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Down By the River/Down By the Riverside/Ain't Going to Study War/Study War No More/
Tradtional Old-Time, Gospel;
ARTIST: collected by William Barton and published in Dec. 1898 in his article "Old Plantation Hymns."
CATEGORY: Traditional Bluegrass Gospel;
DATE: 1800s; First Recorded in 1920 (recording, Fisk University Jubilee Quartet)
RECORDING INFO: Down By the Riverside [Me III-C 10]
Rt - Ain't Going to Study War No More
Mf - Gonna Lay Down That Limerick Nuke
Pb - Down on the Freedom Line
Snyder, Jerry (arr.) / Golden Guitar Folk Sing Book, Hansen, Fol (1972), p 44
Herder, Ronald (ed.) / 500 Best-Loved Song Lyrics, Dover dn500/500, Sof (1998), p 83b
Belleville A Cappella Choir. Southern Journey. Vol. 11: Honor the Lamb, Rounder 1711, CD (1998), trk# 8f [1960/04/28]
Carawan, Guy. This Little Light of Mine, Folkways FG 3552, LP (1959), trk# A.08
Christian Tabernacle Church. Folk Box, Elektra EKL 9001, LP (1964), trk# 41
Lopez, Trini. Trini Lopez at PJ's, Reprise R-6093, LP (196?), trk# B.03b
McGhee, Brownie; and Sonny Terry. Walk On, Astan AST 20051, LP (1984), trk# A.01 (Gonna Lay My Burden Down)
McGhee, Brownie; and Sonny Terry. Walk On, Astan AST 20051, LP (1984), trk# B.02
Reid, Harvey. In Person, Woodpecker Wp 112CD, CD (1997), trk# 2.06b [1996/05/25]
Reid, Harvey. Chestnuts, Woodpecker WP 109, Cas (1994), trk# A.07a
Tharpe, Sister Rosetta. Sister Rosetta Tharpe / Complete Recorded Works, Vol 2, Document DOCD 5335, CD (1995), trk# 7 [1943/01]
Villagers. We Give a Hoot! Live Hootenanny at the Ice House in Pasadena, RCA (Victor) LSP-2821, LP (1963),
Dixie Jubilee Singers, "I Ain't Gonna Study War No More" (Banner 7237/Domino 4206/Challenge 937 [as Jewel Male Quartet], 1928)
Elkins Payne Jubilee Singers, "Down By the Riverside" (Paramount 12071, 1923)
Fisk University Jubilee Quartet, "I Ain't Goin' to Study War No More" (Columbia A3596, 1922; rec. 1920)
Jimmie Lunceford & his Orch. "I Ain't Gonna Study War No More" (Columbia 26938, n.d.; Columbia 35567, 1940)
[Lester] McFarland & [Robert] Gardner, "Down By the Riverside" (Brunswick 108/Vocalion 5127, 1927; rec. 1926?)
Golden Echo Quartet, "Study War No More" (Deluxe 1005, 1945)
Memphis Minnie [Lizzie Douglas], "Down by the Riverside" (Conqueror 9936, 1941)
Missouri Pacific Diamond Jubilee Quartette, "Study War No More" (OKeh 8472, 1927)
Morehouse Quartet, "Down by the Riverside" (OKeh 4887, 1923)
C. Mae Frierson Moore, "Going to Study War No More" (Paramount 12323, 1925)
Norfolk Jubilee Quartet, "Down by the Riverside" (Paramount 12445, 1927)
Oak Ridge Quartet, "Ain't Gwine to Study War No More" (Capitol 40057, 1947)
Pete Seeger, "Study War No More" (on PeteSeeger14) (on PeteSeeger15) (on PeteSeeger44) (on PeteSeeger48)
Pete Seeger & Sonny Terry, "Study War No More" (on SeegerTerry)
Sister Rosetta Tharpe, "Down By the Riverside" (Decca 48106, n.d. but probably 1950s)
Three Little Maids, "Ain't Gonna Study War No Mo'" (Bluebird B-5860, 1935; rec. 1933)
OTHER NAMES: "Ain' Go'n to Study War No Mo'," "Study War No More," "Down by de Ribberside," "Down By the Riverside,""I Ain't Goin' to Study War No More" "Old Satan's Mad (Brown)"
SOURCES: Folk Index; Meade
REFERENCES (6 citations):
BrownIII 624, "Old Satan's Mad" (5 texts, of which the short "A" text is probably "Free at Last"; "B" is a variation on "Down By the Riverside (Study War No More)"; "C" has the "Old Satan's Mad" stanza but a "climbing Zion's walls" chorus; D" is an unidentifiable fragment perhaps related to "I Belong to that Band; and "E" is also a fragment, perhaps of "Free At Last")
Sandburg, pp. 480-481, "Ain' Go'n to Study War No Mo'" (1 text, 1 tune)
BrownIII 566, "Down by de Ribberside" (1 text)
PSeeger-AFB, p. 50, "Study War No More" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 281, "Study War No More" (1 text)
NOTES: "Down By the River," collected by William Barton and published in Dec. 1898 "Old Plantation Hymns," is an early spiritual version of "Down By The Riverside" known under various titles. The other important "Down By the River" is by the Fisk Jubilee Singers circa 1880. Most sources agree (Sandburg etc.) that the songs are derived from the white spiritual, 'We'll Wait Till Jesus Comes', published in an 1868 upstate hymnal "The Revivalist."
