Come Out of the Wilderness- The Cathedral Quartet

Come Out of the Wilderness
The Cathedral Quartet

Come Out of the Wilderness/Ain’t I Glad I Got Out De Wilderness/Go in the Wilderness/ How Did You Feel When You Come Out of the Wilderness/

Old-Time Spiritual and Folk Song ("Down in Alabam" or "Old Grey Mare" or "Ain’t I Glad I Got Out De Wilderness")

ARTIST: The Cathedral Quartet

1) From Old Plantation Hymns by William Eleazar Barton (Boston, etc.: Lamson, Wolffe and Company, 1899)

2) Folk Songs of the American Negro- p. 61; John Work 1907

http://books.google.com/books?id=aqcNAAAAIAAJ&pg=PP13&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTZcBlvhEBo

John Work: http://books.google.com/books?output=html&id=T0dYAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22surely+he+died+on+calvary%22&jtp=61

CATEGORY: Traditional and Public Domain Gospel 

DATE: 1858; 1867 (W. F. Allen, Slave Songs of the United States); Recorded by Famous Blue Jay Singers 1931

RECORDING INFO:
Ain't I Glad I've Got Out of the Wilderness - Warner, J.

Rt - Go in the Wilderness
Work, John W. / American Negro Songs and Spirituals, Dover, Bk (1998/1940), p185
Herder, Ronald (ed.) / 500 Best-Loved Song Lyrics, Dover dn500/500, Sof (1998), p 84 (Down in Alabama/Alabam)
Bryant's Minstrels. Jackson, Richard (ed.) / Popular Songs of Nineteenth Century America, Dover, Sof (1976), p 65 [1858] (Down in Alabama/Alabam)

Come Out of the Wilderness

Rt - Old Grey/Gray Mare ; How Did You Feel
Norrell, Robert E.. Solomon, Jack & Olivia (eds.) / Sweet Bunch of Daisies, Colonial Press, Bk (1991), p 50 [1960ca]

How Did You Feel When You Come Out of the Wilderness

Us - I Am Leaning on the Lord

I Am Leaning on the Lord

Rt - How Did You Feel
At - How Did You Feel When You Come Out of the Wilderness
Famous Blue Jay Singers. Birmingham Quartet Anthology. Jefferson County Alabama (1926-53), Clanka Lanka CL 144,001/002, LP (1980), trk# B.02 [1931/12]

How Did You Feel

Rt - Come Out of the Wilderness ; I Am Leaning on the Lord
Carawan, Guy & Candie / Sing for Freedom, Sing Out, sof (1990), p 22 

OTHER NAMES: "Come Out of the Wilderness," "I Am Leaning on the Lord" "Ain’t I Glad I Got Out De Wilderness"

OTHER NAMES FOLK SONG: "Out of the Wilderness," "The White Horse." The original melody of the tune now better known as "The Old Grey Mare (Came Out of the Wilderness)," which begins: The old gray mare, she ain't what she used to be, Ain't what she used to be, ain't what she used to be- "Old Abe Lincoln Came Out of the Wilderness," "Johnny Stole a Ham," "Old Yeller Dog," "Old Blind Dog."

SOURCES: Folk Index;

NOTES: "Come Out of the Wilderness" by The Cathedral Quartet is a version of the old traditional spiritual from thr mid 1800s titled "Ain’t I Glad I Got Out The Wilderness" or sometimes titled "Leaning on the Lord." A version with the identical title may be found in Bahama Songs and Stories: Volume 3 by Charles Lincoln Edwards.

The original minstrel version is titled "The Old Grey Mare (Came Out of the Wilderness)." The revivalist hymn, Ain’t I Glad I Got Out De Wilderness, had a common folk ancestor. Bayard (1981) calls it a good example of a popular tune which became traditional (or, if it was a traditional tune reworked by Warner, then a folk tune which became a popular one, which again reverted to folk form). Mark Wilson relates that a parody figured prominently in the famous Lincoln-Douglas campaign of 1860, probably the "Old Abe Lincoln Came Out of the Wilderness" version popular in Civil War times." 

Old Plantation Hymns by William Eleazar Barton (Boston, etc.: Lamson, Wolffe and Company, 1899) called it a popular college song. The song is a popular southern gospel song and under the title, Come Out of the Wilderness, has been recorded by The Cathedral Quartet and others. Other versions use the title, "I Am Leaning on the Lord" or "How Did You Feel When You Come Out of the Wilderness?" which is shortened to:
"How Did You Feel?" 

BALLAD INDEX: Go in the Wilderness
DESCRIPTION: "If you want to go to heaven/go in the wilderness (3x)/...and wait upon the Lord." "If you want to see Jesus..." "Lord, my feet looked new when I come out the wilderness..." [secular playparty version:] "First little lady go in the wilderness..."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1867 (W. F. Allen, Slave Songs of the United States)
KEYWORDS: nonballad religious playparty Jesus
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Allen/Ware/Garrison, p. 14, "Go in the Wilderness" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #11846
RECORDINGS:
Famous Blue Jay Singers, "I'm Leaning on the Lord" (Paramount 13119/Crown 3329, 1932; Champion 50056, c. 1935; Decca 7446, 1938; on Babylon)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Old Gray Mare (I) (The Old Gray Horse; The Little Black Bull)" (tune, structure)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
I Wait Upon the Lord
How Did You Feel When You Came Out of the Wilderness?
Ain't I Glad I Got Out of the Wilderness
Notes: This is the song which is ancestral to "The Old Gray Mare (I) (The Old Gray Horse; The Little Black Bull)" and its kin. - PJS
Or. at least. an early member of the family. The earliest version known, that of Allen/Ware/Garrison, think it might be descended from "Ain't I Glad I Got Out of the Wilderness," which they call a Methodist hymn (though it seems to have long since gone out of their hymnals).

