Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest revision- March 31, 2019
This pancocojams post showcases a YouTube sound file of the ring shout "Move Daniel". This post also provides lyrics for the ring shout "Daniel" as shared by Bessie Jones in her and Bess Lomax Hawes' 1972 book about Georgia Sea Isle songs Step It Down: Games, Plays, Songs & Stories from the Afro-American Heritage. This post also provides the lyrics for and a video of the ring shout "Move Daniel" that is sung and performed by The McIntosh County Shouters. The McIntosh County Shouters are also from the Georgia Sea Isles.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, historical, and cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Bessie Jones and Bess Hawes, authors of the book Step It Down. Thanks also to The McIntosh County Shouters and all those who are quoted in this post.
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FEATURED VIDEO: The McIntosh County Shouters
LibraryOfCongress, Uploaded on Apr 12, 2011
The McIntosh County Shouters perform Gullah-Geechee Ring Shout at a concert at the Library.
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The performance of the ring shout "Move Daniel" is at 19.19 - 21.13 of that embedded video.
Speaker Biography: The McIntosh County Shouters is a ten-member Gullah-Geechee group that began performing professionally in 1980. They have educated and entertained audiences around the United States with the "ring shout," a compelling fusion of counterclockwise dance-like movement, call-and-response singing, and percussion consisting of hand claps and a stick beating the rhythm on a wooden floor. African in its origins, the ring shout affirms oneness with the Spirit and ancestors as well as community cohesiveness. The ring shout was first described in detail during the Civil War by outside observers in coastal regions of South Carolina and Georgia. Its practice continued well into the 20th Century, even as its influence was resounding in later forms like spiritual, jubilee, gospel and jazz. By the late 20th century, the ring shout itself was presumed to have died out until its rediscovery in McIntosh County in 1980; thus, the beginning of the McIntosh County Shouters.
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LYRICS: MOVE DANIEL
(as sung by The McIntosh County Shouters)
Move, Daniel, move, Daniel,
Move, Daniel, move, Daniel,
Move, Daniel, move, Daniel,
Move, Daniel, move, Daniel.
Oh, Lord, pray, sinner, come,
Oh, Lord, sinner gone to hell.
Move, Daniel, move, Daniel,
Move, Daniel, move, Daniel.
Go the other way, Daniel,
Go the other way, Daniel.
Rock, Daniel, rock, Daniel,
Rock, Daniel, rock, Daniel.
Shout, Daniel, shout, Daniel,
Shout, Daniel, shout, Daniel.
Oh, Lord, pray, sinner, come,
Oh, Lord, sinner gone to hell.
Move, Daniel, move, Daniel,
Move, Daniel, move, Daniel.
Go the other way, Daniel,
Go the other way, Daniel.
Sinner in the way, Lord,
Sinner in the way, Lord.
Oh, Lord, pray, sinner, come,
Oh, Lord, sinner gone to hell.
Move, Daniel, move, Daniel,
Move, Daniel, move, Daniel.
Shout, Daniel, shout, Daniel,
Shout, Daniel, shout, Daniel.
Rock, Daniel, rock, Daniel,
Rock, Daniel, rock, Daniel.
Go the other way, Daniel,
Go the other way, Daniel.
Sinner in the way, Lord,
Sinner in the way, Lord.
Move, Daniel, move, Daniel,
Move, Daniel, move, Daniel.
Oh, Lord, pray, sinner, come,
Oh, Lord, sinner gone to hell.
Move, Daniel, move, Daniel,
Move, Daniel, move, Daniel.
Do the eagle wing, Daniel,
Do the eagle wing, Daniel.
Shout, Daniel, shout, Daniel,
Shout, Daniel, shout, Daniel.
Rock, Daniel, rock, Daniel,
Rock, Daniel, rock, Daniel.
Oh, Lord, pray, sinner, come,
Oh, Lord, sinner gone to hell.
Shout, Daniel, shout, Daniel,
Shout, Daniel, shout, Daniel.
Move, Daniel, move, Daniel,
Move, Daniel, move, Daniel.
Go the other way, Daniel,
Go the other way, Daniel...
Source: http://www.civilwarheritagetrails.org/civil-war-music/move-daniel.html
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ADDENDUM: EXCERPT FROM STEP IT DOWN
page 143-145
"As Mrs. [Bessie] Jones makes clear, the essential distinction between a ring shout and a ring play is the question of fundamental intent. The ring shout is a religious exercise, a form of worship, born out of African tradition and neatly distinguished from secular activities bu its purposeful and delimiting structure. It represents a cultural compromise between two groups: Afro-Americans, who felt that it was right and proper to dance before the Lord, and descendants of Calvinism, who regarded any kind of earthbound joys, especially dance as sinful. The shout, by its emphasis on observance of form and rule, came outside the concept of dance for both groups...
