Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post showcases five video examples of the African American religious song "I'm So Glad Jesus Lifted Me". The title for this song is also given as "I'm So Glad" and as "Jesus Lifted Me". Comments about "I'm So Glad Jesus Lifted Me" and standard lyrics for this song are also included in this post.
The content of this post is provided for religious, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the composers and arrangers of this song. Thanks also to all those who are featured in these videos and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
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COMMENTS ABOUT THIS SONG
"I'm So Glad Jesus Lifted Me" is categorized as an African American Spiritual (formerly known as "Negro Spirituals"). However I wonder if this song is in fact an early African American Gospel song and not a Spiritual. I've not yet found any information online as to when this song was collected, from whom (although the presumpti0on is that it was first sung by African Americans)besides , and where (although the presumption is that it was first sung in the Southern region of the United States).
A 2007 Mudcat Folk & Blues discussion thread that I participated in provided comments about and lyrics for the African American Spiritual "I'm So Glad Trouble Don't Last Always" (http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=39217). That thread includes the comment from Q, a White Canadian male blogger that "I'm so glad" is used in several spirituals". Q posted the lyrics to the African American Spiritual "I'm So Glad (There's No Dying There)" and cited his sources as "Noble, G. C., 1911, "The Most Popular Plantation Songs," p. 63 with score [and] (Gibbs, W. J.), nd (1920s), "Negro Spirituals or The Songs of the Jubilee Singers," no. 32. Verses 1, 3, 5, with score." Q also wrote "Not known if this was included in the volume with songs of the original Jubilee Singers." The lyrics that are cited for that song can be sung using a call & response pattern.
Unfortunately, Q didn't identify any other titles of "I'm So Glad" African American Spirituals besides the featured song in that post and the "There's No Dying There" song. I wonder if that was one of the songs that Q referred to and if that song was included in those books that Q cited. It's also unfortunate that I've not been able to find a midi, sound file or video or anyone singing the song "I'm So Glad (There's No Dying There)".
In that same discussion thread I added comments about and lyrics for the song "I'm So Glad Jesus Lifted Me". Following Q's comment I cited the titles of three "I'm So Glad" "Spirituals": "I'm so Glad I Got My 'ligion In Time", "I'm So Glad Trouble Don't Last Always", and I'm So Glad Jesus Lifted Me". However, I misspoke as instead of it being a separate song, I believe that "I'm So Glad I Got My Religion In Time" is often sung as a verse to "I'm So Glad Trouble Don't Last Always".
I also wrote that each of those songs "I'm So Glad Trouble Don't Last Always" and "I'm So Glad Jesus Lifted Me" are both up-tempo but they have different tunes. Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI5IODB1W_w for a video example of "I'm So Glad Trouble Don't Last Always" by Sam Cooke & The Soul Stirrers.
I consider African American Spirituals to be those religious songs that are composed by African Americans which are documented to have been sung in the 19th century. Furthermore, African American Spirituals are usually call & response songs. "I'm So Glad Jesus Lifted Me" and "I'm So Glad Trouble Don't Last Always" don't have a call & response pattern - at least they haven't had that pattern since at least the 1950s the earliest date that I remember those songs. However, like [other?] Spirituals, the lyrics to many of the verses to those songs aren't fixed and the verse order is also not fixed. Although I posted an example of "standard lyrics for "I'm So Glad Jesus Lifted Me" in that above mentioned Mudcat thread and in this post, other lyrics can be substituted for those words, and/or other verses can be added to those verses I gave. The same relative flexibility for its lyrics is true for "I'm So Glad Trouble Don't Last Always."
I wonder if people have categorized "I'm So Glad Trouble Don't Last Always" and "I'm So Glad Jesus Lifted Me" as African American spirituals because, like [other] Spirituals (it appears) that those two songs don't have any known composers. For the reasons I've mentioned I use quotation marks around the word "Spiritual" when I categorize both of those songs to reflect my questions about whether that categorization is really accurate.
Note that the video given as Example #4 below indicates that Gospel legends are singing "I'M So Glad Jesus Lifted Me. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that this song isn't a Spiritual, since a number of Spirituals and Hymns have been gospelized (sung in a Gospel style).
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STANDARD LYRICS FOR "I'M SO GLAD JESUS LIFTED ME"
1. I'm so glad, Jesus lifted me,
I'm so glad, Jesus lifted me,
I'm so glad, Jesus lifted me,
singing glory, hallelujah,
Jesus lifted me.
2. Satan had me bound, Jesus lifted me,
Satan had me bound, Jesus lifted me,
Satan had me bound, Jesus lifted me,
singing glory, hallelujah,
Jesus lifted me.
3. When I was in trouble, Jesus lifted me,
when I was in trouble, Jesus lifted me,
when I was in trouble, Jesus lifted me,
singing glory, hallelujah,
Jesus lifted me.
Source: http://www.hymnsite.com/fws/hymn.cgi?2151
That website categorizes this song as an African American Spiritual.
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FEATURED EXAMPLES OF "I'M SO CLAD JESUS LIFTED ME"
These videos are posted in chronological order with the videos with the oldest dates posted first.
Example #1: I'm So Glad Jesus Lifted Me- Hamilton Landrum, song leader
pkteemax, Uploaded on Nov 23, 2009
Sunday morning worship at Kings coC in Brooklyn, NY.
-snip-
"coC" is probably the "Church Of Christ" denomination. I don't know if this is the same denomination as the Church of God In Christ (COGIC) or the United Church of Christ (UCC).
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Example #2: I'm So Glad Jesus Lifted Me- Liberty City church of Christ
pkteemax, Uploaded on May 26, 2010
Sunday morning during offereing time.Church located in Detroit, Michigan.
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Example #3: Chris Turner - I'm So Glad (Jesus Lifted Me)
humbleisdaway, Published on Aug 13, 2012
chris leading songs at the new golden heights anniversary celebration.
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Example #4: Donald Vails/Claude Timmons Live/The Gospel Legends/I'm So Glad!
TrueGospelMan, Published on Feb 5, 2013
The gospel legends singing: I'm So Glad & Bye and Bye. Brief Horace Boyer Interview
-snip-
This video clip is actually a medley that includes the song "Bye And Bye (Everyday will be Sunday Bye And Bye)". Notice the polyrhythmic clapping.
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Example #5: Pastor HB Charles Jr. 'I'm So Glad Jesus Lifted Me/Glory Glory Halleujah' Medley
BrothaRollins Published on Aug 22, 2013
After Sermon & Benediction Medley
-snip-
A commentor (MrG, 2013) identified this church's denomination by writing "This is straight up Missionary Baptist Church." ("This is straight up" means "This is very characteristic of".
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