Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest Revision- Nov. 23, 2023
"Shouting John" (also known as "Hold My Mule") is a story that Shirley Caesar shares prior to she and her choir singing the Gospel song "I'm Going To Praise The Lord While I Have A Chance". Because of the popularity of Shirley Caesar's rendition of that introductory story, her remix of "I"m Going To Praise The Lord While I Have A Chance", is most widely known as "Hold My Mule".
This post provides an explanation of story of that song, the basic lyrics to the Gospel song "I'm Going To Praise The Lord While I Have A Chance", and showcases two videos of Shirley Caesar & choir singing "I'm Going To Praise The Lord" etc.).
The content of this post is presented for religious and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Shirley Caesar for her musical legacy. And thanks to the publisher of these videos on YouTube.
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Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-black-gospel-source-of-u-name-it.html for the pancocojams post entitled "The Black Gospel Source of The "Beans, Greens, Potatoes, Tomatoes (U Name It) Song & Dance Challenge".
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "SHOUTING JOHN" (ALSO KNOWN AS "HOLD MY MULE") [added after the "Greens, Beans, Potatoes, Tomatoes, U Name It" viral internet meme in 2016
From http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7587981/gospel-legend-shirley-caesar-soars-thanks-to-remix-memes-of-hold
"Gospel icon Shirley Caesar's remix of "Hold My Mule," featuring Albertina Walker and Milton Brunson, kicks onto Billboard's Hot Gospel Songs chart (dated Dec. 3) at No. 2, propelled by its No. 1 debut on Gospel Streaming Songs, as it surges by 7,510 percent to 821,000 U.S. streams in the week ending Nov. 17, according to Nielsen Music. The 79-year-old vocalist and pastor originally recorded the track in 1988.* (Caesar first reached a Billboard chart in 1975.)
Why the sudden surge in the song's popularity? In the tradition of recent social media memes (like the Mannequin Challenge) comes the #UNameIt Challenge, which started when DJ Suede The Remix God created an update of "Mule," with special focus on the line, "beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes" among other food shout-outs, obviously timely just ahead of Thanksgiving."...
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In this article: https://abc11.com/gospel-icon-shirley-caesar-beans-greens-tomatoes/1623066/ "Gospel icon Caesar reacts to becoming a viral sensation, Nov. 23, 2016" Shirley Caesar shared that the U Name it clip was from a 2008 program at her church in Raleigh, North Carolina.
*I added italics to that sentence to highlight the statement that Shirley Caesar first recorded the song "Praise God While You Have A Chance" in 1988. I don't know if that rendition includes the story of "Shouting John" as an introduction to that Gospel song. I also don't know if Shirley Caesar wrote that "Shouting John" story.
This internet page http://www.thelyricarchive.com/song/1005551-133923/While-I-Have-a-Chance provides lyrics for another version of this song and credits African American Gospel composer, vocalist, and choir director James Bignon as its composer. However, the book that James Bignon authored* contains a list of his compositions but doesn't include "Praise The Lord While I Have A Chance".
Additions and corrections are welcome.
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THE STORY BEHIND THE "SHOUTING JOHN" (HOLD MY MULE)
[Revised June 11, 2017]
I rewrote this section to emphasize that the "Shouting John" ("Hold my mule") story is Shirley Caesar's introduction to the Gospel song "I'm Gonna Praise God While I Have A Chance". Thanks to commenter Yemi Oluwadaisi for asking on June 11, 2017 about the lyrics to a song named "Shouting John". That request pointed out the need for this clarification.
Here's the story about Shouting John:
A man named John belonged to a "dead church". A dead church is one that doesn't believe in people shouting. The church tried to stop John from shouting, but he said that he would shout anyhow.
In its religious sense, "shouting" means to show that you are feeling the Holy Spirit (The Holy Ghost) by dancing, moving, speaking in tongues, and/or other actions. People who feel the Holy Spirit say that it is like fire in their system, and they can not help but move. Note that "shouting" doesn't have to have anything to do with yelling (speaking loudly).
"Shouting John" asks people to hold (the straps to) his mule so that he can praise God by shouting (doing a holy dance). However, the words "Hold my mule" have come to mean getting rid of (removing) anything that prevents you from being able to worship God.
Read my comment below about what I believe is a possible source of the phrase "hold my mule".
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SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Shirley Caesar "Shouting John Hold My Mule"
chj333, Uploaded on Feb 15, 2010
Shirley Caesar "Shouting John pt1"
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Most of this video is of Shirley Caesar telling the story about this song.
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Shirley Caesar "Shouting John pt. 2"
chj333, Uploaded on Feb 15, 2010
Shirley Caesar "Shouting John pt. 2"
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LYRICS -"I'M GONNA PRAISE THE LORD WHILE I HAVE A CHANCE"
(composer ?; lyrics as sung by Shirley Caesar, and given without any introductory remarks/sermon)
Chorus
Lead - I'm gonna praise the Lord while I have a chance
Group -I'm gonna praise the Lord while I have a chance
All -Praise Him in the morning,
Praise Him all day long,
I feel like praising, praising Him.
Verse
Lead -Come on help me praise Him while you have a chance
Group -Come on help me praise Him while you have a chance
All -Praise Him in the morning,
Praise Him all day long,
I feel like praising, praising Him.
Verse
Lead -If you don’t want to shout, don’t bother me
Group - If you don’t want to shout don’t bother me
Lead -If you don’t want to shout don’t bother me
Group -If you don’t want to shout don’t bother me
All - Praise Him in the morning,
Praise Him all day long,
I feel like praising, praising Him.
If you don't wanna praise him, don't bother me
[same pattern as the verse given above]
* These are basic lyrics. Other verses can be improvised to fit the song's theme and its structural pattern.
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The phrase "hold my mule" in this song may have been lifted from the mid 19th century minstel song entitled "Jim Along Josie" (also given as "Jim Along Josey". There are many different versions of that song. A verse in one version of that song is "Hold my mule while I dance Josie".
ReplyDeleteWarning: Many old versions of that song include what is now known as "the n word"
I wish to have the lyrics of this Shouting John as to
ReplyDeleted by Mama Shirley thank you
Thanks for your comment, Yemi Oluwadaisi.
DeleteGospel singer Shirley Caesar introduced the song "I'm Gonna Praise The Lord While I Have A Chance" with the story about "Shouting John". Because of that introduction, that song itself is sometimes (mistakenly) called "Shouting John".
For all of this I have yet to hear the iconic line that is used in the videos and memes. That's what I want to discover. The source of the iconic line
ReplyDeleteThe "beans, greens, potato, tomato, You name it" line is part of African American Gospel singer Shirley Caesar's "Shouting John" song. She told that story as part of her introduction to the Gospel song "I'm Gonna Praise God While I Have A Chance".
DeleteAs I wrote in my Nov. 2014 comment in this discussion thread
the phrase "hold my mule" in this song may have been lifted from the mid 19th century Southern United States Black dance song entitled "Jim Along Josie" (also given as "Jim Along Josey"). There are many different versions of that song. A verse in one version of that song is "Hold my mule while I dance Josie". ("Josie" was/is a female nickname and was also the name of a non-religious dance.)