Two Recordings Of The African American Gospel Song "Daniel In The Lion's Den" (also known as "Lord, Won't You Come By Here"

kr103, Sep 10, 2008

New York Recording Laboratories master 2816-2, rec. New York, February 1927 ca.

James „Buddy" Archer (tenor), Otto Tutson (tenor), Delroy [or Delrose] Hollins (baritone), Len Williams (bass).

The quality of those early electric Paramounts is simply unpleasant (did they record through a telephone line), but this is a great performance, so ...

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post provides two sound files performances of the song "Daniel In The Lion's Den". This post also includes the lyrics of these particular renditions.

This is a complete reprint of a 2012 pancocojams post on the African American Gospel song "Daniel In The Lion's Den." That content has been reformatted with a sound file given at the top and this preface slightly re-worded. Also, this post includes the addition of a comment that is quoted from the YouTube discussion thread for the Norfolk Jubilee Quartet's sound file.  

The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, religious, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes. The copyrights remain with their owners.

My thanks to the unknown composers of this song. My thanks also to the featured performers of this song, to the collectors and recorders of early these renditions of this song, and to the uploaders of these sound files.
-snip
The 2012 pancocojams post with the title "Bessie Jones -Daniel In The Lion's Den" has no comments as of the publication date of this 2025 post.
 
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2024/05/norfolk-jazz-and-jubilee-quartet-get-on.html
for the May 17, 2024 post "Norfolk Jazz And Jubilee Quartet - "Get On Board, Little Children" (1920s Record) with information about Black American Jubilee singing".

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INFORMATION ABOUT "DANIEL IN THE LION'S DEN".
"Daniel In The Lion's Den" is an African American Gospel song. The earliest recording of this song is by the Norfolk Jubilee Quartet in 1927.

Click http://christianity.about.com/od/biblestorysummaries/a/Daniel-Den-Of-Lions.htm for a summary and background information of the Old Testament Biblical story of Daniel in the lion's den.

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FEATURED SOUND FILES

Sound File #1- DANIEL IN THE LION'S DEN BY THE NORFOLK JUBILEE QUARTET
That sound file is given at the top of this post. 

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COMMENT:

@kr103, 2009
"Glad you like it. Harris is on this side, although most probably not on lead. As far as I know, he joined the Norfolks in summer 1921 when original high tenor Buddy Archer left the group. So I guess he is the highest voice on this record, while Otto Tutson still sings lead. Tutson left the group in the late 1920s or early 1930s, however, and I guess that's when Harris took over the lead part. I hope to post one of their 1930s recordings soon, where Harris certainly is the lead.

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LYRICS: DANIEL IN THE LION'S DEN -
(Unknown composers; as sung by the Norfolk Jubilee Quartette, 1927)

Lordy, won’t you come by here.
Lordy, won’t you come by here.
Lordy won’t you come by here.
Lordy, won’t you come by here.
Lordy, won’t you come by here.
Lordy won’t you come by here.

Didn’t God deliver Daniel, Daniel, Daniel
Didn’t God deliver Daniel
Why not deliver man.

Daniel in the lion’s den
Daniel in the lion’s den
Daniel in the lion’s den
Daniel in the lion’s den
Daniel in the lion’s den
Daniel in the lion’s den

Didn’t God deliver Daniel, Daniel, Daniel
Didn’t God deliver Daniel
Why not deliver man.

The angel locked the lion’s yaw.
The angel locked the lion’s yaw.
The angel locked the lion’s yaw.
The angel locked the lion’s yaw.
The angel locked the lion’s yaw.
The angel locked the lion’s yaw.

Didn’t God deliver Daniel, Daniel, Daniel
Didn’t God deliver Daniel
Why not deliver man.

Lordy, won’t you come by here.
Lordy, won’t you come by here.
Lordy won’t you come by here.
Lordy, won’t you come by here.
Lordy, won’t you come by here.
Lordy won’t you come by here.

Didn’t God deliver Daniel, Daniel, Daniel
Didn’t God deliver Daniel
Why not deliver man.

-snip-
Transcription from the sound file by Azizi Powell, 6/24/2012 without the words of the background singers.

"Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel" is also a stand alone African American spiritual. The line "why not deliver man" is usually given as "And why not every man".

Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emkRoOWe-xc for a video of members of the Alvin Ailey dance company dancing to a rendition of "Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel".

