|
Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray/And I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray/I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray
See Also: I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray
Traditional spiritual Old-Time Gospel;
ARTIST: Folk Song of the American Negro- by John Wesley Work 1915
YOUTUBE: Unique Quartette [4] - Couldn't hear nobody pray; Edison master 8070-C, rec. New York, 15 June 1921 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9us7mp6gP4&feature=related
CATEGORY: Traditional and Public Domain Gospel
DATE: 1918; First Recorded in 1909 by Fisk University Jubilee Singers
RECORDING INFO: Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray [Me III-C 34]
I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray
Lomax, Alan / Folksongs of North America, Doubleday Dolphin, Sof (1975/1960), p473/#246
Work, John W. / American Negro Songs and Spirituals, Dover, Bk (1998/1940), p 72
Botsford, Florence Hudson (ed.) / Universal Folk Songster, Schirmer, Sof (1937), p 92 (Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray)
Fairfield Four. I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray, Warner 46686-2, CD (1997), trk# 6
Fisk Jubilee Singers. Asch, Moses (ed.) / 124 Folk Songs as Sung and Recorded on Folkways Reco, Robbins, Fol (1965), p 60
Story, Carl. Best of Carl Story, Starday SLP 956, LP (1975), trk# 8 (I Didn't Hear Nobody Pray)
Unique Quartette- Couldn't hear nobody pray; Edison master 8070-C, rec. New York, 15 June 1921
OTHER NAMES: "I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray," "And I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray"
SOURCES: Folk Index; Meade
I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray, Book Of American Negro Spirituals- Johnson 1925
I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray, Books Of American Negro Spirituals I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray, Folk Songs Of North America
I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray, Folk Songs Of The American Negro
I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray, Let's All Sing
I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray, Songs Of Southern Colleges & Old Southern Melodies
I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray, American Negro Songs
I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray, Songs Of Zion (Nix)
I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray, Lift Every Voice And Sing
Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray, Hall Johnson (Choral Sheet Music)
NOTES: The traditional spiritual "Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray" is usually titled "I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray" or "And I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray" so most of the versions will be found under those titles. "Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray" appears in Folk Song of the American Negro by John Wesley Work 1915. Two versions with other tiltles by J. W. Johnson, The Book of American Negro Spirituals and also Park New Choir are included here.
The song was also sung by white quartets and was recorded by the Vaughan Quartet under the title "Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray" two times- in 1921 and 1924.
The Journal of Negro History, Volume 4 By Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, inc 1919
The verses, often but not always rhymed, are, as in the case of the example given below, composed almost entirely of single phrases, followed by a refrain, which is repeated again with slight modifications, ending, not infrequently, in an exclamation.
An' I couldn't hear nobody pray, O Lord
I Couldn't hear nobody pray.
O—way down yonder By myself,
I couldn't hear nobody pray.
In the valley,
Couldn't hear nobody pray,
On my knees,
Couldn't hear nobody pray,
With my burden,
Couldn't hear nobody pray,
An' my Saviour,
Couldn 't hear nobody pray.
O Lord! I couldn't hear nobody pray,
O Lord! Couldn't hear nobody pray.
O—way down yonder By myself,
I couldn't hear nobody pray.
Chilly waters,
Couldn't hear nobody pray,
In the Jordan,
Couldn't hear nobody pray,
Crossing over,
Couldn't hear nobody pray,
Into Canaan,
Couldn't hear nobody pray.
In Negro folk songs the music and expression are everything. The words, often striking and suggestive, to be sure, represent broken fragments of ideas, thrown up from the depths of the Negroes' consciousness and swept along upon a torrent of wild, weird and often beautiful melody.
AND I COULDN'T HEAR NOBODY PRAY- In the 1925 J. W. Johnson, The Book of American Negro Spirituals, "I couldn't hear nobody pray" is sung between each line of a verse. Much the same is given in Work, American Negro Songs and Spirituals. Work notes that the leader starts off with "O Lord! And I couldn't hear nobody pray;" then may vary the O Lord! with other interjections. He suggests that the 3rd verse may be sung slowly and softly but the refrain is gone into "a tempo." According to Johnson, the song is to be sung "moderately slow (with religious devotion)."
The verses as arranged by R. Johnson are given below. Verses and refrain are not sharply separated in the singing. An extra note is placed at the beginning of the 2nd and 4th lines of each verse in the Johnson version.
AND I COULDN'T HEAR NOBODY PRAY- 1925 J. W. Johnson
Refrain: An' I couldn't hear nobody pray, O Lord.
I couldn't hear nobody pray, O Lord.
O 'way down yonder by myself
An' I couldn't hear nobody pray.
In de valley, I couldn't hear nobody pray.
On a my knees, I couldn't hear nobody pray.
Wid my burden, I couldn't hear nobody pray.
An' a my Savior, I couldn't hear nobody pray, O, Lord,
An' I couldn't hear nobody pray, O Lord.
I couldn't hear nobody pray, O Lord
O way down yonder by myself
An' I couldn't hear nobody pray,
Chilly water, I couldn't hear nobody pray,
In-a de Jordan, I couldn't hear nobody pray,
Crossin' over, I couldn't hear nobody pray
In-a to Canaan, I couldn't hear nobody pray, O Lord.
Hallelujah! I couldn't hear nobody pray.
Troubles am over, I couldn't hear nobody pray
In de Kingdom, I couldn't hear nobody pray,
Wid a my Jesus, I couldn't hear nobody pray, O Lord.
Refrain: An' I couldn't hear nobody pray, O Lord
I couldn't hear nobody pray, O Lord
O 'way down yonder by myself
An' I couldn't hear nobody pray.
AND I COULDN'T HEAR NOBODY PRAY- Park New Choir
REFRAIN: And I couldn't hear nobody pray
O Lord! couldn't hear nobody pray
O! way down yonder by myself
And I couldn't hear nobody pray.
In the valley
On my knees
With my burden
And my Saviour
O Lord!
Chilly water
In-a the Jordan
Crossing over
In-a to Canaan
O Lord!
Hallelujah
Troubles over
In the Kingdom
With my Jesus
O Lord!
Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray- John Wesley Work 1915; Folk Song of the American Negro
Chorus: I couldn't hear nobody pray,
Oh, I couldn't hear nobody pray,
Oh, way down yonder by myself,
And I couldn't hear nobody pray,
1. In the valley—Couldn't hear nobody pray;
On-a my knees—Couldn't hear nobody pray;
So lonesome—Couldn't hear nobody pray;
With my burden—Couldn't hear nobody pray.
Chorus: And I couldn't hear nobody pray, etc.
2. Hallelujah—Couldn't hear nobody pray ;
Troubles over—Couldn't hear nobody pray;
In the Kingdom—Couldn't hear nobody pray;
With my Jesus—Couldn't hear nobody pray.
Chorus: And I couldn't hear nobody pray, etc.
|