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Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Examples Of "Ate Up", "Ate Down", "Hard", "Clocked Their Tea" & Some Other African American Vernacular English Words & Sayings In The Discussion Thread For A "You Make Me Go To Sleep" Stomp & Shake Cheer

 

@SAGINAWDANCESHOW, December 5, 2025

****
Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases a YouTube video of Sparkman High School (Harvest, Alabama)'s cheerleading team performing the cheer "You Make Me Go To Sleep".

This post also presents selected comments from this YouTube video's discussion thread that include certain contemporary (particularly after 2015) African American Vernacular English words and phrases. Notes about those words and phrases are Included after those comments. 

The content of this post is presented for historical, etymological, and cultural purposes. 

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the composers of this video and thanks to all those who are faetured in this video. Thanks to Saginaw Dance Show, the publisher of this YouTube showcased video. Thanks a
lso to all those who are quoted in this post. 
-snip-
Click 
https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/02/the-yall-tiredyou-make-us-go-to-sleep.html for the pancocojams post "The "Y'All Tired"/"You Make Us Go To Sleep" Stomp & Shake Basketball Cheer/s (video, words, and descriptions)".

****
All of these examples are from the discussion thread for the video that is showcased above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBRgM-iBeow

All of these comments are from December 2024 and January 2025.

Numbers are given for referencing purposes only.

Additions and corrections are welcome.

I. EXAMPLES OF COMMENTS FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD THE INCLUDE THE WORD "ATE" OR WORDS FROM THE "ATE FAMILY"

1. @eri_iamherr
"They ate that up๐Ÿค—❤️"

**
2. @AleandraHyde-yf9wz
"
They ate and left no crumbs my fav cheer so far and I plan on being a cheerleader when I’m in high school ❤"

**
3. 
@camilledavis2000
"THE BLANKETSS?? Now y’all know y’all ate down"

**
4. @down-kg8mt
"this cheer is crazy lmaoo!! having blankets out just for this cheer is so funny. they knew it was worth it bc this ATE"

**
5. @TemiPeters-z1h
"You did so good I couldn’t even hear what you were saying, but I saw the move and y’all ate"

**
6. @MiaWilliams-lq2dp
"Omggg what were they saying.. they ate that and the blankets are the best part"

**
7. @kingandcici6639
"Bro nah cause why yall eat that up like that??? The slump over had me but when yall pulled out the blankets boy I screamed cause WHAT??? ๐Ÿคฃ❤️๐Ÿ”ฅ"

**
8. @Kim-q1t8h
"The blankets actually ate down"

**
9. @thats_tea
"Ok y’all ate downnnnnnnnn❤"

**
10..@iconicc.mariamm
"this routine is eating so hard especially the end with the blankets! whoever made this routine needs a shoutout"
-snip-
"eating so hard" = doing something exceptionally well

"Shout out" = public recognition and applause 

****
Additional Explanations:
Ate= (past tense, verb) meaning "to do something exceptionally well". "Eat" is the present tense verbalform of "ate".

The sayings "ate [it] up" and "ate and left no crumbs" came before "ate [it] down".  Although some people may disagree, I believe the all of these sayings mean the same thing i.e. none of these sayings are stronger than the other. 

****
II. EXAMPLES OF COMMENTS FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD THE INCLUDE THE AAVE WORD "HARD" / "HARDEST"

1. @Bixarope
"never been a fan of cheer but this goes hard!"

**
2. @almightyvicc-yt902
"One of the hardest cheers I seen in a long time maybe since I was 9"

**
Reply
3. @Beans2334
"How is this hard??"

**
Reply
4. @CinnamonBrooke
"I’m a cheerleader and I think I’d be able to do that cheer. I’ve practiced for a long time and it doesn’t look too hard. I hope…๐Ÿ˜‚"

**
Reply
5. @reet7060,January 2025
"@Beans2334 hard also means badass or cool in AAVE๐Ÿ˜‚"

** 

****

III EXAMPLES OF COMMENTS FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD THE INCLUDE SOME OTHER CONTEMPORARY AAVE WORDS OR EXPRESSIONS"

1. @JuaniqueVerde
"YOU LAME AND YOU MAKE US GO TO SLEEP!! ๐Ÿ˜ด get it girls!!!"
-snip-
"Lame" = not hip, not cool, weak (not up to date with the latest African American urban culture)

"Get it!"= an exclamation of enthusiasm and support meaning "Continue to do what you are doing well  

**
2. @1pastortony
"They clocked that"
-snip-
There are a lot of (old and relatively new) English language vernacular meanings for the word "clocked". My guess is that the word "clocked" in this comment is another way of saying that their cheer really "hit the spot"; They were "on point" - in other words, they did exactly what they were supposed to do, when they were supposed to do it, and they did it very well.