The lyrics "Lord, won't you come by here" is a stand alone song and a floating verse in several other African American early Gospel songs. The subsequent line for that song (or the subsequent floating verse) is "now is the needed time". An example of these lines are found in the Bessie Jones version of this song which is presented below.

Also, click http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=19695 for mention of this song/floating verses in the 1972 African American movie Sounder. In addition, on January 17, 2009, WysiwyG!(Susan) wrote "There are a lot of spirituals, blues, and gospel songs with this tune and with this textual pattern.

Just Over in the GloryLand

(NOT Kumbaya) Lord, Won't You Come By Here AKA Now is the The Needed Time"....

http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=117754#2538561 Lyr Add: Daniel in the Lions' Den (1927 Recording)

-snip-
However, the renditions of "Over Into Gloryland" that I've found on YouTube don't appear to be the same song that referred to.

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Sound File #2: Bessie Jones - Daniel in the Lion's Den

Uploaded by gabehampton on Jun 18, 2010

-snip-
LYRICS: DANIEL IN THE LION DEN
(Unknown composers; as performed by Bessie Jones & The Georgia Sea Islands)

Daniel in the lion den.
Oh, Daniel in the lion den
Lord, Daniel in the lion den.
Daniel in the lion den.
Oh, Daniel in the lion den.
Daniel in the lion den.

He cried “Lord, have mercy on me.”
He said “Lord, have mercy on me.”
He cried “Lord, have mercy on me.”
He said, Lord, have mercy on me”.
Lord, have mercy on me”.
Lord, have mercy on me”.

He said “Now is the needed time.”
Lord “Now is the needed time”.
He cried “Now is the needed time.”
He said “Now is the needed time”.
He cried “Now is the needed time.”
He said “Now is the needed time.”
He said “Now is the needed time”.

He promised to answer prayer.
Lord, You promised to answer prayer.
Yes, You promised to answer prayer.
He said "You promised to answer prayer."
Promised, Lord, to answer prayer.
Promised, Lord, to answer prayer

Then ,Lord, He sent an angel down.
God, He sent an angel down.
Yes, God, He sent an angel down.
God, He sent an angel down.
God, He sent an angel down.
Yes, God sent an angel down.

Then the angel he locked the lion’s jaw.
The angel locked the lion’s jaw.
Yes, angel locked the lion’s jaw.
Well, the angel locked the lion’s jaw.
Lord, the angel locked the lion’s jaw.
The angel locked the lion’s jaw.

-snip-
This transcription is by Azizi Powell on 6/24/2012 from the sound file given above but without the inclusion of the words sung by the back-up singers.

Note: This transcription is not meant to imply that the beginning or middle injections such as "Oh", "Well", and "Lord" or the beginning phrases "He said" and "He cried" have to be the same with every rendition of this song.

Because this song tells a story, unlike most spirituals or Gospel songs, the order of the verses given above are probably very consistent with each rendition. For instance, the verse "the angel locked the lion's jaw" should not be sung before the verse "God sent an angel down".

Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wDUWVO_6_A to hear another rendition of this song by Bessie Jones and the Georgia Sea Island Singers with slightly different beginning interjections but the same order of verses. That sound file's uploader, MuseOBlues, wrote that this sound file was "Recorded by Alan Lomax May 5, 1960 on St. Simons Island, GA as part of his Southern Journeys recordings of native folk music.
Backing singers include: Joe Armstrong, Jerome Davis, John Davis, Peter Davis, Henry Morrison, Willis Proctor, and Ben Ramsay."

A commenter on that sound file's comment thread describes that rendition of this song as "a capella gospel". That same descriptor would apply to the 1927 sound file of the Norfolk Jubilee Quartette.

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RELATED LINKS
Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f5JjPJSeec for a rendition of Charlie Parr - Daniel In The Lion's Den with guitar accompaniment. That rendition begins and ends with the verse "Jesus won’t you come by here". Also, the line "Now is the needed time" serves as the 4th, 5th and 6th lines of each verse.

***
Several videos of choral arrangements of "Daniel In The Lion's Den" can also be found on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7HYBkPXJA8&feature=related is an example of these choral arrangements.

