Edited by Azizi Powell
This 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.
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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.
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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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