Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part I of a two part series on the African American Jubilee (Gospel) song "Drive Old Satan Away".
Part I features two late 19th century/early 20th century* text examples (word only) versions of this African American religious song.
*"Really old school" means "real old". Something that is described as "old school" is usually considered favorably, with nostalgia.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/05/bishop-ronald-e-brown-drive-old-satan.html for Part II of this series.
Part II showcases a sound file of and lyric transcription of Pentecostal Bishop Ronald E. Brown's rendition of "Drive Old Satan Away" (with the Bishop's introductory remarks.) That example is from the late 20th century/early 21st century.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, and religious purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the unnamed persons who composed this song and thanks to the collectors and publishers of these songs, and all those who are quoted in this post.
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FEATURED EXAMPLES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN OLD RELIGIOUS SONGS THAT INCLUDE THE LINE "DRIVE OLD SATAN AWAY"
Note: These examples are presented in chronological order based on the collection/publication of that version.
Example #1
From
Example #2
From http://www.loc.gov/folklife/Gordon/sideBbandB2.html "Folk-Songs of America: The Robert Winslow Gordon Collection, 1922-1932"
Band B2
"Mary C. Mann's "Ol' Man Satan/Drive Ol' Satan Away" was evidence, Gordon believed, of "the earliest text of a Negro spiritual that has ever been published." He explained:
This song was a favorite with Amelia, a slave brought to this country prior to 1800 from the island of Madagascar. She taught it to her grand-daughter, Violet, and she in turn taught it to her granddaughter, Mary, from whom I obtained it. Amelia was one of a number of slaves captured by the British in the war of 1812 and taken to Nassau, in the Bahama Islands, whence she never returned. She must, therefore, have sung the song prior to this time. The evidence rests entirely upon tradition, but the scrupulous accuracy of my informant in many other statements made to me -- statements that I have been able to check in historical documents -- leads me to place great trust in her account (p. 39).
He then printed the text. In his 1931 essay he called this an example of a pre-stanzic Negro spiritual which "proceeds in surges rather than in stanzas" (Smythe, p. 215). Gordon collected several songs in Georgia which parallel these texts (GA401, GA447).
The song given here represents the usable portions of the two cylinders on which Gordon recorded it. Therefore this recording varies at several points from the texts as published by Gordon. In particular, the last six verses are omitted.
OL' MAN SATAN/ DRIVE OL' SATAN AWAY [MP3 file]
Gordon cyl. A347-8, Item GA124
Mary C. Mann
Darien, Georgia
April 12, 1926
Oh, old man Satan
Glory hallelujah
I think I ought to know you
Glory hallelujah
Oh, old man Satan
Glory hallelujah
I think I ought to know you
Glory hallelujah
Set you'self in de corner
Glory hallelujah
Rub your face with ashes
Glory hallelujah
You call yourself a Jesus
Glory hallelujah
I think I ought to know you
Glory hallelujah
I know you by your red eye
Glory hallelujah
I know you by your cow horn
Glory hallelujah
Or, old man Satan
Glory hallelujah
You cheat me once already
Glory hallelujah
You cheat my oldest father
Glory hallelujah
You cheat my oldest mother
Glory hallelujah
You cheat even Adam
Glory hallelujah
I think I ought to know you
Glory hallelujah
I think I ought to know you
Glory hallelujah
I think I ought to know you
Glory hallelujah
Come, my brother Johnny
Glory hallelujah
Come help me drive old Satan
Glory halle—
Drive him out the back door, hallelujah
Drive old Satan away, my Lord
Drive old Satan, hallelujah
Drive old Satan away
Far as he will go, hallelujah,
Drive old Satan away,
Drive him out the back door, hallelujah,
Drive old Satan away.
Drive him out the grog shop, hallelujah,
Drive old Satan away, my Lord
Drive him to the woodside, hallelujah,
Drive old Satan away.
I think I ought to know him, hallelujah,
Drive old Satan away,
Cheat my oldest mother, hallelujah,
Drive old Satan away"
-snip-
The link given above includes a short MP3 sound file of "Mary C. Mann's "Ol' Man Satan/Drive Ol' Satan Away".
This quote is reformatted for this post with the lyrics to the song "Ol' Man Satan" separated by a space from the lyrics to "Drive Ol' Satan Away".
"oldest mother"/"oldest father" probably means "old mother"/"old father"
"I think I ought to know him" may mean "I ought to recognize him when I see him".
"grog house" = liquor store
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Example #2:
From http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=39803 "Nobody Knows the Trouble I See, Lord!" From: Dicho; masato sakurai
05 Oct 01
Dicho:
"This Jubilee song differs from "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen." It is simpler and verses 2-4 call for prayer....
"NOBODY KNOWS THE TROUBLE I SEE, LORD!
CHO.-
Nobody knows the trouble I see, Lord,
Nobody knows the trouble I see,
Nobody knows the trouble I see, Lord,
Nobody knows like Jesus.
1. Brothers, will you pray for me,
Brothers will you pray for me,
Brothers will you pray for me,
And help me drive old Satan away*
2. Sisters, will you pray for me, etc.
3. Mothers, will you pray for me, etc.
4. Preachers, will you pray for me, etc.
Negro Spirituals, or The Songs of the Jubilee Singers, nd, preface from "The Story of the Jubilee Singers" by T. F. Seward, W. J. Gibbs, publisher, p. 1.
*Masato Sakurai corrected Dicho's transcription by adding the last line "And help me drive old Satan away". He also added this citation for that song:
"In the Marsh book, The Story of the Jubilee Singers, revised edition (1880; reprint AMS, 1971), "Nobody..." is the first song (p. 125) on their song list.
-snip-
"Marsh" is J.B.T. Marsh
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