**
3. @Love4family
"They Ateee that all the uppp period, and they clocking their tea, they did real good๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ”ฅ❤️"
-snip-
"clocked their tea" = told them to their face (clocked them; "told them what time it is") what you thought about them (told them their truth).

**
4. @brittanycross9096
"Girls, y’all ate and took the plates. Kitchen closed boo, we bout to go to sleep."
-snip-
"boo"= an affectionate nickname for a female or male (or-in this example, the entire group of female cheerleaders). In the context of this comment, "boo" is a synonym for "girlfriends" (in the unromantic sense of that word).

**
5. @SandalyHenderson-g1u
"Get it girls! I love this! It takes me back to my high school cheer and step battles. That’s fighting words in cheer form๐Ÿ˜‚❤"
-snip-
In the context of this comment, "step" means "step team" (i.e. synchronized hand clapping and foot stomping routines that were originally performed by historically African American Greek letter fraternities and sororities). Note that in historically African American Greek letter organizations culture, fraternities "battle" (compete) in step shows (and stroll competitions) against other fraternities and sororities battle against other sororities. Fraternities don't battle against sororities and vice versa.

**
6.@exquisite921
"Ughhhhhh the former cheerleader in me LOVEESSSS THIS lmaooo games would be so lit and trust the other team will steal it and try to throw it back in a future game ๐Ÿ˜‚"
-snip-
The word "Ugh" used to mean something that wasn't good, but in vernacular English, it can just be an introductory expression that means "Well" or "You know". "Notice that "Ughhhhhh" is elongated with a number of letters at the end. Elongating words indicates that the word's meaning is strengthened.

"Lit" is part of the hot/fire family of words and emojis (along with "fire!", smoking, the bomb, dynamite etc.). The AAVE meanings of these words are that something or someone does or did something exceptional well. This meaning of "hot" doesn't have any sexual connotation. 

**
7. @naviminnette
"y' all  slayed"
-snip-
"Slayed" means "did something very good" (This has the same meaning as "killed it" and "murdered it").

**
8. @BobaTea-tj2xc
"this cheer is amazing and I would love it if my school did this type of thing bc this is honestly so us lol. You guys r rly pretty and rly good at what you do btww"
-snip-
Here's how this comment is written in standard English: "This cheer is amazing and I would love it if my school did this type of thing because this is honestly so us lol. You guys are really  pretty and really good at what you do by the way"

"Petty"= trivial, unimportant
In contemporary African American Vernacular English, verbal disses (insults) or actions (such as the cheerleaders covering their body and pretending to go to sleep to indicate that their cheerleader competitors were boring is considered to be "petty". Those words and actions may be  applauded for being clever or creative 

**
9. @jahmiahshaffer3413
"Attteee๐Ÿ˜ญ๐Ÿ˜ญ๐Ÿ˜ญ๐Ÿฅฐ too cute"
-snip-
"Attteee" = an elongated form of the word "ate"

"too cute" is a compliment that means something is done very well; (It is visually and emotionally pleasing). 

**
10.
@ashantionnavibes2804
"You know other team was tight❤"
-snip-
There are multiple African American Vernacular English meanings for the word "tight". 
In the context of this comment, "tight" has the African American Vernacular English meaning of "mad"/"angry".  

**
11. @JBanks333
"๐ŸŒฌ๐Ÿ“ข๐Ÿ’จ They ๐Ÿ‘ eveled all tha way UP."
-snip-
"Leveled up" = moved from one level to a higher level or levels (in the context of this comment, the "levels" refer to cheers and cheer routines.

