Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part III of a three part pancocojams series about The Fisk Jubilee Singers.
Part III showcases a 1909 sound file of The Fisk Jubilee Singers' rendition of "O Lord, I've Done What You Told Me To Do" riot". Additional examples of this song are also showcased in this post for comparison purposes. Two versions of lyrics for this song are also included in this post.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/11/online-excerpts-about-early-history-of.html for Part I of this series. Part I presents several online excerpts about the early history of The Fisk Jubilee Singers.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/11/fisk-jubilee-singers-1909-sound-file-of.html for Part II of this series. Part II presents information about "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" and provides the standard lyrics for this Spiritual.
This post also showcases a 1909 sound file of The Fisk Jubilee Singers' rendition of "Swing Low Sweet Chariot". Additional examples of this song are also showcased in this post for comparison purposes.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/11/online-excerpts-about-early-history-of.html for Part I of this series. Part I presents several online excerpts about the early history of The Fisk Jubilee Singers.
The content of this post is presented for historical and cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the original Fisk Jubilee Singers for their musical legacy, and thanks to all those who are featured in YouTube examples that are embedded in this post. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these YouTube examples.
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Visit YouTube to view contemporary videos of this choral group that is part of Fisk University, a private historically Black university in Nashville, Tennessee.
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LYRICS: O LORD, I'VE DONE WHAT YOU TOLD ME TO DO [version #1]*
(African American Spiritual, composer unknown)
1.
O Lord, I've done what you told me to do,
O Lord, I've done what yo told me to do,
O Lord, I've done what you told me to do,
In athat morning, O my Lord,
In athat morning, O my Lord,
In athat morning when the lord says, "Hurry!"
In athat morning, O my Lord,
In athat morning, O my Lord,
In athat morning when the lord says, "Hurry!"
2.
O Gabriel, come on down the line,
O Gabriel, come on down he line,
O Gabriel, come on down the line,
In athat morning, O my Lord,
In athat morning, O my Lord,
In athat morning when the lord says, "Hurry!"
In athat morning, O my Lord,
In athat morning, O my Lord,
In athat morning when the lord says, "Hurry!"
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From https://hymnary.org/text/o_lord_ive_done_what_you_told_me_to_do
"Representative Text
Published in 1 hymnal: Folk Songs of the American Negro (No. 1), 1907"
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*This version conforms with Example #1 below.
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LYRICS: [version #2]*
(African American Spiritual, arranged by Troy Ramsey)
Lord, I've done what you told me to do
for your love is going to carry me through,
OOh, ooh, ooh, ooooooooooh,ooooooooooooh,
I've had troubles all my life, many times i had to sacarfice, but i won't give up, i'm staying strong, cause i know that lord will help me carry on.
Through the years, i felt it hard to go on, but i know the lord will help me carry on.
Lord, I've done what you told me to do
for your love is going to carry me through,
OOh, ooh, ooh, ooooooooooh,ooooooooooooh,
I pray to you lord, that you send blessings my way, so that i may go on for at least another day,
But i won't give up, I'm staying strong, cause i know that the lord will help me carry on.
Lord, I've done what you told me to do
for your love is going to carry me through,
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From http://www.allgospellyrics.com/?sec=listing&lyricid=3369
Troy Ramsey & the daughters - Lord I've done what you told me to do
*This version conforms with Example #1 below.
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SHOWCASE EXAMPLES
Example #1:Done What You Tole Me To Do - Fisk Jubilee Singers
stl dlie, Published on Feb 20, 2011
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A commenter in this sound file's discussion thread wrote that this song was recorded in 1909 "along with Swing Low, Sweet Chariot".
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Example #2: Lord I've Done What You Told Me To Do" (1972) Troy Ramey & Soul Searchers
Gospel Nostalgia, Published on May 22, 2014
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Here's a comment from this example's discussion thread:
colsome miah, 2017
"Best rendition of the songI've found: gospel ing in he face of hopelessness. Obedience is better than sacrifice: beats newer rendition: sung with pathos and righteousness."
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Example #3: Tim Woodson & The Heirs of Harmony - I've Done What You Told Me To Do
Peacock Music Group, Published on Jan 15, 2015
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Here are two comments from this video's discussion thread:
1. Sammy Brewster, 2016
"Old School Gospel"
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2. Altravis Taylor, 2017
"O yesz love this song. Sounds like gospel music bac in the day."
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Example #4: I Done Done What You Told Me to Do” :: Feb 15 @middlechurch
Middle Church, Published on Feb 25, 2015
“I Done Done What You Told Me to Do”
arr. Uzee Brown, Jr.
Middle Church Jerriese Johnson Choir
Rory Che-Marc Wallace, soloist
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Read my comment below about the use of Black (African American) dialectic English in the contemporary performance of Spirituals.
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This concludes Part III of this three part pancococjams series.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
The video given as Example #4 in this series showcases a choir singing a version of this featured song with the title "I Done Done What You Told Me To Do". Here are two comments from this video's discussion thread:
ReplyDeleteHere are two comments from this video's discussion thread:
1. Kev Dawg6, 2017
"I love the soul, but the done done (repeated) is too much for me..I love when they sing this in my church (senior choir)"
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2, Kev Dawg6, 2017
"I know what it was...there was no emphasis on one of the done's...."
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"I done done" is an example of a form of [old school Southern] African American Vernacular English. I'd interpret it as "I'm really finished". I think that Kev. Dawg6 is correct that people who say "done done" would place an emphasis on one of the iterations of "done". For instance, if some one questions whether you really had finished some task, the person might say "I DONE done" that work. And if you want to emphatically state that you have finished all of the work you were supposed to do, you might emphasize the second iteration of the word done"- "I done DONE" all the work".
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In my opinion, this video serves as an example of people-including African Americans-singing Spirituals in "Negro dialect*" who might not actually know how that pronunciation was used.
Even if the pronunciation is accurate, my preference is for singers not to use dialect while performing African American Spirituals.
*I'm using the outdated referent "Negro" in the term "Negro dialect" to refer to 19th century actual examples or approximations of examples of (usually Southern) African American speech.
Here's a link to a pancocojams post entitled Singing Spirituals Using 19th Century Black Dialect:http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/08/why-i-dont-like-use-of-19th-century.html
DeleteHere's an excerpt from my editor's note which prefaces that post:
"I acknowledge that there are different opinions among African Americans and non-African Americans about the appropriateness of using 19th century "Negro dialect"* while singing Spirituals. For some people the question is one of preserving the authenticity of these Spirituals and not "watering them down". However, I'm much more concerned about how 19th century dialectic words may be interpreted as a reflection of the lack of respect for the intelligence and the literacy of African Americans in the past, and in the present. Perhaps if racism wasn't still so very much a factor in the present, I wouldn't be as concerned about how Black people are depicted in our songs.
The main reason why I don't like to hear Spirituals or any other songs in 19th century Negro dialect is because that dialect reminds me of black-faced minstrel songs. Those minstrel songs are heavy on Negro dialect and are full of highly offensive depictions of Black people. I admit that Hearing songs that include 19th century Negro dialect-particularly when sung by non-Black people- makes me cringe.
Furthermore, not all Black Americans way back in the 19th century and the early 20th century used dialect. And the earliest Black touring groups who introduced Spirituals to the world didn't use dialect."