546. Oh, They Put John on the Island

546 Oh, They Put John on the Island

White, in ANFS 96, prints a slightly different text of this song  from the same informant, noting that the informant "has heard it
in eastern North Carolina, near the Dismal Swamp, as early as  the eighteen-eighties, and since." White's headnote also observes  that stanzas 6, 7 (lacking in our text), and 8 (corresponding to our  text, stanza 7) occur constantly in the 'Ship of Zion' songs; that  stanzas 7 and 8 of his text occur in some of the songs dealing with  the chariot ; and that "John is evidently a composite of the Apostle  John and John the Baptist."

No title. From H. E. Spence, Trinity College, Durham, August 2, 1922.  In this text only the first stanza is written out in full. The handling  of stanza 2 follows White. It is assumed that stanzas z-7 follow a similar  pattern of repetition.

1 Oh, they put John on the island
When the Bridegroom comes.

They put John on the island when he comes.
They put John on the island.
They put John on the island.
They put John on the island 
When he comes.

2 They put him there to starve him
[When the Bridegroom comes.

Oh, they put him there to starve him
When he comes.

They put him there to starve him,
They put him there to starve him,
They put him there to starve him
When he comes.]

3 But you can't starve a Christian

4 They fed In'm on milk and honey

5 ( )h, look down Jordan river

6 You'll see that ship come sailing

7 King Jesus is the captain