We'll Wait Till Jesus Comes- 1868
My heavenly home is bright and fair,
We'll be gathered home.
Nor death nor dying visit there,
We'll be gathered home.
CHORUS: We'll wait, until Jesus comes
We'll wait, until Jesus comes
we'll wait, until Jesus comes
And we'll be gathered home
It's glittering towers the sun outshine
We'll be gathered home.
That heavenly mansion shall be mine,
We'll be gathered home.
Several related songs use the "down by the river" response for the verses. Most of these are older releated song but a different form.
DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE William Stickles, 1948
Oh, hallelujah to the lamb
Down by the river
The Lord is on the giving hand
Down by the riverside
CHORUS: Oh, we’ll wait ‘till Jesus comes
Down by the river
Oh, we’ll wait ‘till Jesus comes
Down by the riverside
Oh, we are pilgrims here below
Down by the river
Oh, soon to glory we will go
Down by the riverside
The following song is found in the Brown Collection with floating "Satan's mad" lyrics:
'Old Satan's Mad' Brown Collection of NC Folklore From Miss Jewell Robbins, Pekin, Montgomery county (later Mrs. C. P. Perdue), July 1922. Phonograph recording. Cf. White ANFS 1 17-18. Cf. refrain and chorus with 'Down by the Riverside' and songs cited in the headnote.
1. Old Satan wears a slippery shoe
Down by de ribber.
An' ef you don' min' he'll slip up on you,
Down by the riverside.
Chorus: We'll end dis warfare,
Down by de ribber;
We'll end dis warfare,
Down by de ribberside.
2. Old Satan's mad and I am glad,
Down by de ribber;
He lost dis soul he thought he had,
Down by the ribberside.
3. Old Satan wears a long-tailed coat,
Down by de ribber ;
An' ef you don't mind he'll cut yo' throat.
Down by the ribberside.
Another version was collected by Howard W. Odum and Guy B. Johnson, which is printed in The Negro and His Songs (1925; reprinted Negro Universities Press, 1968, p. 101; without tune). They writes: this "combines the old camp meeting song 'Down by the River Side,' and a new element of peace, the origin of which is not known."
I AIN'T GOIN' TO STUDY WAR NO MORE
Well, there's goin' to be a big camp meetin',
Well, there's goin' to be a big camp meetin',
Well, there's goin' to be a big camp meetin',
Down by the river side.
Well, I ain't goin' to study war no mo',
Well, I ain't goin' to study war no mo',
Well, I ain't goin' to study war no mo'.
Well, such a shoutin' an' prayin',
Down by the river side.
Well, I goin' to meet my sister,
Down by the river side.
Well, the brothers got to shoutin',
Down by the river side.
There're at least 14 black gospel recordings before World War II (according to Blues and Gospel Records 1890-1943, 4th ed., OUP, 1997). One of the earliest is Elkins-Payne Jubilee Singers' "Down by the Riverside" (1923) [on Elkins-Payne Jubilee Singers 1923-1929, Document DOCD-5356], which is a variant of the "camp meeting song." Norfolk Jubilee Quartet's "Down by the Riverside" (1927) [on Norfolk Jazz and Jubilee Quartets, vol. 3 (1925-1927), Document DOCD-5383] is a version we are now familar with.
Meade et al.'s Country Music Sources (p. 582) lists 6 recordings of "Ain't Gonna Study War No More," the earliest of which is "Ain't Gwine To Study War No More" by Vaughan Quartet (rec. 1924).
