A 1935 Version Of The African American Gospel Song "Jesus Is A Rock In A Weary Land"

 Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part III of a three part pancocojams series on the Gospel song "Jesus Is A Rock" (also known as "A Shelter In The Time Of A Storm", and "Jesus Is A Rock In A Weary Land" . Part III presents the lyrics to a 1935 version of "Jesus Is A Rock". That version was collected in an interview with Wallace Quaterman, Fort Frederica, St. Simons Island, Georgia (Gullah), June 1935. This was part of the Voices From the Days of Slavery archive (United States' Works Progress Administration) which held those interviews to document the experiences of former slaves.

The Addendum to Part III presents lyrics to a version of this song that also includes the lyrics "Stop and let me tell you about Chapter [insert number]. Those lyrics were found in a Mudcat folk music discussion thread. 

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2020/12/david-w-carter-choir-jesus-is-rock-in.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. Part I showcases a YouTube video of a gospelized version of the 19th African American Gospel song "Jesus Is A Rock In A Weary Land" that is sung by Dallas, Texas' David W. Carter Choir. I don't know when that performance was recorded, but from the hair styles, it appears that it could have been in 2017, shortly before this video was published on YouTube.

The lyrics of a very similar arrangement of that song are included in this post along with lyrics for the song "A Shelter In The Time Of The Storm". A comment about how the song "Jesus is a Rock" was sung in Mississippi is also included in this post. Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2020/12/rev-milton-brunson-thompson-community.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. Part II showcases a YouTube sound file of "Jesus Is A Rock" that was recorded in 1984 by Rev. Milton Brunson & Thompson Community Singers. A portion of the lyrics for that version of  "Jesus Is A Rock" are included in that post along with selected comments from that sound file's discussion thread.

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Vernon J. Charlesworth and Ira D. Sankey for composing the lyrics and music to "A Shelter In The Time Of A Storm". Thanks to the unknown and known composers and arrangers of Gospel versions of this song. Thanks also to Wallace Quaterman for his memory of this song and thanks to the Voices From the Days of Slavery archive (United States' Works Progress Administration). In addition, thanks to the cuny.edu for publishing this portion of the interview with Wallace Quaterman on the internet.

-snip- A "gospelized hymn" is a hymn that is recorded in a gospel style. **** 1935 VERSION OF "JESUS IS A ROCK" Source: Wallace Quarterman, “"Jesus is a Rock in a Weary Land",” SHEC: Resources for Teachers, accessed December 5, 2020, https://herb.ashp.cuny.edu/items/show/843. [Pancocojams Editor's Note: The content of this page is presented "as is" from that page, without any notes, reformatting, or spelling changes. A mp3 sound file is also found on that internet site.]

" "Jesus is a Rock in a Weary Land" "

The lyrics and audio recording presented here are from an interview with Wallace Quarterman conducted in 1935, at Fort Frederica, St. Simons Island, Georgia. These interviews were part of the Works Progress Administration, and documented the experiences of former slaves. Among the interviewers was author Zora Neale Hurston.

Jesus is a Rock in a Weary Land

My god is a rock in a weary land.
Shelter in a time of storm.
He is the lily of the valley.
And he is the prince of peace.
When they put old John in the island
When they put old John in the island Patmos ??? Jesus proved he is born in peace My God is the rock in this weary land. Weary land. In the weary land. My God is the rock in the weary land. Shelter in the time of storm. Stop and let me tell you about the chapel of two. The Lord God's written his Bible too. Stop and let me tell you about the chapel of three. My god died on Calvary. Then I know he is a rock in this weary land. Weary land. In a weary land. My God is the rock in this weary land. Shelter in this time of storm. He is the maker of little lambs of God. He is the prince of peace. When they put old John in the ??? Jesus proved that born in peace. My god is the rock in this weary land. Weary land. In the weary land. My god is the rock in this weary land. Shelter in this time of storm. Stop and let me tell you about the chapel of four. The lord God's busy don't amount to four. Stop and let me tell you about the chapel of five. The Lord God's brought us so stand alive. Stop and let me tell you about the chapel of six. He ready Jerusalem and healed the sick. Then I know he's a rock in a weary land. Weary land. In a weary land. My God is a rock in this weary land. Shelter in a time of storm. Stop and let me tell you about the chapel of seven. The Lord God's risen and he went to heaven. Stop and let me tell you about the chapel of eight. I seen him standing at the golden gate. Stop and let me tell you about the chapel of nine. The Lord God's turning that water to wine. Stop and let me tell you about the chapel of ten. John said he's coming in the world again. Then I know he's a rock in this weary land. Weary land. In this weary land.

