Page 6 - VABC Newsletter

PAGE 6 VABC NEWSLETTER

Hymn History

“Go, Tell It On The Mountain” by John Wesley Work, Jr

Refrain:
Go, tell it on the mountain,
over the hills and everywhere;
go, tell it on the mountain
that Jesus Christ is born.

1
While shepherds kept their watching
o’er silent flocks by night,
behold, throughout the heavens
there shone a holy light. John Wesley Work, Jr 1873 - 1925

2 He wrote the first three verses to replace
what was lost from the 1865 original
The shepherds feared and trembled version. The chorus was added in the
when lo! above the earth
rang out the angel chorus mid-nineteenth century. It was first
published in “Folk Song of the American
that hailed our Savior‘s birth. Negro” in 1907.

3
Down in a lowly manger In the 1960s, Peter, Paul, and Mary
modified the song to include the Exodus
the humble Christ was born,
and God sent us salvation and tie it in with the Civil Rights
that blessed Christmas morn. Movement.

4 With his brother (Frederick Jerome), Work
When I am a seeker, is responsible for preserving many of the
I seek both night and day; spirituals from the 1800s.
I seek the Lord to help me,
And He shows me the way:

For more information please see
5 https://hymnary.org/text/while_shepherds_kept_the
He made me a watchman
ir_watching
Upon the city wall,

And if I am a Christian,
I am the least of all.

Our History Highlight

Like many African American churches, VABC holds “Watch Night Service” as part of the
commemoration of December 31, 1862 – “Freedom’s Eve” – when we gathered in
churches and homes to await the stroke of midnight. The Emancipation Proclamation
became law on Jan 1, 1863 and slaves in all Confederate States were declared legally
free.