The shout "Daniel" is only one of several practiced by the Islanders. It is mimetic in nature, the participants follow the direction of the lead singer. It begins slowly, as the worshipers move into the counterclockwise motion of the circle with slow steps. The phrase "Shout, believer, shout!"-accompanied by the beginning of the stick beating ( a broomstick held vertically and pounded on the floor) - comes at a faster tempo and signals the beginning of the shout step, which is then used throughout the ceremonial. The principal rules are these: the circling motion is continuous; the feel leave the floor as little as possible, especial care being taken that the heels stay down; and the legs do not cross=the trailing foot never passes the leading foot. Following are brief descriptions of the specific motions that are called for:
SHOUT: A rapid shuffling two-step, the back foot closing up to but never passing the leading foot: step (R), close (L); step (R), close (L).
EAGLE WING: Arms bent at elbows are flapped slightly by rotating the shoulders joints in parallel motion. This is the same step as the secular "buzzard lope" motion.
ROCK: Bending from side to side at the waist; this movement like all others is restrained.
FLY: Arms stretched out at full length and held stiffly are moved in a sailing motion (If the right arm goes up, the left arm goes down in the same axis). The dancer does not flap; he soars.
FLY THE OTHER WAY: Circle reverses movement to clockwise direction; flying motion continues as above.
KNEEBONE BEND: A slight sliding jump landing on both feet with the knees bent sharply, the impact should be times to the word "bend". (the same step as the secular "Possum-La")
FLY BACK HOME: Fly back in follow-the-leader fashion to your seat; this call signals the end of the shout.
FORM: Circe, clapping, if desired; Mrs. Jones occasionally plays a tambourine while shouting.* One lead singer, who may dance lead or may beat stick.
LEAD VOICE - Walk, believer, walk.
GROUP VOICE - Daniel.
ACTION - Circle walks slowly counterclockwise
Pancocojams edit: Hereafter, the lead voice is given first and the group voice is given in parenthesis..
Walk, believer, walk.
(Daniel.)
Walk, I tell you, walk.
(Daniel.)
Walk, I tell you, walk.
(Daniel.)
(Tempo almost doubles and stick pounding, if used, begins.)
LEAD VOICE - Shout, believer, shout!
(Daniel.)
ACTION - Circle continues in the same direction using shout step (which continues throughout.)
Shout, believer, shout.
(Daniel.)
On the eagle wing.
(Daniel.)
ACTION: Shout step continues; the eagle wing motion is added.
On the eagle wing.
(Daniel.)
Fly, I tell you, fly.
(Daniel).
ACTION: Shout step continues with the flying motion.
Rock, I tell you, rock.
(Daniel).
ACTION: Shout step with rocking motion.
Fly the other way.
(Daniel).
ACTION: Circle reverses to clockwise direction: shout step and flying motion
Shout, I tell you, shout.
(Daniel).
ACTION: Return to counterclockwise direction, shout step.
Give me the kneebone bend.
(Daniel.)
ACTION: Shout step continues with kneebone bend as described.
On the eagle wing;
(Daniel.)
ACTION: as previously described.
Fly, I tell you, fly;
(Daniel.)
ACTION: As previously described.
Fly back home;
(Daniel.)
ACTION: Circle breaks and follows the leader out of the center floor, with shout step and flying motion.
*As previously mentioned, the term "shout" does not refer to a vocal effect but solely to the dance itself or to the step used in the dance.
Each phrase sung by the leade singer is repeated four to six times as desired except for the opening phrases, which need only be repeated until the circle is organized."
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Musical notations for this song is given on page 146.
-snip-
The performance described above is very similar to the ring shout "Move Daniel" that is demonstrated by The McIntosh County Shouters for "Move Daniel" [video below]. However, The McIntosh County Shouters' version doesn't include the kneebone bend verse that is found in Bessie Jones' version.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/03/possum-la-singing-game-its-19th-century.html for a pancocojams post on "Possum-La". That post includes the excerpt about "kneebone bend" and The McIntosh County Shouters video that is fouond below.
Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/03/positive-connotations-of-crows-vultures.html for a pancocojams post on the African American dance "the buzzard lope."
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