[groove damage]

I know he's a rock in this weary land. Shelter in a time of storm. He's the lily of the valley. He's the brightest morning star. When they put old Daniel in the lion's den, Jesus locked the lion's jaws. And I know he's a rock in this weary land. Weary land. In the weary land. And I know he's a rock in a weary land. Shelter in a time of storm.

SOURCE | Wallace Quarterman, "Interview with Wallace Quaterman, Fort Frederica, St. Simons Island, Georgia (Gullah), June 1935 (part 1 of 3), " June 1935, from Library of Congress, Voices From the Days of Slavery archive, http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/afc9999001.0341a.

-snip- The beginning lyrics about "John in Patmos" refers to the writer of the Bible's book of Revelations. Quoting from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_of_Patmos : "John of Patmos (also called John the Revelator, John the Divine, John the Theologian, and possibly John the Apostle; Greek: Ἰωάννης ὁ Θεολόγος; Coptic: ⲓⲱⲁⲛⲛⲏⲥ) could be the author named as John in the Book of Revelation, the apocalyptic text forming the final book of the New Testament.

The text of Revelation states that John was on Patmos, a Greek island where, by most biblical historians, he is considered to have been exiled as a result of anti-Christian persecution under the Roman emperor Domitian."

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/04/john-revelator.html for the 2013 pancocojams post entitled "Sound Files Of "John The Revelator" by Blind Willie Johnson & by Son House". 
**** ADDENDUM: ANOTHER VERSION OF THIS SONG THAT INCLUDES SIMILAR LYRICS From https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=17722

Subject: ADD: My God He Is a Rock

From: Joe Offer

Date: 02 Feb 00 - 09:02 PM

Well, I was hoping somebody had this typed up already. Here's a transcription. Alison, did you say you can post a tune?
-Joe Offer-

MY GOD, HE IS A ROCK
(believed to be traditional)

CHORUS:
My God, he is a rock in a weary land,
A weary land, a weary land.
My God, he is a rock in a weary land,
Shelter in a time of storm.

Stop! Let me tell you about Chapter One,
When the Lord God's work had just begun.

Stop! Let me tell you about Chapter Two,
When the Lord God read the Bible through.

Stop! Let me tell you about Chapter Three,
When the Lord my God died on Calvary.

CHORUS

Stop! Let me tell you about Chapter Four,
When the Lord God lived among the poor.

Stop! Let me tell you about Chapter Five,
When the Lord God brought the dead alive.

Stop! Let me tell you about Chapter Six,
When he went to Jerusalem, he healed the sick.
CHORUS

Stop! Let me tell you about Chapter Seven,
When the Lord God died and went to heaven.

Stop! Let me tell you about Chapter Eight,
When the Lord, he stood at the pearly gate.

Stop! Let me tell you about Chapter Nine,
When the Lord God changed the water to wine.

Stop! Let me tell you about Chapter Ten,
Well, the Lord my God, he's a-comin' again.
CHORUS

(transcribed from "Sara," an album by Sara Gray)
JRO
-snip- There are several YouTube versions of "Stop and let me tell you about chapter [insert number]. One of them is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBCYaveGWqg&ab_channel=Tom%26Liz

Here's the summary of that video of that choral group (which consists of all White singers/musicians, and the conductor) : "MY GOD IS A ROCK" is an African American spiritual arranged by Ken Berg, performed by The Morris Knolls HS Chorale & directed by Michael Semancik." [continues with the same lyrics that are found in that quoted Mudcat comment. Comments are turned off for this video]

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