Music - Songs & Lyrics

Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Round | | Down By The Riverside | | Hold On | | Jordan River | | Lift Ev'ry Voice And Sing | | This Little Light Of Mine | | Freedom's Voices

INTRODUCTION:
Many of the protest songs of the civil rights movement were either church songs or variations of spirituals. Spirituals are religious folk songs sung by African-Americans during slavery.

Below you can hear samples of spirituals and songs from the civil rights era. Teachers: for this activity, students can choose any song listed below and research what role it played during the civil rights movement (i.e. Was the song sung in marches? Was it a hymn? Was it a spiritual that influenced music during this time?) Present your findings and how you went about your research to the class in a Power Point presentation.

Click PLAY next to each title to hear contemporary voices sing the songs of the civil rights era. Lyrics are also provided.

Be sure to hit STOP before playing next song.

See the Resources section of this study guide for audio CD compilations with original freedom songs. Thank you to Stanley A. Seymour and the Kuumba Singers of Harvard College for performing the songs below. To hear more music by the Kuumba Singers of Harvard College click here

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Down By The Riverside
(Author Unknown – Arrangement and vocals by: Stanley A. Seymour)

Original Lyrics:

I'm gonna lay down my burden,
down by the riverside,
Down by the riverside, down by the riverside
I'm gonna lay down my burden,
down by the riverside,
I'm gonna study war no more
I ain't a gonna study war no more,
I ain't a gonna study war no more
I ain't a gonna study war no more,
I ain't a gonna study war no more
I ain't a gonna study war no more,
I ain't a gonna study war no more

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Hold On
(Author Unknown – Performed by the Kuumba Singers of Harvard College)

Hold on just a little while longer!
Hold on just a little while longer!
Hold on just a little while longer!
Everything will be alright,
everything will be alright.
Pray on just a little while longer. (etc.)
Fight on just a little while longer. (etc.)

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Jordan River
(Author Unknown – Performed by the Kuumba Singers of Harvard College)


Jordan River, I'm bound to cross. (3x)
(Bass) An' I got
One more river to cross.
[Repeat]
King Jesus, He'll be waiting, and He's gonna help me to coss. (3x)
(Bass) An' I got
One more river to cross.
HUM
Free at last, I'm going home. (3x)
(Bass) An' I got
No more river [singular!!] to cross.
Hum

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Lift Ev'ry Voice And Sing
(By: James Weldon Johnson – Performed by the Kuumba Singers of Harvard College)

Lift ev'ry voice and sing,
Till earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the list'ning skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on till victory is won.

Stony the road we trod,
Bitter the chast'ning rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat,
Have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered.
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,
Out from the gloomy past,
Till now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.

God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
Thou who hast brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who hast by Thy might,
Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee,
Lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee;
Shadowed beneath Thy hand,
May we forever stand,
True to our God,
True to our native land.

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This Little Light Of Mine

This little light of mine
I'm going to let it shine
This little light of mine
I'm going to let it shine
This little light of mine
I'm going to let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine
Ev'ry where I go
I'm going to let it shine
Oh, ev'ry where I go
I'm going to let it shine
Ev'ry where I go
I'm going to let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine
All down the road
I'm going to let it shine
All down the road
I'm going to let it shine
All down the road
I'm going to let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine
I’m going to let it shine
I’m going to let it shine
I’m going to let it shine
I’m going to let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine

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Freedoms Voices (Includes: Can’t Give Up Now, Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing, Oh Freedom, and We Shall Overcome. Arrangement by: Sheldon Reid)
Bass
Lift ev'ry voice and sing, 'till earth and heaven ring, ring with the harmonies of liberty.
Let our rejoicing rise, high as the list'ning skies, let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Stony the road we trod, bitter the chast'ning rod, felt in the days when hope unborn had died.
Yet with a steady beat, have not our weary feet, come to the place for which our fathers sighed.
God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, Thou who has brought us thus far on the way.
Thou who has by thy might led us into the light(...)
Tenor
O oh freedom, o oh freedom, o oh freedom over me.
And before I be a slave, I'd be buried in my grave(...), and go home to my Lord and be free.
Alto
I don't feel no ways tired.
I've come too far from where I started from.
Nobody told me that the road would be easy(...)
I don't believe He brought me this far to leave me.
Soprano
We shall overcome.
We shall overcome.
We shall overcome some day.
O oh deep in my heart, I don't believe(...)
Unison
(...) keep us forever in thy path we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places our God where we met Thee.
Lest our hearts drunk with the wine of the world we forget Thee.
Shadowed beneath thy hand, may we forever stand, true to our God, true to our native land.


Original Lyrics of Songs in the Freedom’s Voices medley:

CAN’T GIVE UP NOW (Originally performed by MaryMary)

There will be mountains that I will have to climb
And there will be battles that I will have to fight
But victory all defeat, it's up to me to decide
But how can I expect to win If I never try.
I just can't give up now
I've come too far from where I started from
Nobody told me the road would be easy
and I don't believe he brought me this far to leave me
Never said there wouldn't be trials
Never said I wouldn't fall
Never said that everything would go the way I want it to go
But when my back is against the wall
And I feel all hope is gone,
I'll just lift my head up to the sky
And say help me to be strong
I just can't give up now
I've come too far from where I started from
Nobody told me the road would be easy
and I don't believe he brought me this far to leave me
Hook:
I know you didn't bring me, out here to leave me lonely
Even when I can't see clearly
I know that you are with me(so I can't)
I just can't give up now
I've come too far from where I started from
Nobody told me the road would be easy
and I don't believe he brought me this far to leave me

OH FREEDOM

Oh Freedom, Oh Freedom,
Oh Freedom over me, over me –
Chorus:
And before I’ll be a slave
I’ll be buried in my grave
And go home to my Lord and be free.
No segregation, no segregation,
No segregation over me, over me –
No burning churches, no burning churches,
No burning churches over me, over me –
No more weeping, no more weeping,
No more weeping over me, over me –
No more Pritchett, no more Pritchett,
No more Pritchett over me, over me.

WE SHALL OVERCOME

We shall overcome,
We shall overcome,
We shall overcome some day.
Chorus:
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We shall overcome some day.
We are not afraid, (etc.)
We are not alone, (etc.)
We’ll walk hand in hand, (etc.)
The Lord will see us through, (etc.)*

To hear more music by the Kuumba Singers of Harvard College click here.