A version with the "I'm going to lay down my heavy load" line was sung by Rosetta Tharpe with Lucky Millinder Orchestra in 1943, which is on Sister Rosetta Tharpe, vol. 2 (1942-1944) (Document DOCD-5335).
The "camp meeting song" they refers to seems to be the song in Religious Folk Songs of the Negro, new edition (1920; with a different tune; not contained in the first edition of Hampton and Its Students, 1874):
DOWN BY THE RIVER
1. When Christ the Lord was here below,
Down by the river,
About the work He came to do,
Down by the river side.
REFRAIN:
We will end this warfare,
Down by the river;
We will end this warfare,
Down by the river side.
566. Down by de Ribberside- Brown Collection of NC Folklore. From W. J. Andrews, Raleigh NC. without date.
The song resembles the refrain in 'Down by the River.' in T. P. Fanner. Religious Folk Songs of the Negro (Hampton, Va., 1916), p. 167. The chorus and first stanza are close to part of a song in Utica Jubilee Singers Spirituals as Sung at the Utica Formal and
Industrial Institute of Mississippi (New York, 1930), pp. 16-17. The pattern and diction, the whole resembles 'Down by the Riverside,' in Fauset JAF"L XL 297. Cf. Sandburg, ASb 480-1, and 'Gwine-a Study War No Mo'!' in W. A. Fisher, Seventy Negro Spirituals
(Boston, 1926), pp. 60-2.
From W. J. Andrews, Raleigh NC. without date. Dr. Brown's correspondence with Mr. Andrews contains four text, dating 1927-42, but no reference to this text.
1. Down by de ribberside,
Down by de ribberside.
Ain't gwine ter study 'bout war no mo';
Down by de ribberside,
Down by de ribberside,
Ain't gwine ter study 'bout war no mo'.
2. Down by de ribberside,
Down by de ribberside,
Ain't gwine ter study 'bont peace no mo',
Down by de ribberside,
Down by de ribberside,
Ain' gwine ter study 'bout peace no mo'.
3. Down by de ribberside,
Down by de ribberside,
Ain't gwine ter study 'bout nothin' no more.
Down by de ribberside,
Down by de ribberside.
Jest goin' ter study 'bout heaben some more.
The evolution form the early spiritual to the modern versions we know today is apparent in the song "Going to Pull My War-Clothes" collected by Carl Diton. In 1913, Carl Diton visited Frogmore (Island), near Beaufort, South Carolina. In the Foreward, he says "while there, Mr. J. E. Blanton (brother of Mr. Robert Moton, the present principal of Tuskegee Institute, AL), was kind enough to sing to me a number of plantation melodies peculiar to the people of that locality, and I carefully recorded them." "The inhabitants speak a peculiar patois, and their melodies, as a rule, sound somewhat different from those of other parts of the South." ... "Those who are at all acquainted with the history of that part of America will recall that its inhabitants are descended from a group of imported slaves who differed from the rest of their slave-kinsmen in that their contact with white civilization was far less."
Going to Pull My War-Clothes- Carl Diton, Published in 1930, "Thirty-Six South Carolina Spirituals," No. 12, pp. 24-25 with score.
1. Going to pull my war-clothes,
down by the riverside,
down by the riverside,
down by the riverside.
Going to pull my war-clothes,
down by the riverside,
Study war no more.
Mm--------------
Refrain: Yes, I'm going to study war no more,
Study war no more,
Mm-----------
Study war no more.
2. Going to meet my brethren,
down by the riverside,
down by the riverside,
down by the riverside.
Going to meet my brethren,
down by the riverside,
Study war no more.
Mm----------
Refrain
3. Going to meet my sister,
down by the riverside,
down by the riverside,
down by the riverside.
Going to meet my sister,
down by the riverside,
Study war no more.
Mm---------
Refrain
DOWN BY THE RIVER (Baptism) William Barton; Dec. 1898 from "Old Plantation Hymns": "A cheerful song, with a strong major melody... The Baptists use it at immersion; but it is not confined to such occasions."
Refrain: Yes, we'll gain this world,
Down by the river,
We'll gain this world,
Down by the riverside.
1. And if those mourners would believe,
Down by the river,
The gift of life they would receive,
Down by the riverside.
2. When I was a mourner just like you,
(Down by the river,)
I mourned and mourned till I got through
(Down by the riverside.)
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