The History Of The Children's Song "The Lord Said To Noah" (also given as "Rise And Shine" & other titles)

Listener Kids, May 23, 2021

Arky Arky - Rise and Shine! Christian videos for kids.
[...]

For sunday school or children's ministry.

**** Edited by Azizi Powell This pancocojams post showcases a YouTube video of the children's religious song/camp song "The Lord Said To Noah" (also given as "Rise And Shine", "The Arky" and other titles). This post also presents information about the history of that song. The Addendum to this post showcases a YouTube video of the African American Spiritual "We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder" which is an early source for the children's song "The Lord Said To Noah" (also given as "Rise And Shine" and other titles).

The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, and cultural purposes. All copyrights remain with their owners. Thanks to the unknown composers of "We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder" and "The Lord Said To Noah" ("Rise And Shine"). Thanks to Joe Offer. Mudcat Folk Music Forum and thanks to all others who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to all those who are associated with these YouTube examples and the publishers of those examples on YouTube. ****

INFORMATION ABOUT "THE LORD SAID TO NOAH" ("RISE AND SHINE")

EXCERPT #1 From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rise_and_Shine_(children%27s_song) 
"Rise and Shine (And Give God Your Glory, Glory) also known as The Arky, Arky Song (Children of the Lord) is a humorous children's camp song about Noah's Ark.

History

The song lyrics and tune are loosely adapted from the earlier African American Spiritual song,[1] "We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder," which was written prior to 1825.[2] Later versions of "We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder" include the refrain "Rise and Shine and Give God the Glory, Glory."[3] The lyric is likely derived from a similar verse in the Book of Isaiah 60:1 which states: "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee" in reference to Zion[4]

According to some sources, such as Religious Folk Songs of the Hampton Institute, the earliest version of the children's song date to at least 1874, but the 1874 version does not include the Noah lyrics, which appear to have been added in the twentieth century.[5] Today the children's version of the song is commonly sung at various Sunday schools, scout camps and camps for Christian and Jewish children.[6] Notable folk artists such as Pete Seeger have covered the song.[7]"...
-snip-
I reformatted this page to increase its readability.

****
EXCERPT #2
From: https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=161280
Subject: DT Study: Rise and Shine (Give God Your.
From Joe Offer
Date: 08 Jan 17 - 02:32 AM

"Here are the Digital Tradition lyrics for this song. It's more-or-less what I learned from my sister when she was a Girl Scout camp counselor (we didn't sing such songs in boys' camps.) Any corrections?

RISE AND SHINE

The Lord said to Noah,
There's gonna be a floody, floody
Lord said to Noah,
There's gonna be a floody floody.
Get my children out of the muddy muddy
Children of the Lord.

cho: So rise and shine and give God the glory glory
Rise and shine and give God the glory glory
Rise and shine and give God the glory glory
Children of the Lord.

So Noah, he built him,
He built him an arky arky, (2x)
Built it out of hick'ry barky barky,
Children of the Lord.

The animals, they came in,
They came in by twosies twosies (2x)
Elephants and kangaroosies 'roosies,
Children of the Lord.

It rained and rained for
Forty daysies daysies (2x)
Drove those animals nearly crazy crazy
Children of the Lord.

The sun came out,
And dried up the landy landy (2x)
Everything was fine and dandy dandy
Children of the Lord.

The animals they went out
Went out by threesies threesies (2x)
Must have learned 'bout the birds and beesies beesies
Children of the Lord.

This is the end of
The end of my story story (2x)
Everything is hunky-dory dory
Children of the Lord.

Note: a jazzed-up version of the older, slower spiritual "Jacob's
Ladder" RG
@camp @kids
filename[ RISESHIN
JY

[...]