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Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/06/biblical-references-in-african-american.html to find the pancocojams post "Biblical References In African American Religious Songs (Part I - Old Testament)"

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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome

Carolina Chocolate Drops - Read 'em John (with lyrics & song explanation)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post features two videos of the Carolina Chocolate Drops performing the Georgia Sea Isle song "Read' Em John". This post also features a rendition of "Read 'Em John" by Steve Levitt. The lyrics to "Read 'Em John" and the meaning of that song are also presented in this post.

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolina_Chocolate_Drops
"The Carolina Chocolate Drops is an old-time string band from Durham, North Carolina, United States. Its 2010 album, Genuine Negro Jig, won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, and was number 9 in FRoots magazine's top 10 albums of 2010.

The Drops are one of the two known full-time African American string bands...

All of the musicians sing and trade instruments including banjo, fiddle, guitar, harmonica, snare drum, bones, jug, and kazoo. The group learned much of their repertoire, which is based on the traditional music of the Piedmont region of North and South Carolina,[2] from the eminent African American old-time fiddler Joe Thompson, although they also perform old-time versions of some modern songs such as Blu Cantrell's R&B hit "Hit 'em Up Style (Oops!)." "

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EXPLANATION OF THE SONG "READ 'EM JOHN"
From the summary statement of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bXdcP19aVU "Read'em John" performed by Steve Levitt. (This video is given below as a Bonus video)
"[John] Refers to John the Revelator, doing what the slave was not allowed to do--reading. But not just reading, but reading with an authority that no one else could match of the doom of his masters and the end of the wicked world they had created and ascent of the persecuted and good into heaven. Field recorded by Alan Lomax and included in "Georgia Sea Island Songs." "
-snip-
Information about John The Revelator from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_the_Revelator_(song)
" "John the Revelator" is a traditional Gospel blues call and response song.[1] In the chorus, John of Patmos, the traditional author of the Book of Revelation, is writing "the book of the seven seals." At the time of the song's composition (and in modern times), John of Patmos was generally considered the same person as John the Apostle and John the Evangelist.

The song was recorded on April 20, 1930 in Atlanta, Georgia by Blind Willie Johnson and is included in the Anthology of American Folk Music.[1][2][3]"
-snip-
Here's an excerpt of the Blind Willie Johnson version of "John The Revelator":
[call] Who's that writin'? [response] John the Revelator[6]
Tell me who's that writin'? John the Revelator
Tell me who's that writin'? John the Revelator
Wrote the book of the seven seals[7]"
-snip
In contrast to "John The Revelator", the song "Read 'em John" focuses on John reading a letter. According to this interpretation, that letter is a substitution for or an oblique reference to the New Testament book of Revelations.

In the line "read'em let me go" (Read them and (then) let me go), the phrase "let me go" means "Let me go to my home in up in heaven". The "one by one", two by two" etc verse refers to how the "saints" [Christians] enter into heaven.

Given this interpretation of "Read 'em John", that song should be considered an old time African American religious (Gospel) song.

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FEATURED VIDEOS
Here are two Carolina Chocolate Drops performances of "Read 'em John". Notice the handclapping patterns that accompany this song. In other videos of this song, some of the members of the Chocolate Drops can also be seen adding foot stomps while they sing and clap their hands to this song.

Example #1: Carolina Chocolate Drops "Read Em John"



Johnny Miller, Uploaded on Jun 9, 2011
April 8 2011 at the Barrymore Theatre, Madison Wisconsin - part 19 : http://www.youtube.com/playlist?p=PLB...

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Example #2: Carolina Chocolate Drops Rock the Food & Community Conference -"Read 'Em John"



2010PHP, Published on May 23, 2012

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LYRICS - READ 'EM JOHN
(An old time Georgia Sea Isle Gospel song with no known composer/s)

Verse #1 [The song begins with the lead and the other members of the group join in unison]
John wrote a letter and laid it on the table.
No one can read'em like old John.
Read ‘em let me go.

Chorus:
Lead -Now read ’em John.
Group- (Read ’em.)
Lead -Read ’em John.
Group- (Read ’em.)
Lead - Read ’em John.
Group- (Read ’em.)
Lead and Group - No one can read ’em like old John.
Read’em let me go.

Lead -Now read ’em John.
Group- (Read ’em.)
Lead -Read ’em John.
Group- (Read ’em.)
Lead and Group - Read ’em let me go.

Verse #2 [Entire Group]
Now it’s one by one
and two by two
and three by three
Four by four
No one can read ’em like old John
Read ‘em let me go.

