Were You There Explained
"Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord)" is an African-American spiritual that was first printed in 1899. It was likely composed by enslaved African Americans in the 19th century.[1]
The song was first published in William Eleazar Barton's 1899 Old Plantation Hymns[1] but was described in writings prior to this publication.[2] [3] [4] In 1940, it was included in the Episcopal Church hymnal, making it the first spiritual to be included in any major American hymnal.[5] [6] It is also unique in that it is the only African-American song included in the Catholic Church's Liturgy of the Hours.
As reported in Howard Thurman's autobiography, the song was one of Mahatma Gandhi's favorites.[7] The song has been recorded by artists including Paul Robeson,[8] Marion Williams,[9] Johnny Cash,[10] Roy Acuff,[11] Phil Keaggy,[12] Max Roach,[13] Diamanda Galás,[14] Harry Belafonte,[15] The Seldom Scene,[16] Diamond Version (with Neil Tennant),[17] Bayard Rustin,[18] Rajaton,[19] Millennial Choirs and Orchestras,[20] and Chris Rice.[21] A writer from the Indianapolis News wrote about Paul Robeson's rendition, saying that "It was as startling and vivid a disclosure of reverent feeling of penetrating pathos as one could imagine."[22]
Lyrics
The following lyrics are those printed in the 1899 Old Plantation Hymns;[23] other variations exist.
External links
Notes and References
- Book: Raymond F. Glover . The Hymnal 1982 Companion . 1990 . Church Publishing . 978-0-89869-143-6 . 349.
- The Jubilee Singers the song at the 1898 Annual Meeting of the American Missionary Association according to The American Missionary - Volume 52 (1898) p. 160 (accessible on Google Books)
- Report of the First General Convention of the National Florence Crittenton Mission and School for Methods (Mountain Lake Park MD). July 1897, p. 100 accessible at https://babel.hathitrust.org
- "CRITTENTON'S FAREWELL,"Los Angeles Herald, Volume 25, Number 336, 1 September 1896, p. 3
- Book: LindaJo H. McKim . The Presbyterian Hymnal Companion . 1993 . Westminster John Knox Press . 978-0-664-25180-2 . 91.
- TIME . 1940-10-28 . Religion: Episcopal Archbishop? . 2024-06-16 . TIME . en.
- Book: Howard Thurman . With Head and Heart: The Autobiography of Howard Thurman . 1981 . Houghton Mifflin Harcourt . 0-547-54678-5.
- Web site: Paul Robeson. Were you there?. 2008. Warner Classics.
- Web site: Ron Wynn . Can't Keep It to Myself - Marion Williams | Songs, Reviews, Credits . . 2017-03-05.
- Web site: The Man in Black: 1959-1962 - Johnny Cash | Songs, Reviews, Credits . . 2017-03-05.
- Web site: Praguefrank's Country Music Discographies, Roy Acuff, part 1 . 23 December 2016 . Praguefrank . 29 March 2021.
- Web site: Christ His Passion: Remembering the Sacrifice - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits . . 2004-03-09 . 2017-03-05.
- Web site: Vincent Thomas . Lift Every Voice and Sing - Max Roach | Songs, Reviews, Credits . . 2017-03-05.
- Web site: Brian Olewnick . The Singer - Diamanda Galás | Songs, Reviews, Credits . . 2017-03-05.
- Web site: Harry Belafonte: My Lord What a Mornin' . . 2017-03-05.
- Web site: Scenic Roots - The Seldom Scene | Songs, Reviews, Credits . . 2017-03-05.
- Web site: MUTE • Diamond Version • Release new album 'CI' on 2/3 June + Listen to first track 'Were You There' feat Neil Tennant . Mute.com . 2014-06-03 . 2017-03-05.
- Book: Bayard Rustin sings a program of spirituals: with scripture reading by James Farmer. (Musical LP, 1950s) . 2017-01-20 . 61832618.
- Web site: Record Reviews, Streaming Songs, Genres & Bands . . 2017-03-05.
- Web site: That Easter Morn - Millennial Choirs and Orchestras | Songs, Reviews, Credits . . 10 April 2024.
- Web site: Untitled Hymn: A Collection of Hymns - Chris Rice Songs, Reviews, Credits. AllMusic. en-us. 2020-02-08.
- Olwage . G . 2015. Listening B(l)ack: Paul Robeson After Roland Hayes . Journal of Musicology . 32 . 4 . 524–557 . 10.1525/jm.2015.32.4.524.
- Book: William Eleazar Barton. Old Plantation Hymns: A Collection of Hitherto Unpublished Melodies of the Slave and the Freedman, with Historical and Descriptive Notes. 1899. Lamson, Wolffe. 40.