thus composed as much perhaps as an old spiritual that was still current. What the Negro composed accidentally he learned to sing, and thus introduced a real song in his community, which was soon to be carried to other localities. The Negro is going to sing whether he has a formal song or not. The following song appears to have originated with two Negro laborers, apparently in a dialogue. The lines may be sung to any tune and put to any chorus.
The church bell a ringin', how sweet I do declar'.
Why don't you go to meetin' an' pray all day long?
I'm goin' to church an' pray all day long.
Of course I'm a sinner but prayin' might do me good,
An' if I do succeed I sure will tell the news.
Another song that was composed spontaneously in the effort to dignify conversation is the following. It will be seen that for the most part it is composed of phrases common to other songs, and it is only the combination that is new.
Walk right an' do right an' trust in the Lord —
Lay down all yo' sinful ways an' trust in the Lord.
I am goin' to trust in the Lord,
I am goin' to trust in the Lord,
I'm goin' to trust in the Lord till I die.
My God he's wonderful God an' trust in the Lord,
He will answer yo' prayers don't care wher' you are,
An' trust in the Lord.
The next example was offered by a Negro man after he had "come through." He always loved to talk of what he had seen, what he knew would happen and how he could get out of difficulties. Along with this he had an unusually imaginative mind and told many ingenious stories. Here is the song:
The devil come down to the worl' one day
An' I heard him holler, "Hoo-ray, hoo-ray!
Come out, I'm havin' a holiday."
That was the word I heard him say,
But I knowed if I danced to his holiday,
There'd be something doing an' the devil to pay.
The above song is difficult to classify. It would seem to be very much like some rhymes that the Negro had seen published in a newspaper, but for all his purposes it was a good song and it mattered little where he had obtained the ideas. It was indeed his own song. One other example of an effort to compose a new song shows the tendency of the Negro to mix his serious themes with ridiculous expressions.
There was a man by the name of Cy,
He never prayed an' he never try.
So when ole Cy was come to die,
He hollow out, "In hell I'll cry."
In hell ole Cy did cry,
In hell ole Cy did cry,
In hell ole Cy did cry,
Now don't you die like ole Cy die.
The song is a variation of two or three secular songs and becomes a religious song because of its chorus. It was actually sung in the churches. The "author" continued,
Ole Cy did lead a mighty bad life,
He was always after some other man's wife,
which clearly showed the trace of the secular element; this phrase is applied to many of the notorious characters in the Negro secular songs. Still there was an opportunity for the moral and the song represents the peculiar gratification which the Negroes find in having composed something more or less original.
Essential Value.
Enough has been said to give a definite idea concerning the actual and possible origin of some of the Negro folk songs. Further examples will be given when the discussion of the Negro's secular song has been reached. The manifestation of
Negro music and song is not difficult to understand in the light of the facts already suggested. His plaintive appeals in prayer, his emotional and religious nature, his love of rhythm and melody, his feelings and imagination, his interpretation of life and Scripture[ 3] his faith in dreams and visions quickly exaggerated into fabrications, his whole nature — all these reveal
within him what we call the musical nature of the race. Motion and song are inseparable. Systematic movement is more conducive to singing than a careless, haphazard motion. Movement and song give rhythm that is not to be found under other circumstances. Regularity and rhythm in movement, emphasis and rhythm in music, these give the Negro songs essential pleasure-giving qualities that appeal strongly to the Negro's entire being. If his music is primitive and if it has much of the sensuous in it, if his songs and verse are full of primitive art having many elemental qualities of great worth, this is all the more reason for the continuous presentation and evaluation of their merit.
The Devil in Song.
An analysis of songs that have been preserved will give us at once a better conception of the Negro's folk songs and his religion. The references are reproduced in their exact forms in order that they may serve as an aid in the study of the verse
contained in the common songs of the Negroes from the time of slavery to the present day. Only the chief conceptions which have been portrayed in Negro song are given here; further analysis may be made in connection with the songs themselves. The devil is prominent in the religious songs of the Negroes. He is the constant terror and proverbial enemy of the race. He is alive, alert and concrete. He represents the demon trickster incarnate in the form of a man. He is the opposite of God but always less powerful. He is the enemy against whom the battle is always on; it is a personal battle, but he is usually outwitted or disappointed. Here are some pictures of "Old Satan" as found in the songs of the slave and the Negro of
today: [4]
Ef you want to see old Satan run,
Jes fire off dat gospel gun.