**
12. @tanyascott253
"Ok they snapped"
-snip-
In the context of this comment "snapped" = did something very well (Their cheer/cheer routine is worthy of "snaps" from others (Nowadays (in the 2000s) giving someone "snaps" means that you approve of what they did. This meaning of "snaps" comes from the 1950s vernacular meaning when people would snap their fingers together to applaud a Jazz performance or a spoken word performance.

**
13. 
@BaBiieShouShou
"The blankets really made your cheer pop ❤❤❤❤❤❤"
-snip-
In the context of this comment, "pop" means "makes the routine stand out, become more noticeable, more striking, more unique and memorable"

**
14.@DaniDoesItAll
"Baby this is my type of cutting up ๐Ÿ˜‚❤๐ŸŽ‰"
-snip-
In African American Vernacular English, "to cut up" ("cutting up") may mean "to engage in lighthearted, mischievous behavior, "fooling around". 

**
15. @jalexissklanaeee
"they ate that up no cap"
-snip-
"No cap" = "no lie" (I (really) mean it. / "I'm (really) telling the truth". 

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Visitor comments are welcome.
 

The "Y'All Tired"/"You Make Us Go To Sleep" Stomp & Shake Basketball Cheer/s (video, words, and descriptions)



@SAGINAWDANCESHOW, December 5, 2025
-snip-
This video doesn't show the beginning of this cheer. The words for "You Make Us Go To Sleep" portion of this cheer are given below. 

****
Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases a YouTube video of Sparkman High School (Harvest, Alabama)'s cheerleading team performing the cheer "You Make Me Go To Sleep".

This post also includes information about a Nov. 10, 2023 TikTok video of Sparkman High School's cheerleading squad performing the cheer "Y'all Tired" that includes the words for "You Make Go To Sleep" or at least a version of that cheer. Selected comments from that TikTok video's discussion thread are included in this post.

The Addendum to this post showcases a January 16, 2025 YouTube video short of another middle school or high school cheerleading squad performing this cheer. Parts of the words for this version of the cheer are given along with that video.. 

The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Sparkman High School cheerleaders and all who are associated with that cheerleading squad for introducing other cheerleaders and the world to the "Y'all Tired" / "You Make Us Go To Sleep" cheer/s. Thanks to  all those who are featured in this video. Thanks to Sparkman Bsketball Cheer for publishing a video of this cheer/s on TikTok and thanks to Saginaw Dance Show, the publisher of this YouTube showcased video. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/02/examples-of-ate-up-ate-down-hard.html for the closely related pancocojams post with the title "Examples Of "Ate Up", "Ate Down", "Hard", "Clocked Their Tea" & Some Other African American Vernacular English Words & Sayings In The Discussion Thread For A "You Make Me Go To Sleep" Stomp & Shake Cheer".

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DISCLAIMER
i am an African American woman who is a self-described community folklorist. I've been interested in collecting, documenting, studying, and sharing African American children's rhymes & singing games, as well as African American children's, teens, and adults' chants and cheers since the mid 1980s. 

I've never been a cheerleader and I've never been associated with any cheerleading squad.

I definitely don't consider myself an expert on Stomp & Shake cheerleading.

For folkloric, historical, and cultural purposes, please add to and correct information about and word to this cheer or cheers that are featured in this post by commenting in this post's discussion thread below and/or by communicating with me via my email that is given at the side of this post. Thanks! 

****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE "Y'ALL TIRED" CHEER
"Y'all Tired" / "You Make Us Go To Sleep" is a Stomp & Shake basketball cheer/s that can also be categorized as bleacher (stand) cheers and diss (insult) cheer/s.

The earliest video that I've come across for "Y'all Tired" that was published November 10, 2023 by Sparkman Basketball Cheer. Unfortunately, I don't know how to publish TikTok videos in this pancocojams post. 

DESCRIPTION OF THE NOVEMBER 2023 TIKTOK VIDEO
The "Y'all Tired" TikTok video features one male (the coach or a tall student?) and all other female members of the Sparkman High School cheerleaders performing that bleacher cheer in the gym during a basketball game. The cheerleaders are shown chanting and doing a cheerleader routine while standing in a school's bleachers during a basketball game. The cheerleading squad consists of all females and one male. The male looks older than the females, but that he may still have been a high school student at the time that that video was taped. At the end of the cheer that is now referred to as "You Make Us Go To Sleep", all the female cheerleaders quickly reach down to the bleacher, pick up an individual small blanket, flop down to the bleacher's seat, and cover themselves with their blanket (including covering their head). At the same time, that male cheerleader does a high leg lift holding own to his small blanket. He then jumps from the first bleacher and does a split on the gym floor. 

