Clara Ward Singers - Will The Circle Be Unbroken (Black Gospel sound file, lyrics, & comments))

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents information about the 1907 religious hymn "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" and information about the renown African American Gospel group the Clara Ward Singers who recorded an adaptation of this song in 1973.

This post showcases a 1973 YouTube sound file of the Clara Ward Singers' Black Gospel adaptation of "Will The Circle Be Unbroken". Some comments from that sound file's discussion thread and from the discussion thread for another YouTube sound file of that song are also included in this post.

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the composers of the 1907 song "Will The Circle Be Unbroken". Thanks also to the Clara Ward Singers for their musical legacy. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these sound files on YouTube.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE RELIGIOUS HYMN "WILL THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_the_Circle_Be_Unbroken%3F
""Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" is a popular Christian hymn written in 1907 by Ada R. Habershon with music by Charles H. Gabriel. The song is often recorded unattributed and, because of its age, has lapsed into the public domain. Most of the chorus appears in the later songs "Can the Circle Be Unbroken" and "Daddy Sang Bass".

Other versions
The Ballad Index [2] notes that the tune now commonly sung differs substantially from the original tune by Gabriel. It also notes the first known recording of this variant, by the Metropolitan Quartet in 1927.

Carter version
A reworked version of the song, intended as a funeral hymn, was written by A. P. Carter and released in 1935 by the Carter Family. The Carter version, titled "Can the Circle be Unbroken", uses the same music and the same verse structure but with different verse lyrics and a modified chorus. That version has often been recorded as "Will the Circle be Unbroken", including the 1972 performance by Mother Maybelle Carter and ensemble on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band album of the same title.

The original version of the song does not insert "Lord" in lines 2 and 4 of the chorus,[1] though the Carter version does. Also, the third line of the chorus is phrased as a question in the original, but as a declarative sentence in the Carter version, and the Carter version as written begins the chorus with 'Can' instead of 'Will'.

The Carter version is still under copyright."...
-snip-
This Wikipedia article includes the original lyrics for "Will The Circle Be Unbroken".

Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjHjm5sRqSA for a YouTube sound file of "Can The Circle Be Unbroken" by The Carter Family.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE CLARA WARD SINGERS
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_Ward
"Clara Mae Ward[1] (April 21, 1924 – January 16, 1973)[4][5] was an American gospel artist who achieved great artistic and commercial success during the 1940s and 1950s, as leader of The Famous Ward Singers. A gifted singer and arranger, Ward adopted the lead-switching style, previously used primarily by male gospel quartets, creating opportunities for spontaneous improvisation and vamping by each member of the group, while giving virtuoso singers such as Marion Williams the opportunity to perform the lead vocal in songs such as "Surely, God Is Able" (among the first million-selling gospel hits), "How I Got Over" and "Packin' Up" ”...

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RECORD INFORMATION ABOUT CLARA WARD SINGERS' "WILL THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN"
From https://www.discogs.com/Clara-Ward-The-Clara-Ward-Singers-Will-The-Circle-Be-Unbroken-Lean-On-Me/master/953567 Clara Ward & The Clara Ward Singers ‎– Will The Circle Be Unbroken / Lean On Me
"Genre: Funk / Soul
Style: Gospel, Soul
Year: 1973"
-snip-
Clara Ward Singers' record "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" is what I refer to as a "gospelized hymn". My definition of "gospelized hymn" is a hymn that is performed in a Black gospel style.

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LYRICS FOR "WILL THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN"
(As sung by the Clara Ward Singers)

Chorus [sung by the Lead singer with guitar accompaniment]
Will the circle be unbroken
By and by, Lord
By and by
There’s a better
Home awaitin
In the sky, Lord
In the sky

Chorus [with the group singing first, the Lead riffing, and band accompaniment]

Verse 1 [the Lead sings with the group singing the chorus in the background with the band accompaniment]
One by one our loved one leave us
Well, one by one they all pass away
Oh, but what a meeting
When we greet them
In the sky, one blessed day

Chorus [with the group singing first, the Lead riffing, and band accompaniment]

Verse 2 [the Lead sings with the group singing the chorus in the background with the band accompaniment]
Well, we’ll be talkin,
talkin ‘bout our childhood
Singin songs all our mothers love
I wonder will there be any parting
When we reach that home above

Chorus [with the group singing first, the Lead riffing, and band accompaniment and with a faster tempo]
Group - Will the circle
Lead – will the circle
Group- be unbroken
Lead – be unbroken
Group- by and by Lord
Lead -Hey Hey Hey,
Lord Lord
Group -there’s a better
Lead there-s a better
Group --Home awaitin
Lead -In the sky Lord
In the sky
Lead -Oh-o in the sky
Hey hey hey

[The chorus is repeated two additional times with the Lead singing the same or different riffs]
-snip-
This is my basic transcription of this song, given without a complete transcription of the lead singer's interjections and other riffs.