Here's the Traditional Ballad Index entry on this song:

Rise and Shine

DESCRIPTION: "God said to Noah, there's gonna be a floody, floody.... (So) Rise and shine and give God the glory, glory... Children of the Lord." Noah builds the ark; the animals arrive, including elephants and kangaroos; it rains; it dries up

AUTHOR: unknown

EARLIEST DATE: 1874 (Dett)

KEYWORDS: religious flood humorous

FOUND IN: US(SE)

REFERENCES (3 citations):

Dett, pp. 198-199, "Rise an' Shine" (1 text, 1 tune; pp. 212-213 in the 1874 edition)

Silber-FSWB, p. 388, "Rise And Shine" (1 text)

DT, RISESHIN

Roud #11968

**** Subject: ADD: Rise and Shine (Spiritual)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 Jan 17 - 02:59 AM

"The Traditional Ballad Index makes reference to Dett - that's Religious Folk-Songs of the Negro as Sung at Hampton Institute, by R. Nathaniel Dett. The book is available at archive.org * 

Here's my transcription of "Rise and Shine" from Dett, 1909 edition:

RISE AND SHINE

CHORUS
Oh, rise and shine, an' give God de glory, glory
Rise and shine, an' give God de glory, glory
Rise and shine, an' give God de glory, glory
For de year of Juberlee.

Jesus carry de young lambs in his bosom, bosom
Carry de young lambs in his bosom, bosom
Carry de young lambs in his bosom, bosom
For de year ob Juberlee

Jesus lead de ole sheep by still waters, waters
Lead de ole sheep by still waters, waters
Lead de ole sheep by still waters, waters
For de year ob Juberlee
CHORUS

Oh, come on, mourners, get you ready, ready
Come on, mourners, get you ready, ready
Come on, mourners, get you ready, ready
For de year ob Juberlee

You may keep your lamps trimmed and burning, burning
Keep your lamps trimmed and burning, burning
Keep your lamps trimmed and burning, burning
For de year ob Juberlee
CHORUS

Oh, come on, children, don't be weary, weary
Come on, children, don't be weary, weary
Come on, children, don't be weary, weary
For de year ob Juberlee

Oh, don't you hear them bells a-ringin', ringin'
Don't you hear them bells a-ringin', ringin'
Don't you hear them bells a-ringin', ringin'
For de year ob Juberlee
CHORUS

Similar melody, too. So, it has traditional roots, but must we pay royalties for the arky, arky? Well, if it's Universal, at least it's easy to license. I learned the song in the early 1960s.
-snip-
*Pancocojams Editor's Note 9/21/2022- That old link leads to this hyperlink:
 https://archive.org/details/religiousfolkson00fenn

"Religious folk songs of the Negro as sung on the plantations

by Fenner, Thomas P; Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (Va.)

Publication date 1909

Topics Spirituals (Songs), Folk music, Hymns, English, African Americans

Publisher Hampton, Va. : Institute Press

[...]

Digitizing sponsor University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Contributor University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Language English"...

****
Subject: ADD Version: Rise and Shine
From Joe Offer
Date: 08 Jan 17 - 04:05 AM

"RISE AND SHINE

CHORUS
Rise and shine and give God the glory glory
Rise and shine and give God the glory glory
Rise and shine and give God the glory glory
Children of the Lord.

God said to Noah, there's gonna be a floody, floody
God said to Noah, there's gonna be a floody, floody
Get your children out of the muddy muddy
Children of the Lord.

God said to Noah, to build him an arky arky,(2x)
Build it out of hickory barky barky,
Children of the Lord.

The animals, they came in by twosy twosy (2x)
Elephants and kangaroosy 'roosy,
Children of the Lord.

It rained and rained for forty daysy daysy, (2x)
Drove those counselors nearly crazy crazy
Children of the Lord.


Source: Folksinger's Wordbook, compiled and edited by Fred & Irwin Silber (New York: Oak Publications, 1973) p. 388"

**** 
Subject: RE: DT Study: Rise and Shine (Give God Your Glory)
From: GUEST, Guest
Date: 02 Jun 19 - 04:14 PM

"My great grandmother remembered the preacher singing the Noah's arky song and dancing across the stage when she was about 8...so that would have been 1902 or so. So they've been around awhile anyway."
-snip-
As is the case with most Mudcat discussion threads, this discussion thread on "Rise And Shine (Give God Your Clory" is still open for comments from members or guests.

Btw, I believe the "correct" words are "Rise And Shine and give God the Glory."

****
ADDENDUM: 

We Are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder - Emotional Song of the Civil War era

History Boy, Feb. 7, 2018
****

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.