Old Satan is a liar an' conjurer, too,
An' if you don't mind he'll conjure you.
Other forms are
An' if you don't mind he'll cut you in two,
An' if you don't mind he'll cut you through.
Ole Satan lak a snake in the grass,
Always in some Christian's path,
If you don't mind he'll git you at las'.
Ole Satan weahs a mighty loose shoe,
If you don't min' gwine a slip it on you.
Ole Satan like dat hunting dog,
He hunt dem Christians home to God.
O shout, shout, de debbil's about,
shut yo' do' an' keep him out.
All de debbils in hell can't pluck me out,
An' I wonder what Satan's a grumblin' erbout,
He's boun' in hell an' he can't get out,
Biit he shall be loose an' hab his way,
Yonder at de great reserection day.
I went down de hillside to make a one prayer,
An' when I get dere ole Satan was dere,
O what you think he said to me?
Said "Off frum here you better be."
Old Satan tole me to my face,
"I'll git you when-a you leave this place";
brother dat scere me to my heart,
1 was feared to walk-a when it wus dark.
I started home but I did pray,
An' I met ole Satan on de way.
Ole Satan made-a one grab at me,
But he missed my soul an' I went free.
I tell you brother you better not laugh,
Ole Satan'll run you down his path,
If he runs you lak he run me,
You'll be glad to fall upon yo' knee.
We shout so fas' de debbil look,
An' he gits away wid his cluven foot.
Ole Satan is mad an' I am glad,
He missed the soul he thought he had.
What makes ole Satan hate me so?
'Cause he got me once an' let me go.
Ole Satan tole me not to pray;
He want my soul at jedgment day.
I wrestle wid Satan and wrestle wid sin,
Stepped over hell an' come back agin.
Ole Satan tremble when he sees,
The weakest saint upon his knees.
Go 'way, Satan, I doan min' you;
You wonder, too, you can't come through?
brother, brethren, you better be engaged,
For de debbil he's out on a big rampage.
I plucked one block out o' Satan's wall,
I heard him stumble an' saw him fall.
Ole Satan thought he had me fas';
Broke his chain an' I'm free at las'.
I met ole Satan in my way;
He say, "Young man, you too young to pray."
The devil tries to throw down everything that's good,
He'd fix a way to confuse the righteous if he could,
Thanks be to God-er mighty, he can't be beguiled,
Ole Satan will be done fighting after awhile.
The Negroes have many other phrases which they apply to Satan to picture him in other relations. "Ole Satan is a mighty busy ole man, an' throw rocks in my way." "What makes ole Satan follow me so? Satan ain't got nothin' fer to do with me." As a busy man he also has his "shield and sword," not only gives trouble but gets into trouble. Says the Negro: "I heard de debbil howlin' when I come out'n de wilderness, an' I gib de debbil battle." "Now stan' back, Satan, an'let me go by . . . why doan de debbil let-a me be?" "Ole Satan mighty busy, he follow me night an' day. Ole Satan toss ball at me, he think the ball hit my soul, the ball for hell an' me for heaven."
"Ole Satan gettin' in mighty rage," for "Satan's camp's afier." "Satan mount de iron gray hoss an' ride halfway to pilot bar." But "We'll shout ole Satan's kingdom down, gwine-a pull down Satan's kingdom, gwine-a win ag'in de debbil." Victory is the Negro's, for he exclaims: "I saw dem bindin' Satan," and "I saw ole Satan's kingdom fallin'." But while Satan is a great schemer and is very busy and "wash his face in ashes," "put on leather apron," his greatest attribute is "liar." The Negro cannot give too insistent warning:
When I got dere Cap'n Satan wus dere.
Sayin' "Young man, dere's no use to pray,
For Jesus is daid an' God gone away."
An' I made 'im out a liar an' went on my way.
With these pictures and warnings the Negro song gives a final bit of advice. "If you ain't got de grace ob God in yo' heart, den de debbil will git you sho"; then the singer rests securely in the knowledge that he is filled with the grace that holds against the devil.
King Jesus.
