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Death's Black Train Is Coming/Death's Black Train/Little Black Train
Traditional spiritual;
ARTIST: Reverend J.M. Gates 1926
SHEET MUSIC:
YOUTUBE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbN_U-ynWmo
CATEGORY: Traditional and Shape-Note Gospel;
DATE: 1800s;
RECORDING INFO: Death's Black Train Is Coming [Me III-C 41]
Gates, Rev. J.M. Death's Black Train Is Coming
Gob Iron "Death's Black Train" live @ Cat's Cradle 11.11.06
RECORDING INFO: The Little Black Train [Me III-C 41]
At - Gospel Train ; Gospel Train Is Coming
Rm - Roving Gambler
Seeger, Ruth Crawford (eds.) / American Folk Songs for Children, Doubleday/Zephyr Books, Sof (1948), p152
Botkin, Benjamin / A Treasury of American Folklore, Crown, Bk (1944), p914 [1920s] (Little Black Train Is Coming/a-Coming)
Boggs, Dock. Dock Boggs, Vol 2, Folkways FA 2392, LP (1965), trk# 7
Carter Family. Carter Family Album, Liberty LRP 3230, LP (196?), trk# A.02
Carter Family. Cohen, Norm (ed.) / Long Steel Rail. The Railroad in American Folksong, U. Illinois, Sof (2000/1981), p625 [1935/05/07]
Contay, Major; and the Canebrake Rattlers. When the Yankees Came Down, Marimac 9006, Cas (1986), trk# B.10
Gates, Reverend J. M.. Roots N' Blues - The Retrospective (1925-50), Columbia Legacy 47911/47912-15, Cas (1992), trk# 1.05 [1926/04/24] (Death's Black Train Is Coming)
Guthrie, Woody. Poor Boy, Folkways FTS 31010, LP (1968), trk# A.02 [1944/04]
Seeger, Peggy. Folk Songs with the Seegers, Prestige PR 7375, LP (1965), trk# 18
Seeger, Peggy. Three Sisters, Prestige International 13029, LP (1960s), trk# B.01
Seeger, Peggy and Mike. American Folk Songs for Children, Rounder 8001/8002/8003, CD (1977), trk# 2-26
Trusty, Elihu. Lomax, John A. & Alan Lomax / Our Singing Country, MacMillan, Sof (2000/1941), p 46 [1937]
OTHER NAMES: "Little Black Train"
RELATED TO: "Gospel Train" songs
SOURCES: Wiki; Folk Index; Dorothy Scarborough;
NOTES: "''Death's Black Train Is Coming" or "Little Black Train" is an African-American spiritual recorded by Rev. J.M. Gates in 1926. It was his biggest hit song selling over 35,000 copies by the end of its release year. According to Max Haymes "Slave to the Blues" essay, Gates recorded five versions, one which was lost, after his intitial success.
Here's Dorothy Scarborough's quote about this song:
"A more sinister aspect of train-arrival is in another Holy Roller song from Texas. The little black train here represents Death, and the passengers for whom seats are reserved appear not to be crowding eagerly about the ticket window. This train had no schedule, but, like other public carriers, is uncertain in its time arrival and departure. But a delay here brings forth no complaints against the management."
Wiki: The Reverend J.M. Gates (July 14, 1884 – August 18, 1945) was an American Christian preacher and Gospel music singer. From 1914 to his death, Gates was the pastor of Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Rock Dale Park, Atlanta, Georgia. He had a very prolific recording career, recording over 200 sides between 1926 and 1941, including frequent rerecordings. Experts estimate that at least a quarter of all sermons commercially released on record before 1943 were recorded by Gates.
His first best-seller, 1926's "Death's Black Train Is Coming", sold 35,000 copies by the end of its release year. Many of his recordings were strong warnings of the hellish punishments that awaited sinners.
Gates is credited with introducing the gospel music of former blues artist Thomas A. Dorsey into the black gospel market via his crusades. His funeral drew the largest crowd of any memorial service in the city before Martin Luther King, Jr. In addition to a Columbia Records collection and a "complete works" set from Document Records, Gates' work has been frequently featured in gospel and roots music anthologies, including Harry Smith's influential Anthology of American Folk Music.
A modified version of his song "Death's Black Train Is Coming" was performed by the band Gob Iron on their debut album, Death Songs For The Living. An uncredited cover can also be heard on the DVD release of the television series Daybreak starring Taye Diggs near the end of the thirteenth and final episode.
Ballad Index: Little Black Train Is A-Comin'
DESCRIPTION: Chorus: "Little black train is a-comin', Get all your business right... For the train may be here tonight." King Hezekiah is offered as an example. A young man lives a sinful life; when death comes, he is surprised and vainly begs for mercy
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1922 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: death Bible train
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Cohen-LSRail, pp. 625-628, "Little Black Train" (1 text, 1 tune)
BrownIII 541, "The Little Black Train" (1 text)
Botkin-AmFolklr, pp. 914-915, "Little Black Train Is A-Comin'" (1 text, 1 tune)
Courlander-NFM, p. 41, "(Little Black Train)" (partial text)
Scarborough-NegroFS, pp. 260-261, "The Little Black Train" (1 text)
ST BAF914 (Partial)
Roud #11594
RECORDINGS:
Emry Arthur, "The Little Black Train Is Coming" (Vocalion 5229, c. 1928)
Dock Boggs, "Little Black Train" (on Boggs2, BoggsCD1)
Carter Family, "The Little Black Train" (OKeh 03112, 1935; on CGospel1)
Rev. J. M. Gates, "Death's Black Train is Coming" (Columbia 14145-D,1926)
Harmon E. Helmick, "The Little Black Train" (Champion 16744, 1934)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "This Old World Ain't Going to Stand Much Longer" (subject)
Notes: The story of Hezekiah's bout with sickness, God's threat, Hezekiah's repentance, and Isaiah's promise of fifteen additional years of life is told in 2 Kings 20:1-11 (repeated almost verbatim inIsaiah 38) and briefly summarized in 2 Chronicles 32:24-26.
The version in Brown accidentally replaces "Hezekiah" with "Ezekiel," but the former name is clearly correct. It tacks on the story of the Wise Fool, Luke 12:16-20. - RBW
In ''Death's Black Train Is Coming,'' Gates, begins his chanted sermon explaining that his purpose is to converst sinners. In a spoken voice he says, "Ahh, I want to sing us a song tonight, and while I sing I want every sinner in this house to come to the angel's seat and bow, and accept prayer. You need prayer. Subject of this song, 'Death's Black Train Is Coming.' It's coming too.'' Gates then begins to sing:
Death's Black Train Is Coming- Rev. J.M. Gates 1926
CHORUS: O the little black train is comin'
Get all your business right
You better set your house in order,
For that train may be here tonight.
There some men and there some women,
That care nothing for the gospel light.
Till they hear the bell ringing and hear the whistle blow
O the little black train in sight.
CHORUS:
If you want to get on the morning train,
If you want to go home and live in peace,
You better have your ticket in your hand,
Standing at the station
With your ticket in your hand
For that train is coming,
And you're gonna join that band.
CHORUS:
[additional verse from different Gates version]
Oh the little black train and it's engine,
With one little baggage car
Has all deed and your wicked thoughts
Gonna meet you at the judgement bar.
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