Early Rap Recordings And Lyrics For "The Preacher And The Bear" By The Golden Gate Quartet & The Jubaliares

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases the Golden Gate Quartet's 1937 version of the very popular early 20th century song entitled "The Preacher And The Bear".

My transcription of the Golden Gate Quartet's version of the "Preacher And The Bear" is given in this post.

Addendum #1 of this post showcases a video of another African American music group, the Jubalaires' version of that song. The lyrics and the rapping performance style of The Jubalaires' 1947 recording of "The Preacher And The Bear" are very similar to the Golden Gate Quartet's rendition of that song.

Addendum #2 provides some information about the "The Preacher And The Bear" song and features the original lyrics for that song. A song file of The Preacher And The Bear by Arthur Collins is also included in this Addendum.

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the Golden Gate Quartet for their musical legacy, thanks to the Jubaliares for their musical legacy, and thanks also to Arthur Collins for recording this song. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these examples on YouTube.

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SHOWCASE SOUND FILE: Golden Gate Quartet - Preacher & The Bear



bronco illegal, Jul 26, 2013

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LYRICS- THE PREACHER AND THE BEAR
(as sung by The Golden Gate Quartet)

Talkin bout that old time religion
that old time religion
that old time religion
it’s good enough for me.

My Lord

that old time religion
that old time religion
that old time religion
it’s good enough for me
Folks I got a story that I want you to hear
bout the preacher what got into a fight with a bear
Listen close. Don’t want you to miss none of
this here story ‘cause it goes like this

A preacher went down huntin one day
It was on one Sunday morning
And although he was a Christian young man
He took his gun along.
Now he shot up a bunch of nice fine quails
And he shot some nice fancy hens
But as soon as he was to be returning home
He saw a great big grizzley bear.

He needed that ole time religion
that ole time religion
that ole time religion
It’s good enough for me

Well, the preacher fell down on his knees
And he sent a real long prayer
While he cast one eye way up on the heaven
And kept the other on the bear.
And he said, “Lord, looka here
You know You delivered ole Daniel from the lion’s den
And You delivered three Hebrew children from the fiery furnace
And then ole Jonah You delivered from the [body?] belly of the whale
as the Good Book does declare
Now Lord, lookin here, if You can’t help me
Don’t You go helpin that bear.

He needed that ole time religion
that ole time religion
that ole time religion
It’s good enough for me

Well, the bear walked out to the middle of the road
And up to where the reverend was [steed?]
But the reverend laid his religion down
And he climbed up a tall pine tree
Then he climbed way up to the top of the tree
And he crawled way up on the limb
While the bear looked up all innocently
and kinda licked his mouth at him
But along ‘bout four the old limb broke
And the preacher came tumbling down
He took out his razor and cut that bear ten times
before he struck the ground.

He needed that ole time religion
that ole time religion
that ole time religion
It’s good enough for me

Then the bear reached out
for to give him a hug
like you would hug a long-lost friend
But the preacher put on a disappearing act
Went lifting through the air (?)
Then he ran just as fast as a old hound dog
you find a catching a hen (?)
He ran home in the bed and he took his nap
Before his shadow got there
He needed that ole time religion
that ole time religion
that ole time religion
It’s good enough for me
-snip-
[The soloist raps something at the end of this version. The words begin with something like "See you see, the preacher ___ __ __]
-snip-
Transcription by Azizi Powell. Additions and corrections are welcome.
-snip-
Here's an excerpt from the Wikipedia page for The Golden Gate Quartet:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Gate_Quartet
The Golden Gate Quartet (a.k.a. The Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet) is an American vocal group. It was formed in 1934 and, with changes in membership, remains active.

Origins and early career

The group was founded as the Golden Gate Jubilee Singers in 1934, by four students at Booker T. Washington High School in Norfolk, Virginia.[1] According to the group's website,[2] the original members were Willie Johnson (baritone; d. 1980), William Langford (tenor; d. 1970), Henry Owens (second tenor; d. 1970) and Orlandus Wilson (bass; 1917–1998); other sources state that Landford and Wilson replaced earlier members Robert "Peg" Ford and A.C. "Eddie" Griffin in 1935.[3][4][5]

From 1935, the group sang in churches and on local radio, gaining a regular spot on radio station WIS in Columbia, South Carolina in 1936.[2][6] They began as a traditional jubilee quartet, combining the clever arrangements associated with barbershop quartets with rhythms borrowed from the blues and jazz like scat singing. They developed a broad repertoire of styles – from Owens' mournful, understated approach in songs such as "Anyhow" or "Hush, Somebody's Calling My Name", to the group's highly syncopated arrangements in "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego". Like The Mills Brothers in popular music, they would often include vocal special effects in their songs, imitating train sounds in songs such as "Golden Gate Gospel Train". Langford often sang lead, using his ability to range from baritone to falsetto, while Johnson narrated in a hip syncopated style that became the hallmark for the group. Wilson's bass served as the anchor for the group and Owens harmonized with Langford and Johnson."...