King Jesus was the name most commonly given to Christ in the spirituals. Besides this He was the bosom friend of the Negro. He comes in to intercept Satan and to save the individual from hell. He is very real and no one is more vividly described
than He. He bears many relations to his people.
Now my Jesus bein' so good an' kind,
My Jesus lowered his mercy down,
An' snatch me from de doors of hell,
An' took me in with him to dwell.
Oh, Jesus tole you once befo'
To go in peace and sin no mo'.
I heard o' my Jesus many one say,
Could move po' sinner's sins away.
Den Jesus he come ridin' by,
Gib me wings to ride an' fly.
Jesus Christ the first and las',
No man wuks lak him;
He built a platform in de air,
He meets de saints from eve'ywhere.
Virgin Mary had one son,
The cruel Jews had him hung.
Me an' my Jesus goin' live at ease,
Me an' my Jesus goin' do as we please.
If you want 'er die like Jesus died,
Fold yo' arms an' clasp yo' eyes.
I tell you brethren an' I tell you twice,
My soul done anchored in Jesus Christ.
Upon de hillside King Jesus spoke,
Out of his mouth come fire an' smoke,
Yer say yo' Jesus set you free;
Why don't you let yo' neighbors be?
Other shorter lines give equally concrete pictures and mention equally definite attributes.
You'll see my Jesus come to wake up de nations underground.
King Jesus died for every man.
An' de son He set me free.
I got my Jesus as well as you.
If you want to see Jesus go in de wilderness.
Gwine serve my Jesus till I die.
I call my Jesus king Emmanuel.
He pluck my feet out n de miry clay.
He sot dem on de firm rock of ages.
Christ hab bought yo' liberty.
King Jesus settin' in de kingdom.
De win' blow eas' and de win' blow wes' from Jesus.
Oh, yonder comes my Jesus, I know him by his shinin'.
Hear my Jesus when he call you? Hear my Jesus, callin'?
I'm goin' to hebben where my Jesus dwell.
I walk and talk with Jesus.
Jesus loosen de man from under de groun'.
Jesus ain't comin' here to die no mo'.
The Son of Man he dunno where to lay his weary head.
See what wonder Jesus done:
Jesus make 'de dumb to speak.
Jesus make de cripple walk.
Jesus gib de blin' deir sight.
Jesus do mos' anything.
1 want to do (or die) like Jesus.
Jesus stan' on de udder side Jordan.
Jesus settin' on de water side.
Jesus is our captain, Jesus got de helium.
Jesus mount (ride) a milk-white hoss.
You had better follow Jesus.
Daddy Peter set out for Jesus.
Jesus will bring you milk an' honey.
Mas' Jesus is my bosom friend.
Gwine follow King Jesus, I really do believe.
King Jesus he was so strong, my Lord, till he jar down
de walls ob hell.
Gwine to write to my Jesus.
King Jesus settin' in de heaven.
King Jesus on de mountain top.
Jesus is a mighty man. Ride in, kind Jesus, who set po' sinner free.
For Jesus come an' lock de do'.
De Jews kill po' Jesus.
Jesus call you — Jesus waitin'.
I wus los' in de wilderness; Jesus hand me de candle down.
Mas' Jesus gib me little broom fer to sweep my heart clean.
Jesus fed me when I was hungry, he clothed me when I was naked, he gave me drink when I was dry.
Jesus rose an' flew away on Sunday morning.
Christ was there four thousand years ago, drinking of the wine.
Jesus he wore the starry crown.
Did you see Jesus when he wore the starry crown?
Jesus he wore long white robe.
King Jesus speaks an' de chariot stops.
King Jesus is the Rock.
Well did you say you love Jesus?
Jesus done bless my soul an' gone to glory
Won't you ride on Jesus? O yes.
I look fer Jesus all of my days.
Jesus is a listening all the day long.
The scenes of crucifixion seem to impress the Negroes very forcibly and their songs abound in references to His suffering. Some of these expressions are full of feeling, and are touching in their sentiment.
They nail my Jesus down,
They put him on the crown of thorns (thorny crown).
see my Jesus hangin' high!
He look so pale an' bleed so free:
don't you think it was a shame,
He hung three hours in dreadful pain?
God and Jehovah
Next to Jesus and often synonymous with Him is God. He is "My Lord," "My God," "Lord God-er-mighty," and "King Jehobah,' and represents the personal God and the ruler of the world.