Slave songs of the United States" by Allen, Ware and Garrison first published in 1867 (reprinted once in 1929 and again in the 1960's by Oak Publications, the latter with upgraded musical arrangements) Essentially the same song was printed more recently in "Slave Songs" compiled by Jerry Silverman (Chelsea House 1994)

GO IN THE WILDERNESS- 1867 Allen, Ware and Garrison

If you want to find Jesus, go in the wilderness,
Go in the wilderness, go in the wilderness,
Mournin' brudder, go in de wilderness,
I wait upon de Lord.

CHORUS: I wait upon de Lord, I wait upon de Lord,
I wait upon de Lord, my God, who take away de sin of the world.

You want to be a Christian, go in the wilderness,
Go in the wilderness, go in the wilderness,
Mournin' brudder, go in de wilderness,
I wait upon de Lord.

Similarly: You want to get religion....

If you spec' to be converted (connected)...

O weepin' Mary...

"Flicted sister...

Say, ain't you a member...

Half-done Christian....

Come backslider...

Baptist member....

O seek, brudder Bristol...

Jesus a waitin to meet you in de wilderness...
 

Here's the original lyrics for the old folk song known as "Down in Alabam":

The Old Grey Mare (Came Out of the Wilderness)- J. Warner published by Wm. Hall & Son, N. Y. 1858

(All) Ah! Ah!
(Solo)
My old massa he’s got the dropser, um,
He’s got the dropser, um,
He’s got the dropser, um,
He am sure to die ’kase he’s got no doctor, um,
Down in Alabam’.

Chorus: Ain’t I glad I got out de wilderness,
Got out de wilderness,
Got out de wilderness,
Ain’t I glad I got out de wilderness
Down in Alabam’.

Old blind horse come from Jerusalum,
Come from Jerusalum,
Come from Jerusalum,
He kicks so high dey put him in de museum,
Down in Alabam’.

Chorus:

Dis am a holiday, we hab assembled, um,
We hab assembled, um,
We hab assembled, um,
To dance and sing for de ladies and genbleum,
Down in Alabam’.

Chorus:

Fare you well to de wild goose nation,
Wild goose nation,
Wild goose nation,
I neber will lead de old plantation,
Down in Alabam’.

Chorus:
 
Hain’t I Glad I Got Out De Wilderness- From Old Plantation Hymns by William Eleazar Barton (Boston, etc.: Lamson, Wolffe and Company, 1899)

Hain’t I glad I got out de wilderness
Out de wilderness
Out de wilderness
Hain’t I glad I got out de wilderness
Out de wilderness
Leaning on de Lamb.

Ain't I Glad I Got Out of The Wilderness- Folk Songs of the American Negro p. 61 John Work 1907

1. O, ain't I glad I've got out the wilderness,
Got out the wilderness, got out the wilderness,
Ain't I glad I've got out the wilderness,
Leaning on the Lord.

CHORUS: Come a-leaning on the Lord,
Come a-leaning on the Lord,
Come a- leaning on the Lamb of God,
That takes away the sin of the world.  

2. O, come along, mourner, run out the wilderness,
Run out the wilderness, run out the wilderness,
Come along, mourner, run out the wilderness,
Leaning on the Lord.

3. O, you're long time mourner, coming out of the wilderness,
Coming out of the wilderness, coming out of the wilderness,
Long time mourner, coming out the out of the wilderness,
Leaning on the Lord.

4. O, ain't I glad I've got out the wilderness,
Got out the wilderness, got out the wilderness,
Ain't I glad I've got out the wilderness,
Leaning on the Lord.

Come Out of the Wilderness- The Cathedral Quartet; Album: Faithful (1998)
 
1. Tell me, how did you feel when you
Come out (come out of the wilderness)
Come out (come out of the wilderness)
Come out (come out of the wilderness)
Tell me, how did you feel when you
Come out (come out of the wilderness)
Leaning on the Lord?

2. Did you love everybody when you
Come out (come out of the wilderness)
Come out (come out of the wilderness)
Come out (come out of the wilderness)
Did you love everybody when you
Come out (come out of the wilderness)
Leaning on the Lord?

3. Did you feel like running when you
Come out (come out of the wilderness)
Come out (come out of the wilderness)
Come out (come out of the wilderness)
Well, did you feel like running when you
Come out (come out of the wilderness)
Leaning on the Lord?

(Chorus)
I'm leaning (leaning on the Lord; leaning on the Lord)
I'm leaning (leaning on the Lord; leaning on the Lord)
Oh yes, I'm leaning (leaning on the Lord; leaning on the Lord)
Who died on Calvary

4. Did your soul get happy when you
Come out (come out of the wilderness)
Come out (come out of the wilderness)
Come out (come out of the wilderness)
Did your soul get happy when you
Come out (come out of the wilderness)
Leaning on the Lord?

5. Did you feel like shoutin' when you
Come out (come out of the wilderness)
Come out (come out of the wilderness)
Come out (come out of the wilderness)
Did you feel like shoutin' when you
Come out (come out of the wilderness)
Leaning on the Lord?