Leave It There Explained

Take Your Burden to the Lord and Leave It There
Cover:Phillips-TakeYourBurden.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Washington Phillips
Recorded:Dallas, Texas, December 2, 1927
Genre:Gospel blues
Label:Columbia
Producer:Frank B. Walker[1]
Leave It There
Cover:Pace-LeaveItThere.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Pace Jubilee Singers
Recorded:Chicago, June 30, 1928
Genre:Gospel
Label:Victor (21551-B)
Take Your Burden to the Lord and Leave It There
Cover:Johnson-TakeYourBurden.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Blind Willie Johnson
Recorded:New Orleans, Louisiana, December 11, 1929
Genre:Gospel blues
Label:Columbia

"Leave It There" is a Christian hymn composed in 1916 by African-American Methodist minister Charles A. Tindley.[2] [3] It has become popular enough to have been included in 12 hymnals; and even to be attributed to "traditional" or "anonymous". The title is sometimes given as "Take Your Burden to the Lord and Leave It There" or as "Take Your Burden to the Lord" or as "Take Your Burden", words taken from the song's refrain; the plurals "burdens" and "them" are sometimes used, and "God" instead of "the Lord":

Origins of the lyrics

The song relates to Psalm 55:22:

and to Christ's words in the Gospel of Matthew at 11:28-30:

It also relates to the Gospel of Matthew at 6:26:

Recording history

On December 2, 1927, the song was recorded in gospel blues style by Washington Phillips (vocals and zither).[4] According to the book Country Music Records : A Discography, 1921-1942: A Discography, 1921-1942, on December 13, 1927, it was recorded by Frank and James McCravy. On June 30, 1928, it was recorded in gospel style by the Pace Jubilee Singers (chorus, singing in close harmony) with Hattie Parker (vocal soloist) and piano accompaniment. On December 11, 1929, it was recorded in gospel blues style by Blind Willie Johnson (vocals (using his "growl" (false bass) voice throughout) and guitar) and Willie B. Harris (vocals), who is thought to have been his first wife.[5] [6] Despite their closeness in time both to each other and to the date of composition, those three early versions are stylistically very different.

The song has since been recorded many times in a wide variety of styles; mostly gospel-based, but a few blues- or country-based. Some recordings misattribute authorship to Johnson or to Phillips instead of to Tindley; some artists have even claimed that it was their own composition.

Recordings

Other songs

These songs have related titles to the Tindley song, but differ from it and from each other:

Notes and References

  1. News: Exhuming the Legend of Washington Phillips . Michael . Corcoran . . December 29, 2002 . August 20, 2015 .
  2. Web site: LEAVE IT THERE . hymnary.org . August 2, 2015 .
  3. Web site: LEAVE IT THERE . cyberhymnal.org . August 3, 2015 .
  4. Web site: Washington Phillips discography . wirz.de . August 2, 2015 .
  5. Web site: Blind Willie Johnson discography . wirz.de . August 2, 2015 .
  6. Book: Blakey, D. N. . https://books.google.com/books?id=SO6HAgAAQBAJ&q=blind+willie+johnson+revelation+take+your+burden+to+the+lord&pg=PA193 . Revelation: Blind Willie Johnson: The Biography . Chapter 26 . 192 et seq . . August 8, 2007 . 978-1430328995 . August 2, 2015 .
  7. Web site: Victor matrix BVE-46033. Leave it there / Pace Jubilee Singers . ucsb.edu . August 16, 2015 .
  8. Web site: Carolina Gospel Quartets (19381939): Various Artists . amazon.com . B000UXRHSU . August 5, 2015 .
  9. Web site: Savoy Records Catalog: 78 rpm 4000/4100 series . jazzdisco.org . August 16, 2015 .
  10. Web site: Savoy Records Catalog: 78 rpm 4000/4100 series . jazzdisco.org . August 16, 2015 .
  11. Web site: The Singing Drifter: Blind Arvella Gray . amazon.com . B006UUN4JS . August 3, 2015 .
  12. Web site: Singing at the National Quartet Convention – The Horizon Family . amazon.co.uk . B00403VM1Y . August 17, 2015 .
  13. Web site: Standing on the Highway: Clay & Scott . amazon.com . B0000066H5 . August 5, 2015 .
  14. Web site: The Hymnal: Randall Goodgame . amazon.com . B0000V6ZPS . August 22, 2015 .
  15. Web site: After a Long Hard Winter, It's Good to Go Home – Lance Odegard . amazon.com . B003VSSLP4 . August 22, 2015 .
  16. Web site: The Experience – Otis Byrd, Jr. & Adoration . amazon.com . B0046O4AA2 . August 22, 2015 .
  17. Web site: Reunion – Garden State Choral Chapter . amazon.co.jp . B003YSPM4O . August 22, 2015 .
  18. Web site: Revival Hymns – Greg Lowery . amazon.com . B003U8LC38 . August 22, 2015 .
  19. Web site: Redbugs – Mississippi Chris Sharp . amazon.co.uk . B008BRC7KU . August 16, 2015 .
  20. Web site: Leave It There - Munirih Sparrow . bandcamp.com . November 11, 2020 .
  21. Web site: Nightsong - Munirih Sparrow . bandcamp.com . November 11, 2020 .
  22. Web site: Leave It There: Stuart MacDonald . amazon.com . B00HA0AKQM . August 22, 2015 .
  23. Web site: Bill Gaither's 30 Favorite Homecoming Hymns . amazon.com . B00I6JEO3G . August 16, 2015 .
  24. Book: amazon.co.uk . Ola Belle Reed and Southern Mountain Music on the Mason-Dixon Line . 978-0981734279 . . Murphy . Clifford R. . Glassie . Henry . Peach . Douglas Dowling . 2015 .
  25. Web site: Sky of the Heart – Girish . amazon.com . B00YGEVF7S . August 22, 2015 .

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Leave It There".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.