Upon de mountain Jehobah spoke,
Out o' his mouth come fire an' smoke.
My God a walkin' down hebbenly road,
Out o' his mouth come two-edged sword.
If yo' find yo' way to God,
The gospel highway mus' be trod.
De Father he look upon de Son an' smile,
De Son he look on me,
De Father redeem my soul from hell,
De Son he set me free.
I'm a chile of God wid my soul set free,
For Christ hab bought my liberty.
I'm going home fer to see my Lord.
My Lord did give me ease.
Ever since my Lord set me free.
I believe it for God he tole me so.
my Lord's comin' ag'in,
It may be las' time, I don't know.
I goin' to do all I can fer my Lord; I goin' to mourn, pray, weep all I can fer my Lord.
The Lord is a listenin' all the day long.
My Lord is a talkin' (preachin') at de jedgment day.
De Lord goin to wake up the dead.
My Lord come down wid de key an' unlock de jail house do'.
O My Lord's a rock in a weary lan';
My Lord's a preachin' and teachin, and walkin' in a weary lan'.
My Lord calls me by the thunder; by the lightning.
Dat mus' be my Lord in de cloud.
My Lord says there's room enough.
I'm goin' to tell God 'bout my trials.
Thank God-a-mighty, My God's been here.
When I talk I talk wid God.
Gwine to chatter wid de Fadder.
My Fadder call an' I mus' go.
My righteous Lord shall fin' you out.
Look to de Lord wid a tender heart.
O de Lord He plant de garden dere and raise de fruit for you to eat.
de Lord He comfort sinner.
God did go to Moses' house an tell him who He wus.
God an' Moses walked and talked an' God did show him who He wus.
God sits in Heaven an' answers prayer.
I gwine tell God how you sarved me.
Look in my God's right hand.
His chariot wheels roll round.
God's goin' call dem chilluns frum de distant lan'.
My Lord's a ridin' all the time.
De Lord has been here an' de love come tricklin' down.
Me an' my God goin' to walk an' talk.
O God don't talk lak a nat'ral man.
My Lord God-ermighty come a steppin' down, come a steppin' down on a sea ob glass.
Heaven and Hell.
Heaven for the Negro is an eternal place where he shall occupy the best place. It is a place of glory and splendor in the material sense. Nor does he think that he will fail to miss his home when he dies. Hell is a place for thieves and sinners and liars, but such persons are far removed from him. His religion is the panacea for all evils and all sins, and when he has the "love of God in his heart" nothing can doom him, for has he not been "washed in the blood of the Lamb"? And has not the "blood done sign his name"? His ideas of heaven are those which his mind naturally conceives of as applying to a home; his conclusions from the Scriptures are not unusual. A few of the references to heaven will give a better conception of the Negro's reality and vividness of interpretation.
I want to go to heaven when I die,
To shout salvation as I fly.
You say yer aiming fer de skies,
Why don't yer quit yer tellin' lies?
I hope I git dere by an' by,
To jine de number in de sky.
When I git to heaven gwine to ease, ease,
Me an' my God goin' do as we please,
Settin' down side o' holy Lamb.
When I git to heaven goin set right down,
Gwin-er ask my Lord fer starry crown.
Now wait till I gits my gospel shoes,
Gwin-er walk 'bout heaven an' carry de news.
We'll walk up an' down dem golden streets,
We'll walk about Zion.
Gwine sit in de kingdom, I raly do believe, where Sabbaths have no end.
Look way in de heaven — hope I'll jine de band — Sittin' in de kingdom.
I done bin to heaven an' I done bin tried.
Dere's a long white robe in de heaven for me,
Dere's a golden crown, golden harp, starry crown,
Silver slippers in heaven for me I know.
O yes, I'm gwine up to see my Lord; gwine all de way up to see my robe;
O de heaven is shinin', shinin'.
Gwine shout in hebben, gwine hab a big meetin'.
If you want to go to heaven come along wid me.
Take my flight up to de skies in de mornin'.
de heaven gates are open.
Gwine up to heaven where my Jesus dwells. *
My Jesus walkin' de hebbenly road.
De bell is ringin' in odder bright worl'.
If you touch one string de whole hebben ring.
De sun gib light in de hebben all round.
