Repetitive Songs In Contemporary Black Worship Services Collection Marches: "Down Here My Burdens Are Heavy"

Bethelpost church, Aug 5, 2013

Holiness Apostolic Choir and The Voices of the Overcomers Choir of Bethel Born Again Apostolic Church ministering during Holiness Apostolic Convocation 2013 on the first night

****
Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post is part of an ongoing pancocojams series that highlights examples of repetitive songs in contemporary Black worship services collection marches. 

This post showcases a collection march by two Apostolic choirs at a 2013 convocation.   

This post also presents a full reprint of a three comment online discussion thread about the song "I Won't Have To Worry Anymore". The first verse of that song begins with the line "Down here my burdens are heavy", which is the title of that YouTube video. This is the entire discussion thread as of the date of the publication of this pancocojams post (Oct. 16, 2021).

My editorial notes present my description of that collection march. 

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the composer/s of this song. Thanks also to Holiness Apostolic Choir (Jamaica) and The Voices Of Overcomers Choir Of Bethal Born Again Apostolic Church (Jamaica) for their ministries. Thanks to Bethelpost, the producer and publisher of this video on YouTube and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

****
DISCLAIMER: "Black worship services" in this title means that all or most of the people in attendance at these worship services are Black. However, these songs can certainly be sung by non-Black people. 

In the title for this ongoing pancocojams series I'm highlighting the fact that these songs (or "choruses" to use the Pentecostal term) are repeated over and over again while the choir marches. I believe that this is an important feature of these marches as repetitive singing or chanting and repetitive movements can help bring down the Holy Spirit.

Click the "repetitive songs in Black worship services" tag to find additional pancocojams posts in this series.

Also, click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/10/repetitive-songs-in-contemporary-black.html to read why I began this pancocojams series on Black church collection marches. That Pancocojams Editorial note also includes my overview (purposes) of this pancocojams series on Black church collections marches as well as an encouragement for those who are much more familiar with that tradition than me to add to the historical and cultural record by publishing online information and descriptions about that tradition.

****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTES

Identification of the source song for this collection march
Although the audio for this video is poor, I can decipher that before the march the two church choirs in the aboveYouTube video sung one verse of the song "I Won't Have To Worry Anymore" .as well as the chorus. (The words that they sung appear to be the same as the first verse and the chorus as given in the comments in the discussion thread that is directly below.) The choirs may have also sung the second verse followed by the chorus prior to the collection march, but I'm not sure about that.

It's more difficult for me to decipher what the choirs sung during the collection march. They may have repeated part of that song or the entire song.

"Down here my burdens are heavy" is the first line in the first verse of the song "I Won't Have To Worry Anymore". I don't know whether the choirs used the title "Down here my burders for the song that they sang, or whether the video publisher independently chose that as the title for this video. 

My description of the march in this video
The video begins with showing the congregtion walking to place their offering (money) in the bowls that are held by two church officials who stand in front of the raised podium. These officials remain standing there throughout the collection march.

The video focuses on the choir from Bethal Born Again Apostolic Church (Jamaica) who are standing in the choir stand directly in back of the slightly raised podium. A soloist from that choir sings into a microphone that is attached to that podium. That soloist remains singing there throughout the march. The video also shows a choir from the Holiness Apostolic Choir (Jamaica). That choir is standing in front of benches on the floor of the sanctuary to the right of the podium. The musicans consist of a keyboard player, a snare drummer, and two electric guitarist. Those musicians are seated in an enclosed area on the floor to the right of the podium.

At 4:11 in this video, a female usher* begins the march. She is the lead person throughout the entire march.  

[With no disrespect intended, the female usher's stance reminds me of how boxer stand with their fist balled up in front of them and their bodies held slightly inclined. The way this usher moves in the beginning of this collection march also reminds me of the way that boxers skip in place while they are training and at other times.]

Except for the soloist, the members of the Voices of Overcomers choir form a single vertical line in back of the usher.  Members of the Holiness Apostolic Choir join the single line in back of ithe  first choir. Four other women ushers* join at the end of the line.