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ADDENDUM #1- VIDEO OF THE JUBALAIES VERSION OF "THE PREACHER AND THE BEAR"

The Jubalaires - The Preacher And The Bear



SbrPL, Dec 2, 2008
-snip-
The lyrics for the Jubalaires' 1947 version of "The Preacher And The Bear" are very close to the lyrics that The Golden Gate Quartet sung for that song in 1937 (as found above in this post).
For example, the chorus for The Golden Gate Quartet is

Talkin bout that old time religion [sung the first time, then after other verses "He needed that..."]
that old time religion
that old time religion
it’s good enough for me.

The Jubalaires' chorus is:
"Give me that old time religion, my brother [first time, then after other verses "He needed that...."]
that old time religion
My Lord, that old time religion
It's good enough for me."
-snip-
Click http://www.ugha.users5.50megs.com/UGHA/ughahof98.htm for information about The Jubalaires [in the middle of that page.]

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ADDENDUM #2 - INFORMATION ABOUT THIS SONG'S COMPOSITION AND ITS FIRST RECORDING
From http://www.bluegrassmessengers.com/preacher-and-the-bear--original-1904-and-other.aspx The Preacher And The Bear
"OTHER NAMES: Coon and the Bear; Preacher and the Bicycle

SOURCES: Mudcat; Folk Index;

NOTES: The Preacher and the Bear was very popular after Aurthur Collins recording was released in 1905. The song was in the repertoire of Fiddlin' Doc Roberts, Riley Puckett and old-time fiddler Sam Dykes.

[...]

The song is a fiddle solo (Fiddle Tunes--Kentucky) in the Digital Library of Appalachia collection: Preacher and the Bear; Corina; Medley of two Fiddle tunes played by Jim Stone with piano accompaniment and recorded by John Harrod in Montgomery County, Kentucky (no date).

The song is usually credited to Joe Arizonia but was written in 1903 but George Fairman of Front Royal, VA. Fairman, who played piano in Arizonia's nightclub, sold the rights to Arizonia for $250 in 1902 or 1903 shortly after he composed the song. Arthur Longbrake, a songwriter, gets credit for arranging the song on the sheet music as Arizonia was merely the purchaser of the song.

[...]

THE PREACHER AND THE BEAR- Original lyrics
(Joe Arzonia, 1904)

A preacher went out a-hunting. 'Twas on one Sunday morn.
Of course, it was against his religion, but he took his gun along.
He shot himself some very fine quail and one big measly hare,
And on his way returning home, he met a great big grizzly bear.
The bear marched out in the middle of the road and he waltzed to the coon, you see.
The coon got so excited that he climbed a persimmon tree.
The bear sat down upon the ground and the coon climbed out on a limb.
He cast his eyes to the God in the skies and these words he said to him:

CHORUS: Oh Lord, didn't you deliver Daniel from the lion's den?
Also deliver Jonah from the belly of the whale and then,
Three Hebrew children from the fiery furnace, so the good books do declare.
Now, Lord, if you can't help me, for goodness sake don't you help that bear.

This coon stayed up in that tree. I think it was all night.
He says, "Oh Lord, if you don't help that bear, then you'll see one awful fight."
Just about then, the limb let go and the coon came tumbling down,
You should have seen him get his razor out before he struck the ground.
He hit the ground cutting right and left, 'tis true. He put up a very game fight.
Just then, the bear hugged this coon. He squeezed him a little too tight.
The coon he then lost his razor, but the bear held on with a vim.
He cast his eyes to the God in the skies and once more he said to him:

CHORUS"...
-snip-
SHOWCASE SOUND FILE: The Preacher and the Bear - Arthur Collins



Frenk160rpm, Mar 11, 2013

Blue Amberol Cylinder 1560, played on an Edison Home phonograph. This is the unannounced direct recorded version.
Arthur Collins's best known song, first recorded in 1905 and it was a huge seller.
-snip-
Arthur Collins was a very popular White American singer. Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Collins_(singer) for information about this singer.
-snip-
Collins was known as a singer of "coon songs". Quoting https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coon_song "Coon songs were a genre of music that presented a stereotype of black people. They were popular in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia from around 1880[1] to 1920,[2] though the earliest such songs date from minstrel shows as far back as 1848.[3]
-snip-
"The Preacher and the Bear" was considered a "coon song".

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