In that November 2023 TikTok video the words toY'all Tired" appear to end with basically the same words as the now viral cheer that is known as "You Make Us Go To Sleep". Unfortunately, as is the case with most Stomp & Shake cheers, it's quite difficult for many people-including me- to understand what these cheerleaders are chanting. Being unable to understand the words that S
tomp & Shake cheerleaders chant in their videos is a common complaint in discussion threads for almost all of these videos (that have discussion threads). I believe that is because Stomp & Shake cheerleaders chant with deep, bass voices in order to preserve their voices and enable themselves to be heard over the announcements and other noise of the basketball game. I believe those bass voices usually make it difficult to "hear" what it is the cheerleaders are saying.  

SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD FOR THE NOVEMBER 2023 TIKTOK VIDEO

In that November 10, 2023 "Y'all Tired" TikTok discussion thread commenters repeatedly requested the words to that cheer, but didn't receive any response or any complete responses from anyone who knew all the words for that cheer. Here are some examples of those comments:

(Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.)

1.
Mal Leslie๐Ÿ’•
"We couldn’t even hear anything being said ๐Ÿ˜ญ"
2023-11-16

**
2.❤️‍๐Ÿ”ฅ ❄️๐Ÿš๐ŸŒบ✨๐Ÿซง๐Ÿ’๐ŸŒฌ️๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ“ธ
"Mann they acting stingy with the lyrics ๐Ÿ˜‚ , but they ate"
2023-12-8

**
3. nessa
"all u neee to know is that they going to sleep"
2023-12-10

**
4.Ty Lynn
"
Ion know what they said but i think they ate ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ”ฅ"
2023-12-12

**
5.Mal Leslie๐Ÿ’•
"I’m a “bob jones” cheerleader and we couldn’t understand anything until this video was posted๐Ÿ’€"
2023-12-17

**
6. [no screen name given]
"lolllll, we can never hear what sparkman be saying"
2024-4-11

**
7. 
Ariel Rosse
"I heard the beginning but after that they lost me๐Ÿ˜ญ"
2024-1-4

**
8. ๐Ÿ˜ปJayla..
"Can we please get the words ๐Ÿ˜ญ yall cheer ate"
2024-10-5

**
9. heartzzz444maddie_
"Can somebody tell me what they saying I wanna do this for my cheer team"
2024-12-9

****
A few commenters shared the words for that cheer that they believed they heard in that video  Here are some of those comments:

(Numbers are added for referencing purposes only)

1. kennedy nicole ๐Ÿซถ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿค
"SLEEEEEEEP ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ’ค"
2023-11-10

**
2. Pretty on purpose๐ŸคŽ
"translation : bob chose this and bob chose that , you wack and you wack and you wack and you wack"
2023-12-10

**
3. Pretty on purpose๐ŸคŽ
"wassup , get buck yall whole team really ain’t tough. something about being tired and goin to sleep ๐Ÿ˜‚ idk sh-t*"
2023-12-10
-snip-
*This word is fully spelled out in that comment. The words "idk sh-t" aren't part of the cheer, but are an indication that the commenter didn't understand what else was said.

**
4. Yonnaaaa๐Ÿ’•
"Ball choose this & ball choose that you whack you whack and you whack ….blah blah bout to fall asleep is what I heard๐Ÿ˜ญ๐Ÿ˜ญ๐Ÿ˜ญ๐Ÿ˜ญ"
2023-12-12

**
5. Jay K
"And then what’s up y’all get buck…y’all whole team really do suck..that’s all I caught"
2023-12-13

**
6. georgia<3
“bob jones this and bob jones that you wack and you wack and you wack and you wack what’s up, get buck, yalls whole team really ain’t tough, hold on hold on hold on hold on, ouuu yall tired."
2023-12-18

