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Ain't That A Witness/My Soul Is A Witness/A Witness/ That's Another Witness for My Lord/ Witness For My Lord
Traditional Old-Time, Gospel;
ARTIST: The John Quincy Wolf Folklore Collection; Lyon College, Batesville, Arkansas; Sung by: Gus Mahon; Recorded in Heber Springs, AR
Listen: http://www.lyon.edu/wolfcollection/songs/mahonaint1277.html
Jazz: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6MoY8jKYco
Choir: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKWTPSxRFzo
CATEGORY: Traditional Gospel & Spiritual;
DATE: 1800s; Published in 1909. First Recorded by The Fisk Jubilee Singers - My Soul Is a Witness for My Lord, CoGB A-3819 circa 1911.
My Soul is a Witness- Florida Normal and Industrial Institute Quartet 9/22
Arizona Dranes: My Soul Is A Witness For The Lord circa 1926
RECORDING INFO: My Soul Is A Witness
Coleman, Austin; Joe Washington Brown & Group. Folk Music in America, Vol. 1, Religious Music, ..., Library of Congress LBC-01, LP (1976), trk# A.09 [1934/07ca]
A Witness
Work, John W. / American Negro Songs and Spirituals, Dover, Bk (1998/1940), p177
Duncan, Laura. Sing Out Reprints, Sing Out, Sof (1959), 10, p38
Hayes, Roland. My Songs, Vanguard VRS- 494, LP (1956), trk# A.08
Inman and Ira. Exciting New Folk Duo, Columbia CS 8531, LP (1962), trk# B.02
Robeson, Paul. Paul Robeson, American Balladeer, Everest 3417, LP (1977), trk# A.03
OTHER NAMES: "Beautiful Life," "Each Day I'll Do A Golden Deed"
SOURCES: Folk Index;
Witness, American Negro Songs 1940
Witness, Folk Songs Of The American Negro
Witness, Jerry Silverman's Folk Song Encyclopedia, V.2
NOTES: "Ain't That A Witness" is a traditional African-American spiritual collected and published in 1909 by Howard Odum.
The Fisk Jubilee Singers recorded My Soul Is a Witness for My Lord, CoGB A-3819
circa 1911. Here are some standard lyrics:
WITNESS FOR MY LORD- Standard lyrics from African-American spirituals; SOURCE:
Park New Choir, http://parknewchoir.free.fr/
My soul is a witness for my Lord
My soul is a witness for my Lord
My soul is a witness for my Lord
My soul is a witness for my Lord
You read in the Bible and you understand
Metuselah was the oldest man
He lived nine hundred and ninety nine
He died and went to Heav'n, Lord, in a-due time
Metuselah was a witness for my Lord
Metuselah was a witness for my Lord
Metuselah was a witness for my Lord
Metuselah was a witness for my Lord
You read in the Bible and you understand
Samson was the strongest man
Samson went out at-a one time
And he killed about a thousand of the Philistine
Delilah fooled Samson, this-a we know
For the Holy Bible tells us so
She saved off his head just as clean as your hand
And his strength became the same as any natural man
O, Samson was a witness for my Lord
Samson was a witness for my Lord
Samson was a witness for my Lord
Samson was a witness for my Lord
Daniel was a Hebrew child
He went to pray his God a-while
The king at once for Daniel did send
And he put him right down in the lion's den
God snt His angels the lion-a for to keep
And Daniel laid down and went to sleep
Now, Daniel was a witness for my Lord
Samson was a witness for my Lord
Samson was a witness for my Lord
Samson was a witness for my Lord
O, who'll be a witness for my Lord
Who'll be a witness for my Lord
My soul is a witness for my Lord
My soul is a witness for my Lord
WITNESS FOR MY LORD- Odum 1909
Almost equally interesting is "That's Another Witness for my Lord. " It will be noticed in these songs that references and phrases taken from the old songs are often used, but in different combinations. They thus lose their former worth. It will be interesting, too, to compare the negro's religious conceptions of the Bible and God as expressed in these songs with those expressed in the older productions: Has he advanced in his theology?
Read in Genesis, you understand,
Methuselah was the oldest man.
Lived nine hundred and sixty-nine.
Died and went to heaven in due time.
Methuselah is a witness for my Lord,
Methuselah is a witness for my Lord.
You read about Sampson from his birth,
Strongest man that lived on the earth,
'Way back yonder in ancient times.
He slayed three thousand of the Philistines.
Sampson he went wanderin' about,
For his strength hadn't been found out.
His wife dropped down upon her knees,
Said: "Sampson, tell me where your strength lies, please."
