Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post presents text examples of an early version of the African American Spiritual "Oh Sinnerman" and an early version of the African American Spiritual "No Hiding Place Down Here". Both of these Spirituals are probable sources of Nina Simone's jazzy version of "Oh Sinner Man".
The lyrics to that version of "Oh Sinnerman" are also included in this post along with one YouTube example of "Nina Simone singing "Oh Sinnerman" and two YouTube examples of "No Hiding Place".
All copyrights remain with their owners.
*****
THE EARLIEST PRINT VERSION OF THE SPIRITUAL "OH! SINNERMAN"
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: oh sinner man
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 08 Apr 07 - 07:53 PM
Chorus:
Oh! sinner, Oh! sinner man...
Oh! sinner, Oh! which way are you going?
1.
Oh! come back, sinner, and don't go there,
Which way are you going?
For hell is deep and dark despair,
Oh! which way are you going?
2.
Tho' days be dark and nights be long,
Which way are you going?
We'll shout and sing till we get home,
Oh! which way are you going?
3.
'Twas just about the break of day,
Which way are you going?
My sins forgiv'n and soul set free,
Oh! which way are you going?
Gilbert Clifford Noble, 1911, "The Most Popular
Plantation Songs," Hinds, Noble and Eldredge, Publishers, NYC. P. 97, with
score. No notes provided. This seems to be the earliest version in print. There
are many songs about the sinner, but not about 'where are you going, (or)
running.' Nina Simone... The Weavers and
others of the 1950's-60's made the song popular. Often combined with "No
Hiding Place."
INFORMATION ABOUT THE AFRICAN AMERICAN SPIRITUAL "NO HIDING PLACE DOWN HERE"
From
"There's No Hiding Place Down Here
This gospel song is a traditional Afro-American spiritual,
originally collected in 1907 and first printed in 1915.
It is based on Revelation 6:15-17, which tells of the futility of human attempts to hide from the wrath of God in mountains and rocks.
It was made popular by a 1955 recording by Dorothy Love Coates & The Original Gospel Harmonettes. Other recordings have been made by artists including the Carter family, who also added additional verses.
More recent publications include The Bluegrass Gospel Songbook, edited by Wayne Erbsen, and published in 2006 by Native Ground Books & Music,
[…]
Lyrics
There's no hiding place down here,
There's no hiding place down here,
Oh I ran to the rock to hide my face
The rock cried out, ""No hiding place""
No hiding place down here.
The rock cried out, "I'm burning, too."
The rock cried out, "I'm burning, too."
Oh the rock cried out, "I'm burning, too
I want to go to Heaven the same as you."
There's no hiding place down here.
Sinner man he stumbled and he fell,
Sinner man he stumbled and he fell.
Oh, the sinner man stumbled and he fell
Wanted to go to Heaven but he had to go to ... Well,
There's no hiding place down here.
****
YOUTUBE EXAMPLE:
Isambay, Mar 20, 2012
Oh Sinnerman, where you gonna run to?
YOUTUBE EXAMPLES OF "NO HIDING PLACE DOWN HERE"
Example #1: The Gospel Harmonettes-No Hiding Place Down Here
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frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write;
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allowfullscreen></iframe>
Songs Of Conviction And Deliverance, Sep 9, 2011
Dorothy Love-Coates sings a Gospel Harmonettes Throw Back
this song was also on the Movie Ghost
-snip-
Here are two comments from this sound file's discussion thread:
1. NOrleansbro, 2013
"Heard this song in the movie Ghost with Whoopi Goldberg.
When Patrick first met Whoopi's--the fortune-teller scammer. This song was
playing. I knew right away it was Dorothy Coates' raw powerful voice. My
favorite Coates' song is "Strange Man". As a kid, my mom played all
the great gospel music in our home."
**
2. colsome miah, 2018
"And the kings of the earth and the great men and the rich
and mighty and very free or bondsman hid
themselves in the dens and rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains
fall on us and hide us off the face of him that sits on the throne for the great day
of his wrath is come and who will be able to stand? Revelations 6:15-7"
****
Example #2: Kelvin Towers and The Coahoma Community Choir sing, "No
Hiding Place Down Here"
JerusalemTempleCOGIC, Oct 11, 2011
Kelvin Towers and The Coahoma Community Choir sing, "No Hiding Place Down Here" at Jerusalem Temple COGIC "MY" Conference in Leland, MS 10-8-11
Recorded by: Rachel A. Dixon
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