**
7. J@zTh3.__.Dr3@m3r
"WE ABT TO GO TO SLEEPPPPP ๐Ÿ˜ด ๐Ÿ’ค ๐Ÿ›Œ"
2023-12-24

****
WAS SOMEONE FROM SPARKMAN HIGH SCHOOL THE ORIGINAL COMPOSER OF THE "YOU MAKE US GO TO SLEEP" CHEER?
I don't know if anyone from Sparkman High School has formally or informally stated that someone from their school composed the "Y'all Tired" /"You Make Us Go To Sleep" cheer/s.
Given how freely cheers have been "copied" (stolen) among Stomp & Shake cheerleading squads prior to the internet and since the internet, It  may not be possible to determine without any shadow of a doubt who was the actual composer/s of the "Y'all Tired"/"You Make Us Go To Sleep" cheer. Adding to this picture is the fact that similar cheers can be independently composed by different people without any contact between those people. That may account for this example that was published by a commenter in the December 5, 2024 video's discussion thread for Sparkman High School's "You Make Us Go To Sleep 'video:

@heavenspickles, December 2024
"I was on my school cheer team last year and we had one simliar to it and we said "What you said the cheer was weak yall over there putting Us to sleep" and we did it 3 times and the last time we fell out and pretended to go to sleep."

****
Whether or not someone from Sparkman High School was the original composer of "Y'all Tired" / "You Make Us Go To Sleep", there's no doubt that they were the first cheerleading squad to publish a video of hat cheer online on TikTok on November 10, 2023. Also, there's no doubt that Sparkman High School's November 2023 video and December 5, 2024 video of this cheer are the videos that caused that "You Make Us Go To Sleep" to go viral online and among middle school and high school Stomp & Shake cheerleading squads.  

Thank you, Sparkman High School cheerleaders! 

****
DESCRIPTION OF THE DECEMBER 2024 SPARKMAN HIGH SCHOOL VIDEO THAT IS TITLED "YOU MAKE US GO TO SLEEP"
Some video examples of the "You Make Us Go To Sleep" Stomp & Shake bleacher cheer  have slightly different words and different movements. However, the end of this cheer as performed by the all female Sparkman High School cheerleading squad (in their December 2024 video) is what makes this video so popular. At the end of their cheer each cheerleader grabs their own small blanket that was previously hidden on the floor of the bleachers, flop down on the seat of the bleacher, and pretend to go to sleep with the blanket over their face.

While the female cheerleaders did the same actions at the end of their November 10, 2023 TikTok video, the viewers' responses to those actions were muted by their male cheerleader in that video making a dramatic jump from the bleacher to a split on the gym floor. 

****
WORDS FOR THE SPARKMAN HIGH SCHOOL VIDEO "YOU MAKE US GO TO SLEEP"
(as performed by S
parkman High School, Harvest, Alabama, YouTube video, December 5, 2024)

Captain: Y'all tired.
Team: You lame and you make us go to sleep.
Captain: I SAID...
Team: You lame and you make us go to sleep.
You tryin to compete but you know you gone get beat.
Sleep.
We bout to go to sleep. We bout to go to… Sleeeep....
-snip-
As indicated above, the YouTube video that was published by @SaginawDanceShow doesn't start at the beginning of this cheer. I believe that what isn't shown are the words as suggested in the comments about the November 10, 2023 TikTok video (whichever those words are).

The first words that the captain (or another cheerleader says) are directed to the cheerleaders on her squad. The solo cheerleader probably chants along with her team. The team's words are directed to the opposing cheerleading squad.

The word "lame" here means "uncool" (boring, unhip, not up to date with the latest "hip" culture).

The word "gone" means "gonna" ("going to").
-snip-
Two commenters in this YouTube video's discussion thread identified the name of the school that these cheerleaders are from. I googled that name and learned that that school is in Harvest, Alabama. 

I watched the Sparkman High School's
 December 5, 2024 YouTube video and read most of that video's discussion thread comments (as of 9:35 PM EST Feb.4, 2025) before searching for and watching their November 10, 2023 Sparkman High School 's TikTok video and reading most of their comments.