Chorus

[Repeat chorus and verses in whatever order you choose.]
-snip-
Transcription by Azizi Powell from the videos. Additions and corrections are welcome.

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BONUS VIDEO OF ANOTHER RENDITION OF "READ 'EM JOHN"

Read'em, John.wmv


steve levitt, Uploaded on Feb 6, 2012

"Read'em, John" on Akonting. Refers to John the Revelator, doing what the slave was not allowed to do--reading. But not just reading, but reading with an authority that no one else could match of the doom of his masters and the end of the wicked world they had created and ascent of the persecuted and good into heaven. Field recorded by Alan Lomax and included in "Georgia Sea Island Songs." Present version adds Akonting rhythm. For more videos go to www.duelingshoes.com
-snip-
Notice that Steve sings all of the other lyrics given above, with the exception of a slight but meaningful change to that song's last iine. In his rendition, that line is sung as "Read’em let us go.”

Here's information about the akonting musical instrument from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akonting
"The akonting (or ekonting in French transliteration) is the folk lute of the Jola people, found in Senegal, Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau in West Africa. It is a banjo-like instrument with a skin-headed gourd body, two long melody strings, and one short drone string, akin to the short fifth "thumb string" on the 5-string banjo."

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RELATED LINK
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/04/john-revelator.html

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to the unknown composer/s of this song. My thanks also to the Carolina Chocolate Drops for their musical legacy that helps acquaint people to the richness of old time music. Thanks to Steve Levitt for sharing his old time music videos,and for clarifying the meaning of the song "Read 'em John". My thanks also to the producers and the publishers of these videos on YouTube .

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

"Kneebone Bend" song (Lyrics & Videos)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post provides lyrics, comments, and two videos of renditions of the African American ring shout song "Kneebone Bend".

My thanks to the unknown composer/s of "Kneebone Bend". My thanks also to the McIntosh County Shouters, other Georgia Sea Island Singers for their important work of preserving this song & ring shout movements. Thanks also to other vocalists/musicians who perform this song, and thanks to the videographers and uploaders of these sound files and videos.

All rights remain with their owners.

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LYRICS: KNEEBONE BEND
[unknown composer/s; African American -Georgia Sea Islands, 19th century or earlier]

From http://ctl.du.edu/spirituals/times/pure.cfm Spirituals as “Pure” / Spirituals as Derived from Mixed Sources

“Kneebone” Georgia Sea Island Songs, tr 2, 0:00 - 0:33 [sound file]

"And the next track, “Kneebone,” a trance-inducing ring shout led by Joe Armstrong, is similarly attractive because it is 'the oldest, the most African of the Sea Island songs.' "

Kneebone in the mornin’,
Ah-ah, kneebone,
Bend my kneebone to the ground,
O Lord, kneebone bend.

Kneebone, didn’t I tell you,
Ah, kneebone,
Kneebone, didn’t I tell you,
O Lord, kneebone bend.

Kneebone, didn’t I call you,
Ah-ah kneebone,
Kneebone, didn’t I call you,
O Lord, kneebone bend.

I call you in the mornin’,
Ah, kneebone,
Call you in the evenin’,
O Lord, kneebone bend.

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FEATURED VIDEOS
Video #1: McIntosh County Shouters w Kneebone Bend_NEW.avi



Uploaded by McIntoshCtyShouters on Feb 27, 2010

Venus McKiver displays her vocal talent in this wonderful version of Kneebone Bend while visiting a local school. Teaching school children about the Gullah Geechee is a top priority for this group. It is one way in which they can keep the heritage alive. By visiting schools andand they enjoy visiting schools. The McIntosh County Shouters are recording artists with Smithsonian Folkways Recording Studios.

