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Christians Hold Out Your Light/Hold Out Your Light of God/Heaven-Bound Soldier/Hold Your Light
Public Domain Gospel; Words & Music: Robert Emmet Winsett; No. 33 Songs of Pentecostal Power; 1908
ARTIST: As sung by Ollie Gilbert, Mountain View, Arkansas on October 26, 1971
LISTEN: http://maxhunter.missouristate.edu/songinformation.aspx?ID=1244
SHEET MUSIC: http://books.google.com/books?id=AQMca_ptzbMC&pg=PA33&dq=CHRISTIANS+HOLD+OUT+YOUR
+LIGHT+Winsett&cd=1#v=onepage&q&f=false
DATE: Robert Emmet Winsett; No. 33 Songs of Pentecostal Power; 1908
CATEGORY: Traditional and Public Domain Gospel
RECORDING INFO: Christians Hold Out Your Light
OTHER NAMES: "Hold Out Your Light of God" "Hold Out Your Light"
RELATED TO: "Heaven-Bound Soldier"
SOURCES: Songs of Pentecostal Power- Robert Emmet Winsett; No. 33
Kentucky Folklore Record, Volumes 21-22 - Page 16 Kentucky Folklore Society 1975
NOTES: "Christian Hold Out Your Light" or "Christians Hold Out Your Light" from Ollie Gilbert, Mountain View, Arkansas on October 26, 1971 is a public domain gospel hymn by Robert Emmet Winsett in 1908 that is based on the traditional folk hymn "Hold Out your Light of God" or "Hold Out Your Light." Winsett (song No. 33 in his Songs of Pentecostal Power) probably wrote the verses to go along with the traditional chorus. For additonal verses see link with the sheet music above.
Several African-American versions were collected and printed in N. I. White, 1928, "American Negro Folk-Songs" under the title, "Hold Your Light," even though they sing, "hold out your light." White is tying this song to one collected by Higginson:
Negro Spirituals; Thomas Wentworth Higginson;from the Atlantic Monthly, June 1867
"The favorite song in camp was the following,-sung with no accompaniment but the measured clapping of hands and the clatter of many feet. It was sung perhaps twice as often as any other. This was partly due to the fact that it properly consisted of a chorus alone, with which the verses of other songs might be combined at random.
I. HOLD YOUR LIGHT- Higginson 1867
"Hold your light, Brudder Robert,-
Hold your light,
Hold your light on Canaan's shore.
"What make ole Satan for follow me so?
Satan ain't got notin' for do wid me.
Hold your light,
Hold your light,
Hold your light on Canaan's shore."
CHRISTIANS HOLD OUT YOUR LIGHT- W.E. Winsett 1908
We read scribes and pharisees
who sit at Moses feet
who are partial in the word of God
But their works are not complete.
CHORUS: Christians hold out your light
Christians hold out your light
Christians hold out your light
Hold out the light of God
Hold Out Your Light of God- collected from Ebbert Wedding of the Concord community. Kentucky Folklore Record, Volumes 21-22 - Page 16 Kentucky Folklore Society 1975
Chorus: Hold out your light,
Christians, hold out your light.
Hold out your light of God.
Second Verse: (Dan) (Tate) prays a pretty prayer before he goes to bed
Because he stole (Bob) (Potter's) pretty buggy spread.
I'm going to live with God!
Heaven-Bound Soldier- Best-loved Negro Spirituals: By Nicole Beaulieu Herder, Ronald Herder
Hold out your light, You heaven-bound soldier,
Hold out your light, You heaven-bound soldier,
Hold out your light, You heaven-bound soldier,
Let your light shine round ther world
Christian Hold Out Your Light- Max Hunter Collection- Cat. #1244 (MFH #860) - As sung by Ollie Gilbert, Mountain View, Arkansas on October 26, 1971
http://maxhunter.missouristate.edu/songinformation.aspx?ID=1244
VERSE 1
Today is the day of salvation
If you 'er going with me
You'll have to quit works of men
Christ will set you free
CHORUS:
Christian hold out your light
Christian hold out your light
Christian hold out your light
Hold out the light of God
VERSE 2
You can hide your sin from people
Deceive the Christian men
But God can see you, the darkest night
An' member all o' your sins
VERSE 3
If you 'er, been Christian
An' God's words you repose
To know bye an' bye on the judgement day
You'll reap whatever you sew
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