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ADDENDUM- A VIDEO SHORT OF ANOTHER VERSION OF THE "YOU MAKE US FALL ASLEEP" CHEER 



๐Ÿ€๐Ÿฉถ❤️ YOU MAKE US GO TO SLEEP ๐Ÿ“ฃ #cheer #cheerleading #highschoolbasketball
-snip-
Here are two comments from this video's discussion thread:

@Kelsey-s1j, January 2025
"How do the song go aka the cheer"

**
Reply
@SAGINAWDANCESHOW, 2025
"You mad and u make us go to sleep

You tried to compete but know u gon repeat"
-snip-
This video doesn't begin at the beginning of the cheer.

Here are the words that I think they are saying for this version of this cheer:.
(One cheerleader): You what?
(Team) - "You mad and u make us go to sleep.
You tried to compete but know you gone be beat
You mad and you make us go to sleep.
You make us go to ooooo [team flops down as if sleeping]
-snip-
When they pretend to be sleeping, these cheerleaders don't cover their bodies with blankets or anything else. 

****
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Visitor comments are welcome.

Monday, February 3, 2025

Sweet Honey in The Rock -"In the Morning When I Rise" (sound file, lyrics, & comments)


Idoitfortheglory, Nov 7, 2008

One of my favorite songs by the dynamic group, Sweet Honey in The Rock!

****
Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases a YouTube sound file of Sweet Honey In The Rock's performance of the African American gospelized Spiritual* "In the Morning When I Rise". I'm particularly interested in documenting this example of double clapping (African American church claps). 

This post also presents the lyrics for that song as well as selected comments about that song from that YouTube sound file's discussion thread. 

The content of this post is presented for religious, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Sweet Honey In The Rock for their cultural legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.
-snip-
*Gospelized Spiritual" is my term for a Spiritual that is performed in a Gospel style, particularly in an African American Gospel style.   

Click the "Sweet Honey In The Rock" tag below for more pancocojams posts about this group.

Click  https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2023/03/old-school-black-gospel-music-low.html for the pancocojams post "
Old School Black Gospel Music: "Low Country Claps" (also known as "Charleston Claps" And "Double Claps")"

Also, click the tags below for other pancocojams posts on those subjects.
****

(BASIC) LYRICS - IN THE MORNING WHEN I RISE *

In the morning
(When I rise)
Oh, In the morning
(When I rise)
Oh, in the morning
(When I rise)
I wanna rise holy
(When I rise)

Oh, In the morning
(When I rise)
Oh, In the morning
(When I rise)
Oh, in the morning
(When I rise)
I wanna rise holy
I wanna was sanctified
I wanna rise holy
(When I rise)

Oh, In the morning
(When I rise)
Oh, in the morning
(When I rise)
Oh, in the morning
(When I rise)
I wanna rise standing
I wanna was shouting
I wanna rise holy
(When I rise)

(Repeat these words or similar words).

Additions and corrections are welcome.
-snip-
*This is my transcription of this recording. (The lyrics that are given in genius.com
don't match this recording.)

-snip-
Here's information about this song from https://genius.com/Sweet-honey-in-the-rock-in-the-morning-when-i-rise-lyrics
"There is no known author attributed to “In The Morning When I Rise” because the song was created by African people in the 18th century who were living in captivity after being kidnapped into the United States. Forced into the fields of a foreign land, to do hard labor from morning to night must have been pure torture, yet these remarkable human beings refused to be denied their spiritual voice and human dignity. Their painful sacrifices and undeniable brilliance gave us this intoxicating song, beloved by generations of music lovers for it’s joyful power and triumphant beauty.

This acapella version of “In The Morning When I Rise” sung by Sweet Honey In The Rock delivers the song into the 21st century, accenting it’s famous verses with feverish clapping and a modern composition full of rich harmonies and R&B flavored background singing."

****
TESTIFYING AD LIB IN THIS RENDITION OF SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK'S RENDITION OF "IN THE MORNING WHEN I RISE"

as sung by Ms. Barnwell ( ?); transcribed by  @Swgabjr, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAJBZXIzKcY

One of these morning

It won't be long

You'll look for me child

And I'll be gone

 

I'm goin up to heaven

To sing and shout

There'll be nobody there

To turn me out

 

I'm goin' up to heaven

To sing and tell

Angels in heaven

Goin toll the bell

 

Shake hands with Moses, Ruth,

Esther, and John

Tell them but this tedious journey

I done run

 

Gonna go a little further

And meet my father

With Frederick Douglas and Sojourner Truth

Walk down by the river

Meet Harriet Tubman

Her battles done been fought

And her victories  won

All the saints gathered around God's throne

Gon' Shout Hallelujah

And welcome me home

 

I wanna rise Holy

I wanna rise Sanctified!!

