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Gimme That Old Time Religion
Traditional Hymn Tune and Bluegrass Song; Widely Known.
ARTIST: Copyrighted in 1891 by Charlie D. Tillman from folk sources;
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes DATE: 1880's. Words & Music: Adapted from an African-American spiritual by Charles D. Tillman, who first heard it at an 1889 camp meeting in Lexington, South Carolina
RECORDING INFO:Homer Rodenheaver (1923) on CO A3856; Ernest Thompson (1924) Co 15007-D; Kentucky Ramblers (1930) Bwy 8270; Congregation of Wesley Methodist Church, "Give Me That Old Time Religion" (on JohnsIsland1); Ball, E. C. and Orna. Fathers Have a Home Sweet Home, Rounder 0072, LP (1976), cut# 13; Barron, Rik. Bound for the Ice, Odd Sock PRO 101, Cas (199?), cut#B.04b; Johnson Family Singers. Old-Time Family Religion, Camden CAS 816(e), LP (1964), cut#A.01; Leigh, Bonnie. Down in the Shady Grove, Maywind K56-03, CD (1998), cut#13 (Give Me That Old Time Religion); Moody, Clyde. White House Blues, Rebel REB-1672, LP (1989), cut# 1; “Give Me Old Time Music" was recorded by Arthur Smith & His Dixie Liners on October 1, 1938, which is a parody of "That Old-Time Religion."
OTHER NAMES: “That Old Time Religion;” “Old Time Religion;” “Gimme That Old Time Religion;” “Give Me Old Time Music (parody)"
SOURCES: Seeger, Pete. How to Play the Five String Banjo, Seeger, sof (1962), p20; Randolph 628, "The Old Time Religion;" Silber-FSWB, p. 362, "Give Me That Old Time Religion;" Meade: Country Music Sources;
NOTES: This piece was copyrighted in 1891 by Charlie D. Tillman from folk sources. While attending an African American camp meeting in South Carolina, Tillman heard the congregation singing a song called "My Old Time Religion." He quickly wrote down the words and music, revised them later at home, introduced the song to white audiences, and published it in 1891 in one of his songbooks.
The first documented recording was by Homer Rodenheaver in 1923 on CO A3856. The (‘Tis ) in this version can be replaced with “Give Me.”
The song is found in "The story of the Jubilee Singers, including their Songs" (1903) by J. B. T. Marsh, which was first published in 1877. The book is “the story of a little company [The Jubilee Singers] of emancipated slaves who set out to secure, by their singing, the fabulous sum of $20,000 for the impoverished school [Fisk University, Nashville, Tennessee] in which they were students.”
No. 36. This Old Time Religion- 1877
CHORUS: Oh! this old time religion,
This old time religion,
This old time religion,
It is good enough for me.
1. It is good for the mourner,
It is good for the mourner,
It is good for the mourner,
It is good e - nough for me.
CHORUS: Oh, this old time religion, &c,
2. It will carry you home to heaven,
It will carry you home to heaven,
It will carry you home to heaven
It is good enough for me.
Cho. — Oh, this old time religion, &c,
3. It brought me out of bondage, &c.
4. It is good when you are in trouble, &c.
Cho.— Oh, this old time religion, &c.
WIKI: (Give Me That) Old-Time Religion (and similar spellings) is a traditional Gospel song dating from 1873, when it was included in a list of Jubilee songs—or earlier. It has become a standard in many protestant hymnals and covered by many artists. Some scholars, such as Forrest Mason McCann, have asserted the possibility of an earlier stage of evolution of the song, in that "the tune may go back to English folk origins" (later dying out in the white repertoire but staying alive in the work songs of African Americans). In any event, it was by way of Charles Davis Tillman that the song had incalculable influence on the confluence of black spiritual and white gospel song traditions in forming the genre now known as southern gospel. Tillman was largely responsible for publishing the song into the repertoire of white audiences. It was first heard sung by African-Americans and written down by Tillman when he attended a camp meeting in Lexington, South Carolina in 1889.
LYRICS:OLD TIME RELIGION- Tillman 1889
Refrain: ’Tis the old time religion,
’Tis the old time religion,
’Tis the old time religion,
And it’s good enough for me.
It was good for our mothers.
It was good for our mothers.
It was good for our mothers.
And it’s good enough for me.
Refrain
Makes me love everybody.
Makes me love everybody.
Makes me love everybody.
And it’s good enough for me.
Refrain
It has saved our fathers.
It has saved our fathers.
It has saved our fathers.
And it’s good enough for me.
Refrain
It will do when I am dying.
It will do when I am dying.
It will do when I am dying.
And it’s good enough for me.
Refrain
It will take us all to heaven.
It will take us all to heaven.
It will take us all to heaven.
And it’s good enough for me.
Refrain
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