1 wish I wus in de kingdom settin' side o' my Lord.
Nor more hard trial in de kingdom; no more tribulation,
no more parting, no more quarreling, back-biting inde kingdom,
No more sunshine fer to bu'n you; no more rain fer to wet you.
Ev'y day will be Sunday in heaven.
Sweet music in heaven jes beginning to roll.
Goin' feast off'n milk an' honey.
The Negro does not dwell upon thoughts of hell as he does of heaven. Even if he has "stepped over hell an' come back again," he does not reveal so much of its character. Some conceptions, however, are definite enough.
O hell is deep an' hell is wide,
O hell ain't got no bottom or side. [4]
I'd rather pray myself away,
Than live in hell an' burn one day.
when I git to hebben, I'll be able to tell,
How I shunned dat dismal hell.
Ev'y since my Lord done set me free,
Dis ole worl' bin a hell to me.
When I come to find out I's on de road to hell,
The Negro's song finds little satisfaction in his various ideas of hell. "This ole world's a hell to me," says the Negro; but "hell is a dark and dismal place," so that the only immediate conclusion which he can reach is that he must "shun de gates of hell" and make for the home beyond the Jordan.
Biblical Folk.
A rich variety of references to Scriptural characters is seen in the majority of the Negro spirituals, both of the past and of the present. The Negro portrays the conduct of heroes in the past with imaginative skill. His songs are often running stories of Scripture, in which the effort is made to include as many characters as possible and at the same time draw conclusions which have suitable morals, but these songs may be better studied in the examples that follow. Some of the typical references to the Scriptures will show the average interpretation given them by the Negroes.
O sisters, can't you help me sing,
For Moses' sister did help him.
Where wus Ezekiel when de church fell down?
Down in de valley wid his head hung down.
Ezekiel said he spied de train a comin',
He got on board an' she never stop runnin'.
God made Adam an' Adam wus first,
God made Adam out o' the dust o' the earth.
Well, God show Noah de rainbow sign,
No more water but fire nex' time.
Moses live 'till he got old,
Buried in de mountain so I'm told.
Mary wept and Martha mourned,
Jesus Christ laid de corner stone.
Mary wore the golden chain,
Every link was in Jesus' name.
Judas was a deceitful man —
Well he betrayed the innercent Lam'.
John wrote a letter an' he wrote it in haste,
If yer want to go to heaven, you better make haste.
John declar' he saw a man,
Wid seven lamps in his right han'.
The Negroes wonder "wher's sister Mary, Martha, Brudder Moses, Brudder Daniel (and the others) gone." So too, "Sister Hannah, Hagar, Brudder Moses" and the rest "took dey seat." And again, "Wondah whar good ole Daniel, doubtin' Thomas,
sinkin' Peter" and others. Moses "smote de water," and the Negro says:
I want to go where Moses trod,
For Moses gone to de house o' God.
Peter is commanded again and again to "go ring dem bells"; "Daddy Peter go to Jesus," "Fisherman Peter out at sea," the latter perhaps being the origin of "sinkin' Peter." Elijah is one of the favorites of the Old Testament. "Elijah gwine ride in de chariot in de mornin"; and Isaiah, who "mounted on de wheel o' time," is a kindred character to Ezekiel and Elijah.
Jacob's ladder and his struggle are vivid enough to be sung: "I'm gwine climb up Jacob's ladder"; "Rastlin' Jacob, let me go"; "Jacob tremblin' on a limb."
Noah's victory is a common theme. "Dey call Brudder Noah a foolish man," but that makes no difference for "de Lord tole Noah fer to build him ark," and "de ole ark a-moverin."
The Negro remarks characteristically; "God placed Adam in de garden, was 'bout de cool o' day." Gabriel is proverbial and the attitude of the singer is always ready "fer to hear Gabriel blow his horn." "Don't you hear Gabriel's trumpet in de mornin'?" "Little David play on de harp" has been a shining example for many another "David" who loved to blow on his harp. "Father Abraham sittin' down side o' de holy Lamb," is almost synonymous with Christ. Prominent among the clear impressions made by the Scriptures is that of the delivery of Daniel, the Hebrew children and Jonah. However, one must read the songs in order to get the full significance of the references.
The Bible and Angels.