(repeat this phrase as the spirit moves...)

When I-------RISE
(extend this closing line, reference Sweet Honey in the Rock recording --In the Morning When I Rise, lead Bernice Johnson Reagon)

****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THISYOUTUBE SOUND FILE'S DISCUSSION THREAD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAJBZXIzKcY

Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.
 

2009

1. @ochoriostube
"At the Kennedy Center for the Arts! Wonderful!!!"


2010

2. @nodlew1943
"Love it!  This is down home gospel music. That makes you shout!   :-) 

What album was this on?"
-snip-
From genius.com's page on this song:
"This is track #7 from the 1993 CD "Still On The Journey". 
Journey (1993)

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2011

3. @KRxN11
"This tradition is what sustains us and rejuvenates us. Through the years, through the lonely nights and burdensome days in this Babylon called Amerikkka! God bless these Sisters!krxn11"

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Reply
4. @nodlew1943
"@KRxN11  Indeed!  Its the down home gospel that stir the souls that truly sustains us!  I have an old soul.  Today's gospel is too secular.  Must have that old school element."

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2012

5. @indiefilms111
"i feel like shouting when i hear this song"

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2013

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2014

6. @aaronrevealed
"Sweet Honey is CHURCH!  Amen!"

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Reply
7. @dwi5114, 2015
"You ain't never lied!"

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8. @nodlew1943
"Love it!  This is down home gospel music. That makes you shout!   :-)"

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9. @QuakerBoy100
"The real thing!"

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10. @missizpresident
"Honoring All my ancestors today."

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11. @eringobraugh1916
"Magnificent .. powerful .. courageous and strong .."

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2015

12. @playhe57
"I have loved them since I saw and heard them at the Mariposa folk festival in the 70s."

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13. @renaycunningham5656
"WOW AWESOME it gave me chills"

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2016

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2017

14. @angela-d4477
"
Yess!! They performed at the 1 Year Annniversary of the National African American History and Culture Museum yesterday! My family and I caught them near the end of their performance. They were good! I’d love to see them live again one day!"

 

2018

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2019


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2020

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2021

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2022

15. @rosemaryswan3782
"Women's History salute to Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon of Dougherty County, Albany, Georgia on lead with "Sweet Honey in the Rock", an accapella group she founded in Washington, D.C. Additionally, along with fellow Albanian Ruth Harris, Cordell Reagon and Charles Neblett she is a founding member of the Original SNCC Freedom Singers and while in Atlanta was involved with the Harambee Singers. So proud of Dr. BJR, Civil rights activist, scholar, historian, author, musician, professor, editor,  producer, writer, human rights activist, soldier, freedom singer and songwriter.

A shining star!"

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16. @ericablige9449
"Ase๐Ÿ’œ"
-snip-
Ase (also written "ashe") is a Yoruba (Nigeria) word that means "power, command, life, energy). Ase can be translated to mean something like "Hallelujah!" and/or "God Almighty!"  In the United States (and elsewhere?) ase is pronounced "ah-shay".


This single word "Ase" was written in this discussion thread by several other commenters after this commenter.

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2023

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2024

17. @phdreed
"Rest in sweet peace Bernice Johnson Reagon ๐Ÿ˜ข"
-snip-
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernice_Johnson_Reagon
"Bernice Johnson Reagon (October 4, 1942 – July 16, 2024) was an American song leader, composer, professor of American history, curator at the Smithsonian, and social activist. In the early 1960s, she was a founding member of the Freedom Singers, organized by the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in the Albany Movement for civil rights in Georgia.[1][2] In 1973, she founded the all-black female a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock, based in Washington, D.C.[3] Reagon, along with other members of the SNCC Freedom Singers, realized the power of collective singing to unify the disparate groups who began to work together in the 1964 Freedom Summer protests in the South.[4]"...

