It's Me Oh Lord (Standing In The Need Of Prayer) lyrics, examples, & comments

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post features five renditions of the gospelized African American Spiritual "Standing In The Need Of Prayer". That song is also known as "It's Me Oh Lord" and "It's Me Oh Lord. Standing In The Need Of Prayer".

By "gospelized Spiritual" I mean a traditional African American Spiritual that is arranged to be performed in a Gospel style.*

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

*Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/10/i-got-shoes-walk-all-over-gods-heaven.html for one traditional version and six examples of gospelized renditions of the African American Spiritual "I Got Shoes".

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STANDARD LYRICS FOR "IT'S ME OH LORD (STANDING IN THE NEED OF PRAYER")
(unknown composer)

It's me, it's me oh Lord
Standing in the need of prayer

It's me, it's me oh Lord
Standing in the need of prayer

Not my mother
Not my father
But it's me oh Lord
Standing in the need of prayer

Not my sister
Not brother
But it's me oh Lord
Standing in the need of prayer

It's me, it's me oh Lord
Standing in the need of prayer

It's me, it's me oh Lord
Standing in the need of prayer

[add other verses by replacing other nouns for "mother & father" or "sister & brother".]
-snip-
"Zipper songs" is a term used by some people to refer to songs like the standard version of "It's Me Oh Lord" (Standing In The Need Of Prayer". In those types of songs a word or words are replaced in each rendition of the song but the other lyrics remain the same. The Spiritual "I Got Shoes" is another example of a "zipper song" as is Fred Hammond's contemporary Gospel song "When The Spirit Of The Lord" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Inx1L0GUPQw.

In contrast to Gospel songs, the specific composers of Spirituals are unknown. I generally consider the composition of Spirituals to have ended after the beginning of the 20th century. However, many Spirituals have been arranged to be sung in a Gospel style.

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FEATURED EXAMPLES
(Presented in chronological order of the recording, with the oldest recording presented first)

Example #1:"Standing In The Need of Prayer" (1956)- The Caravans



JayEm86, Uploaded on May 21, 2008

From 1956, Dorothy Norwood on lead vocals.

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Example #2: Nat King Cole - Standin' In The Need Of Prayer (1959) (HD)

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Gospel Explosion Published on Mar 13, 2012
Nat King Cole
Every Time The Sprit
Standin' In The Need Of Prayer
©1959 Capitol Records

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Example #3: "Standing In The Need Of Prayer"- J. Robert Bradley



Rowoches, Uploaded on Oct 21, 2011

The great J. Robert Bradley, singing "Standing In The Need Of Prayer." From his 1974 Nashboro album titled, I'LL FLY AWAY.

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Example #4: Standing in the Need of Prayer - Southern Harmoneers



pannellctp, Published on Apr 30, 2012

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Example #5: Standing in the Need of Prayer by the New Life Community Choir featuring Pastor John P. Kee



robbieatnsudotcom, Uploaded on Nov 21, 2010

I'm back with another YouTube gospel video. Let us go back almost 20 years (has it been that long?) to 1991. Pastor John P. Kee and his New Life Community Choir from Charlotte, North Carolina came out with one of the most famous albums that he and his group made. The album was "Wash Me"...

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Thanks to the unknown composer/s of this song. Thanks also to the arrangers & featured performed of this song. Thanks also to the publishers of these examples on YouTube.

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Visitor comments are welcome.