Although the Negro bases everything in his religion upon the Bible, and his songs and sermons and exhortations abound in quotations from the "Holy word," he has comparatively little to say of the Bible itself as a book. He thinks sometimes that it is a "cumpass" and also bases his convictions on the truth of the Bible. He sings: "How do you know? For my Bible hit tell me so."
For in dat Bible you will see,
Jesus died fer you an' me.
Matthew, Mark, Luke an' John
Tell me where my Master's gone.
Go read de fifth of Matthew
An' read de chapter through,
It is de guide to Christians,
An' tell 'em what to do.
Now take yo' Bible an' read it through,
An' ev'y word you fin' is true.
As the Bible is the compass, so sometimes the Holy Ghost is thought of as the pilot. The Holy Ghost is too vague for the Negro to fathom and is not tangible enough for his imagination. He says: "If this ain't de Holy Ghost I don't know," but goes little further.
Just as the Negro expects to talk and walk with God and Jesus, so he looks forward to seeing the angels in heaven. He wants to see them with their white robes and hear them sing; he even says they mourn. "Bright angels hoverin' on de water by de light" are but a part of the angel band which he hopes to join. "Join de hebben wid de angels" is his watchword, and by it
he sees in his childlike fancy all the beauties of ideal creatures.
I'm gwine to keep a climbin' high.
Till I meet dem angels in de sky.
Dem pooty angels I shall see —
Why doan de debbil let-a me be?
when I get to heaven goin' sit an' tell,
Three archangels gwine er ring dem bells.
Two white angels come a walkin' down,
Long white robes an' starry crown.
What's dat yonder dat I see?
Big, tall angel comin' after me.
The Judgment Day.
The Negro makes a remarkable picture of the terrible day of judgment. For him it means everything that could possibly happen at the end of the world. It is the destruction of the sinner and the glory of the righteous. Nor does he hesitate
to affirm that the Christian in heaven will shout amen to the sinner's damnation. The sinner will see his mother and friends in heaven while he is doomed to hell. It serves as a warning theme for the song more than it indicates reality of thought. But here is a part of his picture:
My Lord, what a morning when de stars begin to fall,
You'll see de worl' on fire,
You'll see de moon a bleedin' an'
De moon will turn to blood,
Den you'll see de elements a meltin',
- You'll see de stars a fallin',
O yes, de stars in de elements a fallin',
An' de moon drips way in blood,
When God goin' call dem chilluns from de distant Ian',
Den you see de coffins bustin',
Den you see de bones a creepin',
Den you see po' sinner risin',
Den you hear de tombstones crackin',
An' you see de graves a bustin'.
Hell an' seas gwine give up their daid,
Den you see de forked lightnin',
Den yo hear de rollin' thunder,
Earth shall reel an' totter,
Hell shall be uncapped,
De dragon be loosed —
Don't you hear them sinners cryin?
Such a scene vividly told of at a revival and sung to the associations of the moment is too much for the average Negro; the sinner cries for mercy and turns to a Christian; the latter sings: "Fare you well, po' sinner," and
A mighty sea of glass mingled wid fier,
Good-bye, brother, I'm goin' higher.
Along with the scenes which are associated with the resurrection and judgment go the sadder strains of the "mourners"; "weepin' mournin', cry'n" — these will be much in evidence. A study of the songs that follow will give some idea of the emotional nature of the themes.
The Negro sings sympathy.
"Weepin' Mary, weep no mo"' — "Mary wept, Martha cried"; why can't he too? "Now ain't dis hard trial and tribulation?" He sings often of hard times and trials. "When you see me," he says, "pity me." "Nobody knows de trubble I seen," but "I boun' to leave dis worl'"; "Fare you well, dere's abetter day comin'."
His prayers are more pathetic than his songs; his appeals interpret the spirit of song and of worship. But one would scarcely look for a more pathetic wail than that of the Negro who sings
Sometimes I hangs my head an' cries,
But Jesus goin' to wipe my weep'n' eyes.
Shouting and Happiness.
If the Negro mourns and if his songs are full of sadness and pathos, he also shouts and vigorously defends the right to shout as much as he pleases. His songs have many "hallelujahs" in them; many notes of victory may be read in the songs of his choice. He often sings, however, the songs which should be the most joyous in the same plaintive tone of the sadder ones. He forgets the words. In many, however, the shouting takes away any sadness and these livelier songs voice the light and sensuous emotions equally as well as the more serious ones tell of hardships. The Negro maintains that always and everywhere "You'll hear the Christian shout." "De richest man I ever seed, his heart was fill wid Jesus an' Holy Ghost." "I got de glory in my soul," he says and
I real'y do b'lieve widout a doubt,
Dat de church hab a mighty right to shout.
I tell you what I lak de bes',
It is dem shoutin' Mefodes."
If the Negro's mother and sister and father and preacher and the others, as the songs put it, "died a shoutin'," then he is "goin' die shoutin' too."
Gwine hab happy meetin'
Gwine shout in hebben,
Gwine shout an' nebber tire,
slap yo' han's, chilluns,
pat yo' feets, chilluns;
I feels de spirit movin',
now I'm gittin' happy.
Of true love and devotion to God one finds little definite and concrete expressions as compared with other themes. The Negro is constantly affirming his love of "his Jesus" and offering his eternal allegiance in a general way. But in the average instance the testimony is subordinated to some special word or phrase which receives the greater part of the significance in the song. What does he mean when he asks: "Does yo' love continue true?" or when he insists: "I wants to know, does you love yo' Jesus?"
The Negroes are often heard to say that they want to do something "for the Lord." In the same way they sing: "I goin' weep all I can for my Lord, I goin' pray all I can for my Lord, I goin' to do all I can for my Lord." In each case the relation of the Negro and his God is ideal, and he conceives of his own deeds as being, not in the practical everyday life, but in the
future when there will be nothing unpleasant about them. [5]
Nature in Song.
Nature contributes something to the Negro spirituals. Certain parts of nature are symbolic and serve to convey the picture of a vivid imagination as nothing else can do. The wonders of God and the terrors of the judgment must be seen in their relation and effect upon the forces of nature. Certain natural phenomena inspire awe and reverence; they add thus to the Negro's conception of religious fear. Other references to nature convey, as they only could, pleasing features of life, hence of heaven and God. The Negro refers to the "break o' day," the "settin' o' the sun," the "cool o' the evenin'," and each is very expressive. Morning and evening are common; he prays in the evening perhaps; in the morning he is going to heaven. The hillside, the mountain and mountain top, the valley, signify and typify the experiences of the Christian of the past and present; the heavenly breeze comes from the valley. The Negro sees a paradise and a wilderness, a sunshine
and a storm. But
Dere's a tree in paradise,
Christians call de tree ob life,
and he faithfully sings, "I specs to eat de fruit off'n dat tree." The earth trembles and is jarred; the sky is "shook." The river is "chilly an' cold, wide an' deep." The "rock" is better than the miry clay. The stars, moon, and world fall, bleed, and burn. The thunder and the lightning are in the stormy cloud; Jesus may be, too. Satan is a snake in the grass and a hunting dog. Young lambs and the sheep "done know de road." The summer, spring, flowers and the field are mentioned. The Negro wishes he had wings like Noah's dove. He is sometimes awed:
I looked toward dat northern pole,
I seed black clouds of fire roll.
With his vivid imagination the Negro feels much of the thought expressed in the folk song. Thus sin and the sinner are intimately connected with life and death, religion and repentance. How skillfully the songs express the folk feeling may better be inferred from further analysis of characteristic songs.
[1] See Atlantic Monthly, Volume XIX, pp. 685 seq. Scribners, Volume XX, pp. 425 seq. Lippincott's, Volume II, pp. 617 seq., and notes and introductions to various volumes referred to in this work.
[2] See also Du Bois, Souls of Black Folk and The Gift of Black Folk; James Weldon Johnson, Book of American Negro Poetry; B. G. Brawley, Negro in Literature and Art.
[3] For verses not found in the present-day Negro spirituals, see Slave Songs in the United States, W. F. Allen, New York, 1857; The Jubilee Singers, New York, 1873; Plantation and Cabin Songs, New York, 1892.
[4] fleed to Jesus.
[5] It was doubted if the Negro's ideas of God and heaven and his relation to them were truly expressed in his songs. Several experiments were made with Negro children, wherein questions were answered by them at the time they were given, others being carried to their homes or teachers. Their ideas of hell and heaven, God and the angels are almost identical with those
found in the songs.