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Sunday, February 2, 2025

Sweet Honey In The Rock- "Ella’s Song: We Who Believe In Freedom Cannot Rest Until It Comes" (Video, Lyrics, & Information)


Geepereet  Dec 2, 2008

Words won't do so you'll have to listen..........

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases the song "Ella's Song: We Who Believe In Freedom Can Not Rest (Until It Comes".

A 2008 YouTube video of of the a cappella group Sweet Honey In The Rock performing this song is included in this post along with the lyrics for that song.

This post also presents information about Civil Rights leader Ella Baker as well as information about the "Ella's Song" and information about Sweet Honey In The Rock.

The content of this post is presented for historical, socio-cultural, inspirational, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Ella Baker for her legacy and thanks to Sweet Honey In The Rock for their legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.

-snip-

Click https://civilrightssongs.blogspot.com/2014/12/sweet-honey-in-rock-ellas-song-we-who.html
for a 2014 post about this song on pancocojams' sister blog "Civil Rights Songs".

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INFORMATION ABOUT THIS SONG
" "Ella’s Song: We Who Believe In Freedom Cannot Rest Until It Comes" is a contemporary protest song  that was composed by Bernice Johnson Reagon for the a capella African American heritage vocal group Sweet Honey In the Rock.

Here's a quote from Nan Dillard's review of "Ella Song" on http://ellabakercenter.org/blog/2013/12/ellas-song-we-who-believe-in-freedom-cannot-rest-until-it-comes :
["Ella’s Song: “We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest Until it Comes”] "is an anthem, a meditation on the ultimate lesson of the freedom fight passed down generationally by Ms. Ella herself that is meant to be spoken boldly out loud or under one’s breath as the situation demands to empower both purpose and resolve."

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INFORMATION ABOUT ELLA BAKER
Here's information about Ella Baker, the civil rights activist whose life work inspired this song:
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ella_Baker
" "Ella Josephine Baker (December 13, 1903 – December 13, 1986) was an African-American civil rights and  human rights activist. She was a largely behind-the-scenes organizer whose career spanned over five decades. She worked alongside some of the most famous civil rights leaders of the 20th century, including W. E. B. Du Bois, Thurgood Marshall, A. Philip Randolph, and Martin Luther King, Jr. She also mentored many emerging activists such as Diane Nash, Stokely Carmichael, Rosa Parks, and Bob Moses. She was a critic of professionalized, charismatic leadership and a promoter of grassroots organizing and radical democracy.[1] She has been called "One of the most important African American leaders of the twentieth century and perhaps the most influential woman in the civil rights movement."...

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INFORMATION ABOUT SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK
From http://sweethoneyintherock.org/
"Sweet Honey In The Rock® is a performance ensemble rooted in African American history and culture. The ensemble educates, entertains and empowers its audience and community through the dynamic vehicles of a cappella singing and American Sign Language interpretation for the Deaf and hearing impaired. Sweet Honey’s audience and community comes from diverse backgrounds and cultures throughout the United States and around the world, and includes people of all ages, economic/education/social backgrounds, political persuasions, religious affiliations, sexual preferences and differing abilities."....

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LYRICS: ELLA'S SONG: WE WHO BELIEVE IN FREEDOM CANNOT REST UNTIL IT COMES

(Composed by Bernice Johnson Reagon, 1988)

 

We who believe in freedom cannot rest

We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes

 

Until the killing of black men, black mothers' sons

Is as important as the killing of white men, white mothers' sons

 

That which touches me most

Is that I had a chance to work with people

Passing on to others that which was passed on to me

 

To me young people come first

They have the courage where we fail

And if I can but shed some light as they carry us through the gale

 

The older I get the better I know that the secret of my going on

Is when the reins are in the hands of the young, who dare to run against the storm

 

Not needing to clutch for power

Not needing the light just to shine on me

I need to be one in the number as we stand against tyranny

 

Struggling myself don't mean a whole lot, I've come to realize

That teaching others to stand up and fight is the only way my struggle survives

 

I'm a woman who speaks in a voice and I must be heard

At times I can be quite difficult, I'll bow to no man's word

We who believe in freedom cannot rest

We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes

 

Source: https://genius.com/Sweet-honey-in-the-rock-ellas-song-lyrics

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