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SHOWCASE SOUND FILE - Clara Ward-Will The Circle Be Unbroken



Walter Robinson, Published on Aug 18, 2013
-snip-
This sound file only has two comments in its discussion thread. Those comments are:
1. Daniel Chisler, 2015
"Clara and the Ward singers always top notch"

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2. Zhair Miller, 2018
"They took this too Church!!!!"
-snip-
Here's a definition for "took me to church" that I included in Part II of a 2018 pancocojams series entitled "What "Took Me To Church", "Sang", "Went In" And Other Black (African American) Church Words & Phrases Mean, Part II" http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/09/what-took-me-to-church-sang-went-in-and_1.html. Part II provides definitions for terms that begin with the letter M-Z.

"[in reference to Gospel singing or speaking about some emotive subject] the performance was so spirit filled -in the positive, religious meaning of that term- that while listening to it the person was touched by the Holy Spirit. People who feel the Holy Spirit behave in ways that are outside of their control. For example, they may weep, shout (get happy i.e. go in, do the Holy dance), testify about God's grace, speak in tongues etc.)

Similarly, "almost took me to church" means that the performance is reminiscent of church services that were/are full of the Holy Spirit"
-snip-
Another way of saying the same thing is "I almost went to church" [when I was listening to this song].

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/09/what-took-me-to-church-sang-went-in-and.html for a 2018 pancocojams post entitled "What "Took Me To Church", "Sang", "Went In" And Other Black (African American) Church Words & Phrases Mean, Part I". Part I provides definitions for terms that begin with the letter A-L.

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Here are several comments from the discussion thread for another YouTube sound file of this song. (I chose the 2013 sound file because it included photographs of Clara Ward and of the Clara Ward Singers.)

Comments from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67fYJCXsWFQ
"Will The Circle Be Unbroken"- Clara Ward Singers
Rowoches, Published on Mar 21, 2009
1. Nando Jamal Wash, 2009
"I sung this today as the Processional song for a funeral....Lawd them Saints went "slap" in...."
-snip-
"went "slap" in" = The people in attendance at that funeral service (home going service) felt the Holy Spirit as a result of that rendition of that song so much so they that they experienced involuntary movements such as slapping themselves and others. [This probably was an exaggeration.]

A definition for "went in" is found after comment #6.

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2. Rowoches, 2009
"I'm not listening to the actual recording right now, but if I can remember correctly, she said, "Pardon" "

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REPLY
3. B R Jones, 2018
"will there be any PARTING when we reach that home above?"

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4. Trevez Montgomery, 2009
"Yes Suh!!!"

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5. Ephesians6:10-18, 2013
"SANG CLARA"
-snip-
"Sang" [in the context of this comment] is a present tense interjection that means "to sing very well, especially to sing soulfully very well".

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6. Ephesians6:10-18, 2013
"GOT ME SHOUTIN ON THE OTHER half of the song"
-snip-
I think "the other half of the song" means the part when the tempo increased.
"Shouting" [in the context of this comment] means to "feel the [Holy] Spirit". Two other ways of saying that is "to go in"; or "to get happy".

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7. Rowoches, 2013
"Clara Thomas was the first lead on "In The Morning". She was a former member of the Gospel Pearls (Bessie Griffin). This is Clara Ward leading "Will The Circle Be Unbroken." "

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8. Rowoches, 2013
"Go'head, Go'head!!"

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9. Alan Hudson, 2014
"My Lord Clara sannng that song...she got me I almost went in went she said "Lawd have mercy"@3:30 that was getting to good to her spirit a reassurance that the circle will never be unbroken"
-snip-
Notice the on purpose use of down home (old time Southern) African American Vernacular English (for instance, . "Lawd" instead of "Lord" and "Yes Suh" instead of "Yes Sir".

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