Delila talked so good and fair,
He told her his strength lie in his hair;
"Shave my head just as clean as your hands.
And my strength'll be like a nachual man's."
Wasn't that a witness for my Lord?
Wasn't that a witness for my Lord?
Isaiah mounted on de wheel o' time,
Spoke to God-er-mighty way down the line:
Said, "O Lord, to me reveal,
How can this vile race be healed?"
God said: "Tell the sons of men.
Unto them'll be born a king,
Them that believe upon his Way,
They shall rest in the latter day."
Isaiah was a witness for my Lord,
Isaiah was a witness for my Lord.
There was a man amongst the Pharisees,
Named Nicodemus and he didn't believe.
He went to the Master in the night,
And told him to take him out er human sight.
"You are the Christ, I'm sure it's true.
For none do de miracles dat you do.
But how can a man, now old in sin.
Turn back still and be born again? "
Christ said, "Man, if you want to be wise,
You 'd better repent and be baptized;
Believe on me, the Son of Man,
Then you will be born'd again."
Wasn't that a witness for my Lord?
Wasn't that a witness for my Lord?
AIN’T THAT A WITNESS- The John Quincy Wolf Folklore Collection
Lyon College, Batesville, Arkansas; Sung by: Gus Mahon
Recorded in Heber Springs, AR
http://www.lyon.edu/wolfcollection/songs/mahonaint1277.html
Well, we read that ‘Thuselah from his birth,
Oldest man that was ever on earth.
He lived nine hundred and sixty-nine,
Died and went to heaven, yes, in due time.
Chorus: Well, ain’t that a witness for my Lord,
Ain’t that a witness for my Lord,
Ain’t that a witness for my Lord,
Ain’t that a witness for my Lord.
Well, we read that Samson from his birth,
Strongest man that was ever on earth.
Read way back in the ancient times,
Where he killed three thousand of them Philistines.
Samson, he went a-wandering about;
Samson’s strength, it was never found out.
Samson’s wife got up on her knees,
"Pray tell me where your strength lies, if you please."
Samson’s wife, she talk so fair,
Told his wife for to cut his hair.
"Shave my head just as clean as your hand,
And then the strength will come like a natural man."
(Chorus)
John the Baptist and John divine,
Who wine to write that name of mine.
I’ll stick my finger in the blood of the lamb;
I’ll write that name, oh, too divine.
John, he was a witness for my Lord,
John was a witness for my Lord.
John, he was a witness for my Lord,
John, he was a witness for my Lord.
AIN'T THAT A WITNESS (Version 2) Sung by: Gus Mahon; Recorded in Heber Springs, AR 8/22/62
(Dr. Wolf: "Where'd you learn that?"
Mr. Mahon: "Learned it from some blacks I . . . One night I'd been to church, I was about seventeen, eighteen years old, and the blacks was having church, and they keep all night, and I had to ride back by that, you know, horseback. And they was having a big time, and I hooked my pony up and went in there and just sang. The old black preacher sang the first part, and the old women sang that last. They was sitting back there a-fanning, you know, and . . ."
Dr. Wolf: "You mean that 'For my Lord' part, that's where
. . ."
Mr. Mahon: "Yes, 'For my Lord.' And he just sung the other part. Yeah, he'd . . ."
Dr. Wolf: "Where was that? Where was that?"
Mr. Mahon: "Down here at Earle, Arkansas."
Dr. Wolf: "Earle? Oh, I see.")
Click here to listen to the original recording: http://www.lyon.edu/wolfcollection/songs/mahonain't1265.mp3
Well, you read that Samson from his birth,
The strongest man that was ever on earth,
Read way back in the ancient times
Where he killed six thousand of them Philistines.
Samson, he went a-wandering about,
Samson's strength, it was never found out.
Samson's wife got up on her knees,
Saying, "Tell where your strength lies, if you please."
Samson's wife, she talk so fair,
Told his wife for to cut his hair.
Shave my head just as clean as your hand,
Then the strength'll come like a natural man.
Chorus: Well, ain't that a witness
(For my Lord - sung falsetto)
Ain't that a witness
(For my Lord)
Well, ain't that a witness
(For my Lord)
Ain't that a witness
(For my Lord.)
Well, you read that 'Thuselum, from his birth,
Oldest man that was ever on earth,
He lived nine hundred and sixty-nine,
Died and went to Heaven just in due time.
(Chorus)
John the . . . , John divine,
Who'd want to write that name of mine,
Stick my finger in the blood of the lamb,
I'll write that name, oh, too divine.
John, he was a witness
(For my Lord.)
John was a witness
(For my Lord.)
John was a witness
(For my Lord.)
John, he was a witness
(For my Lord.)
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