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Don't You Hear the Lambs A-Crying?
Traditional Spiritual and Old-time Bluegrass Gospel
ARTIST: From Seeger Family (Peggy Seeger, Mike Seeger, and Penny Seeger) on American Folk Songs for Christmas
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CATEGORY: Traditional and Public Domain Gospel
DATE: 1800s; 1953
RECORDING INFO: Don't You Hear the Lambs a-Crying
Seeger Family. American Folk Songs for Christmas, Rounder 0268/0269, LP (1989), trk# 8
OTHER NAMES: "Don't You Hear the Lambs A-Cryin'"
RELATED TO: "Good Shepherd Feed My Sheep" "Good Shepherd Feed My Sheep"
SOURCES: Meade; Folk Index; Ballad Index
NOTES: "Don't You Hear the Lambs a-Crying?" is a traditional spiritual and old-time/bluegrass gospel song. This version is from Seeger Family (Peggy Seeger, Mike Seeger, and Penny Seeger) on American Folk Songs for Christmas, originally collected and transcribed Ruth Crawford Seeger circa 1953.
It originated from spirituals like "Good Shepherd Feed My Sheep" and "Hear the Lambs A-Crying" by the Fisk University Jubilee Singers circa 1880:
HEAR THE LAMBS A-CRYING- As sung at Fisk University
You hear the lambs a-crying?
Hear the lambs a-crying!
Hear the lambs a-crying!
O Shepherd, feed my sheep!
My Savior spoke these words so sweet,
O Shepherd, feed my sheep!
Peter, if you lome me, feed my sheep.
O Shepherd, feed my sheep!
Lord, I love Thee, Thou dost know.
O Shepherd, feed my sheep!
Give me grace to love Thee more.
O Shepherd, feed my sheep.
In 1953, Ruth Crawford Seeger collected and transcribed the song as "Don't You Hear The Lambs A-Crying" in her acclaimed volume American Folk Songs for Christmas. Dartmouth College music professor Larry Polansky comments that in doing so, Ruth Crawford Seeger took the hard-edged gospel blues and "revoice[d] it as a beautiful, shape-note influenced hymn."
Meanwhile, a recording of the Ruth Crawford Seeger "Don't You Hear The Lambs A-Crying" was done for the 1989 album American Folk Songs for Christmas by Peggy Seeger, Mike Seeger, and Penny Seeger. Dartmouth's Polansky then arranged the song under that title for strings in 1999, which was premiered at that year's Spoleto Music Festival.
Don't You Hear the Lambs A-Crying- As sung by Mike, Peggy and Penny Seeger on
American Folk Songs for Christmas
Don't you hear the lambs a-crying?
On that other green shore?
Don't you hear the lambs a-crying?
O Good Shepherd, go feed-a my sheep!
Some for Paul and some for Silas
Some for to make-a my heart rejoice
Don't you hear the lambs a cryin'
O Good Shepherd, go feed-a my sheep!
Don't you see the stars a-shining
On that other green shore?
Don't you see the stars a-shining
O Good Shepherd, go feed-a my sheep!
Some for Paul and some for Silas
Some for to make-a my heart rejoice
Don't you hear the lambs a cryin'
O Good Shepherd, go feed-a my sheep!
Don't you hear the lambs a-crying?
On that other green shore?
Don't you hear the lambs a-crying?
O Good Shepherd, go feed-a my sheep!
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