For more information, go to www.mcintoshcountyshouters.com

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Video #2: Kneebone.wmv



Uploaded by stevesvideo on Feb 6, 2012

"Kneebone", often performed as a shouting spiritual and one of the oldest of the Sea Island songs. Singers would bend their knees to lower themselves toward the ground/earth (characteristically a traditional African gesture and choreography) as the song invokes the bones of the ancestors, calling them morning and evening. Field recorded by Alan Lomax and included in "Georgia Sea Island Songs." Present version adds Akonting music. For more videos go to www.duelingshoes.com
-snip-
Here's some information about the akonting musicial instrument from http://www.shlomomusic.com/banjoancestors_akonting.htm
"The Jola akonting (spelled ekonting in Senegal) and its siblings-- the Manjak bunchundo, Balanta kisinta and kusunde, Papel busunde and Bujogo ngopata -- are examples of the gourd-bodied variety of folk/artisan lutes that was once more prevalent in the region of West Africa which used to be referred to as The Rice Coast during the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Whereas the perpetuation of the griot lutes has been fostered by their role as exclusive caste instruments, folk lutes have been constantly under the threat of obsolescence and extinction due to the inevitable erosion of their host musical traditions. In some instances, such as the Senegambian bania-- long considered to be a possible banjo ancestor -- they simply went the way of the dinosaurs. Often as not these lutes were superseded by other local instruments; the European guitar, introduced into the various regional vernacular musical cultures in the early 20th century; and, ironically enough, the banjo, which was imported into sub-Sahara Africa, starting in the 1920s, in the form of the 4-string tenor banjo and the 8-string banjo-mandolin, along with yet another American cultural export of African American origin, jazz."

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RELATED LINKS
Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxPU5517u8c&feature=related for a 57 minute Library of Congress video of the McIntosh County Shouters.

**
Click http://www.jambalayah.com/node/1140 for this post on my Jambalayah website: "Videos Of Traditional Musical Instruments A-C". That is the first post of a three part series.

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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitors' comments are welcome.

"Daniel In The Lion's Den" Song (Sound Files & Lyrics)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post provides two sound files performances of the song "Daniel In The Lion's Den". This post also includes the lyrics of these particular renditions.

The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, religious, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes. The copyrights remain with their owners.

My thanks to the unknown composers of this song. My thanks also to the featured performers of this song, to the collectors and recorders of early these renditions of this song, and to the uploaders of these sound files.

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INFORMATION ABOUT "DANIEL IN THE LION'S DEN".
"Daniel In The Lion's Den" is an African American Gospel song. The earliest recording of this song is by the Norfolk Jubilee Quartet in 1927.

Click http://christianity.about.com/od/biblestorysummaries/a/Daniel-Den-Of-Lions.htm for a summary and background information of the Old Testament Biblical story of Daniel in the lion's den.

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FEATURED SOUND FILES

Sound File #1: Norfolk Jubilee Quartette - Daniel in the lions' den




Uploaded by kr103 on Sep 10, 2008

New Yirk Recording Laboratories master 2816-2, rec. New York, February 1927 ca.
James „Buddy" Archer (tenor), Otto Tutson (tenor), Delroy [or Delrose] Hollins (baritone), Len Williams (bass).
The quality of those early electric Paramounts is simply unpleasant (did they record through a telephone line), but this is a great performance, so ...

-snip-
LYRICS: DANIEL IN THE LION'S DEN
(Unknown composers; as sung by the Norfolk Jubilee Quartette, 1927)

Lordy, won’t you come by here.
Lordy, won’t you come by here.
Lordy won’t you come by here.
Lordy, won’t you come by here.
Lordy, won’t you come by here.
Lordy won’t you come by here.

Didn’t God deliver Daniel, Daniel, Daniel
Didn’t God deliver Daniel
Why not deliver man.

Daniel in the lion’s den
Daniel in the lion’s den
Daniel in the lion’s den
Daniel in the lion’s den
Daniel in the lion’s den
Daniel in the lion’s den

Didn’t God deliver Daniel, Daniel, Daniel
Didn’t God deliver Daniel
Why not deliver man.

The angel locked the lion’s yaw.
The angel locked the lion’s yaw.
The angel locked the lion’s yaw.
The angel locked the lion’s yaw.
The angel locked the lion’s yaw.
The angel locked the lion’s yaw.

Didn’t God deliver Daniel, Daniel, Daniel
Didn’t God deliver Daniel
Why not deliver man.

Lordy, won’t you come by here.
Lordy, won’t you come by here.
Lordy won’t you come by here.
Lordy, won’t you come by here.
Lordy, won’t you come by here.
Lordy won’t you come by here.

Didn’t God deliver Daniel, Daniel, Daniel
Didn’t God deliver Daniel
Why not deliver man.

-snip-
Transcription from the sound file by Azizi Powell, 6/24/2012 without the words of the background singers.

"Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel" is also a stand alone African American spiritual. The line "why not deliver man" is usually given as "And why not every man".

Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emkRoOWe-xc for a video of members of the Alvin Ailey dance company dancing to a rendition of "Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel".

The lyrics "Lord, won't you come by here" is a stand alone song and a floating verse in several other African American early Gospel songs. The subsequent line for that song (or the subsequent floating verse) is "now is the needed time". An example of these lines are found in the Bessie Jones version of this song which is presented below.

Also, click http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=19695 for mention of this song/floating verses in the 1972 African American movie Sounder. In addition, on January 17, 2009, WysiwyG!(Susan) wrote "There are a lot of spirituals, blues, and gospel songs with this tune and with this textual pattern.

Just Over in the GloryLand

(NOT Kumbaya) Lord, Won't You Come By Here AKA Now is the The Needed Time"....

http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=117754#2538561 Lyr Add: Daniel in the Lions' Den (1927 Recording)

-snip-
However, the renditions of "Over Into Gloryland" that I've found on YouTube don't appear to be the same song that referred to.

****
Sound File #2: Bessie Jones - Daniel in the Lion's Den



Uploaded by gabehampton on Jun 18, 2010

-snip-
LYRICS: DANIEL IN THE LION DEN
(Unknown composers; as performed by Bessie Jones & The Georgia Sea Islands)

Daniel in the lion den.
Oh, Daniel in the lion den
Lord, Daniel in the lion den.
Daniel in the lion den.
Oh, Daniel in the lion den.
Daniel in the lion den.

He cried “Lord, have mercy on me.”
He said “Lord, have mercy on me.”
He cried “Lord, have mercy on me.”
He said, Lord, have mercy on me”.
Lord, have mercy on me”.
Lord, have mercy on me”.

He said “Now is the needed time.”
Lord “Now is the needed time”.
He cried “Now is the needed time.”
He said “Now is the needed time”.
He cried “Now is the needed time.”
He said “Now is the needed time.”
He said “Now is the needed time”.

He promised to answer prayer.
Lord, You promised to answer prayer.
Yes, You promised to answer prayer.
He said "You promised to answer prayer."
Promised, Lord, to answer prayer.
Promised, Lord, to answer prayer

Then ,Lord, He sent an angel down.
God, He sent an angel down.
Yes, God, He sent an angel down.
God, He sent an angel down.
God, He sent an angel down.
Yes, God sent an angel down.

Then the angel he locked the lion’s jaw.
The angel locked the lion’s jaw.
Yes, angel locked the lion’s jaw.
Well, the angel locked the lion’s jaw.
Lord, the angel locked the lion’s jaw.
The angel locked the lion’s jaw.

-snip-
This transcription is by Azizi Powell on 6/24/2012 from the sound file given above but without the inclusion of the words sung by the back-up singers.

Note: This transcription is not meant to imply that the beginning or middle injections such as "Oh", "Well", and "Lord" or the beginning phrases "He said" and "He cried" have to be the same with every rendition of this song.

Because this song tells a story, unlike most spirituals or Gospel songs, the order of the verses given above are probably very consistent with each rendition. For instance, the verse "the angel locked the lion's jaw" should not be sung before the verse "God sent an angel down".

Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wDUWVO_6_A to hear another rendition of this song by Bessie Jones and the Georgia Sea Island Singers with slightly different beginning interjections but the same order of verses. That sound file's uploader, MuseOBlues, wrote that this sound file was "Recorded by Alan Lomax May 5, 1960 on St. Simons Island, GA as part of his Southern Journeys recordings of native folk music.
Backing singers include: Joe Armstrong, Jerome Davis, John Davis, Peter Davis, Henry Morrison, Willis Proctor, and Ben Ramsay."

A commenter on that sound file's comment thread describes that rendition of this song as "a capella gospel". That same descriptor would apply to the 1927 sound file of the Norfolk Jubilee Quartette.

****
RELATED LINKS
Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f5JjPJSeec for a rendition of Charlie Parr - Daniel In The Lion's Den with guitar accompaniment. That rendition begins and ends with the verse "Jesus won’t you come by here". Also, the line "Now is the needed time" serves as the 4th, 5th and 6th lines of each verse.

***
Several videos of choral arrangements of "Daniel In The Lion's Den" can also be found on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7HYBkPXJA8&feature=related is an example of these choral arrangements.

****
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/06/biblical-references-in-african-american.html to find the pancocojams post "Biblical References In African American Religious Songs (Part I - Old Testament)"

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome