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Clim'n' Up De Hills/Climbing Up the Hill O' Mt. Zion/We Are Climbing the Hills of Zion
Traditional Spiritual
NOTE: This is not the 1800s Hymn, "I'm Climbing Up Zion's Hill" or "Climbing Up Zion's Hill" that appears in numerous hymnbooks in the mid-late 1800s:
First Line: I'm trying to climb up Zion's hill
Title: I'm climbing up Zion's hill
Author: J. G. Chaffee Music; Philip Phillips
Publication Date: 1868 "The Eclectic Sabbath School Hymn Book #d78"
http://books.google.com/books?id=UNbIOj4WcHAC&pg=PA296&dq=Climbing+Up+the+Hill+O'+Mt.+
Zion&cd=7#v=onepage&q=Climbing%20Up%20Zion's%20Hill%20&f=false
ARTIST: Olivia and Jack Solomon, eds., Honey in the Rock: The Ruby Pickens Tartt Collection of Religious Folk Songs from Sumter County, Alabama (Mercer University Press, 1991, p. 14)
CATEGORY: Traditional and Public Domain Gospel;
DATE: Probably 1800s; 1874 Jubilee Singers; 1939 John and Ruby Lomax
RECORDING INFO: Climbing Up the Hill O' Mt. Zion
Dock Reed and Vera Hall of Livingston, AL by John and Ruby Lomax 1939 on their Southern States Recording Trip
Olivia and Jack Solomon, eds., Honey in the Rock: The Ruby Pickens Tartt Collection of Religious Folk Songs
OTHER NAMES: "Climbing Up the Hill O' Mt. Zion" "We Are Climbing the Hills of Zion"
RELATED TO: "Heaven Bells Are Ringing" "Climbing Up Zion's Hill"
SOURCES: J. B. T. Marsh, The Story of the Jubilee Singers with Their Songs.
John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip; Mudcat
NOTES: "Clim'n' Up De Hills" is a spiritual collected from the Pickens Tartt Collection of Religious Folk Songs. The earliest version was published with music circa 1874 in J. B. T. Marsh, The Story of the Jubilee Singers with Their Songs. Another similar version titled "Climbing Up the Hill o' Mt. Zion" was collected from Dock Reed and Vera Hall of Livingston, AL by John and Ruby Lomax 1939 on their Southern States Recording Trip:
CLIMBING UP THE HILL O' MOUNT ZION- Dock Reed and Vera Hall, Livingston, AL. John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip. Click on Links at top of page and go to Lomax Collection for notes and sound.
Lord, I'm climbing up the hill of Zion*, my Lord (my Lord),
With the glory in my soul.
Prayin' at the hills of Mount Zion,
Cryin' at the hills of Mount Zion,
Mournin' at the hills of Mount Zion,
Moanin' at the hills of Mount Zion,
Groanin' at the hills of Mount Zion,
Shoutin' at the hills of Mount Zion,
Prayin' at the hills of Mount Zion,
Lord, I'm travelin up the hills of Mt. Zion, my Lord,
With the glory in-a my soul.
Oh dat red, dat red, dat red,
Oh dat purple, dat blue, dat white, dat green,**
Oh, Lord, I'm travelin' up the hills of Mt. Zion, my Lord,
With the glory in my soul.
*Zi-on. In the section on Dock Reed and Vera Hall in the field notes, the spellings Zionee and Ziponee occur. She actually sings Zi-on or Zi-yon -just stretching it out. Nowhere does she sing Zionee. Although the Lomaxes also recorded the Tartts, their version of this song was not mentioned, but the Tartts seem to be the ones who used this pronunciation.
**One singer starts Oh dat red and repeats; the other singer starts another color, etc.
From around 1874 come the following version with music from the Fisk Jubilee Singers: J. B. T. Marsh, The Story of the Jubilee Singers with Their Songs. 1880s, Houghton Mifflin. Songs appear in several editions, USA and UK, 1870s-1880s.
No. 80. We Are Climbing the Hills of Zion
As sung by Miss Jennie Jackson.
(slowly)
Chorus: We are climbing the hills of Zion,
the hills of Zion, the hills of Zion,
We are climbing the hills of Zion,
With Jesus in our souls.
1. Oh, brethren, do get ready,
Oh, brethren, do get ready,
Oh, brethren, do get ready,
With Jesus in your souls.
2. Oh, seeker, do get ready,
Oh, seeker, do get ready,
Oh, seeker, do get ready,
With Jesus in your souls.
3. Oh, sinner, do get ready,
Oh, sinner, do get ready,
Oh, sinner, do get ready,
With Jesus in your souls.
CLIM'N' UP DE HILLS Olivia and Jack Solomon, eds., Honey in the Rock: The Ruby Pickens Tartt Collection of Religious Folk Songs from Sumter County, Alabama (Mercer University Press, 1991, p. 14):
CHORUS: Lord I'm clim'in' up de hills of Mount Zionee, my Lord,
Wide de glory in my soul.
Prayin' at de hills of Mount Zionee,
Moanin' at de hills of Mount Zionee,
Lord I'm clim'in' up de hills of Mount Zionee, my Lord,
Wide de glory in my soul.
Groanin' at de hills of Mount Zionee,
Moanin' at de hills of Mount Zionee,
Lord I'm clim'in' up de hills of Mount Zionee, my Lord,
Wide de glory in my soul.
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