The choirs' stance is similar to that of the lead usher. The bodies of some members of the choir are more erect than others, and some rock when they move more than others. Since (I believe) that part of the purposes of the march is to help bring down the Holy Spirit, it's not surprising o note that during that march, some members feel the spirit and that is shown by the ways they move in that line. The line however continues to move forward regardless of whether a person or people in front of them "get happy" ("go in" - to use African American terms for that heightened state where people involuntarily move and/or speak ). The person in line behind the person who is feeling the Spirit moves that person along.      

The line continues to move across the floor in front of the podium, down the left hand aisle to the right hand aisle then down the center aisle.

The line is so long that the video shows some of the line still marching across the floor in front of the podium to the left hand aisle while the usher leds the line down the center aisle.  That line moving across the front of the floor in front of the podium moves pass the bottom of the center aisle before the line led by the usher reaches there.  The user leads the choir to the left and the choir reenters the choir stand [although tht isn’t shown in this video). The video shows the other choir turning to the right to re-enter their choir area.

 The video then shows scenes of the congregtion. Many people are standing on their feet singing along. The ushers are then shown coming from the left and marching up the center aisle. The remaining portion of that video shows the congregation. Some of the congregation remains standing ans some are clapping while singing.

 *As is also the case in the Black Baptist church, the ushers of this church are identified as those church officials who wear white gloves. 

****
COMPLETE REPRINT OF A DISCUSSION ABOUT THE SONG "I WON'T HAVE TO WORRY ANYMORE"
From  https://namethathymn.com/hymn-lyrics/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=18049#:~:text=BKM84,searching%20and%20searching!

I Won't Have To Worry Anymore - ISO Author

Post Sat Jul 10, 2021 12:45 am

 "I'm looking to find out who wrote an old hymn my mom used to sing. I believe the title is "I Won't Have To Worry Anymore" The first verse and chorus are below. If anyone can help me track down the author of this song I would be forever grateful.

Down here the burdens heavy

and the road is rough and long

sometimes I get so weary I can't go on

but a brighter day is coming

soon I'll rest on heaven's shore

and I won't have to worry anymore

 

I won't have to worry when I reach the other shore

All my troubles will be over and I'll rest forevermore

My eyes will be on Jesus and my heart will be a glow

And I won't have to worry anymore"

**
I Won't Have To Worry Anymore - ISO Author

Post Sat Jul 10, 2021 6:56 am

"I saw several of your posts, but this is the only one I was able to track down. Hope others can help with the rest.

 "I Won't Have to Worry Anymore" was written by James Goss and Jimmy Jones in 1971, and first performed by the Goss Brothers.

 Since then it's been covered a bunch of times. The more popular recent covers include:

 Owen Mac - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA_DAS8xczg

Jeff and Sherri Easter - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4v3InDHXwnA

Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P85ZScgxq3o

Redeemed Quartet - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJwrXB1lp0o

By the way, the Nelson Music Group owns the copyright. Here's their contact information if anyone needs it:

http://www.nelonmusicgroup.com/songs_goss.html

God bless,

Steve

** 

steveliu

Site Admin

Re: I Won't Have To Worry Anymore - ISO Author

Post Sat Jul 10, 2021 6:59 am

"In case anyone needs them, here are the full lyrics:

 1.

Down here my burden's heavy

And the road is rough and long

Sometimes my feet get weary and so sore

But a brighter day is coming

Soon I'll rest on Heaven's shore

And I won't have to worry anymore

 

Chorus

Oh I won't have to worry

When I reach the other shore

All my troubles will be over

And I rest forever more

My eyes will be on Jesus

And my heart will be a glow

And I won't have to worry anymore

 

2.

Someday when life is over

And I've said my last good bye

I'll see my Savior standing at the door

He'll say "my child you're welcome

All your cares are left behind"

And I won't have to worry anymore

Repeat Chorus"

-snip-
Versions of the lyrics for "I Don't Have To Worry Any More" are found in a number of online sites. Some of the versions are much longer than the two verses and the chorus given in that discussion thread. Presumably, the singers added verses to that song. All of the versions of that song that I have found begin with a verse with the first line "My burdens are heavy".

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.