Sweet Honey in The Rock -"In the Morning When I Rise" (sound file, lyrics, & comments)

Idoitfortheglory, Nov 7, 2008

One of my favorite songs by the dynamic group, Sweet Honey in The Rock!

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases a YouTube sound file of Sweet Honey In The Rock's performance of the African American gospelized Spiritual* "In the Morning When I Rise". I'm particularly interested in documenting this example of double clapping (African American church claps). 

This post also presents the lyrics for that song as well as selected comments about that song from that YouTube sound file's discussion thread. 

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Sweet Honey In The Rock for their cultural legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.
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*Gospelized Spiritual" is my term for a Spiritual that is performed in a Gospel style, particularly in an African American Gospel style.   

Click the "Sweet Honey In The Rock" tag below for more pancocojams posts about this group.

Click  https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2023/03/old-school-black-gospel-music-low.html for the pancocojams post "Old School Black Gospel Music: "Low Country Claps" (also known as "Charleston Claps" And "Double Claps")"

Also, click the tags below for other pancocojams posts on those subjects.
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(BASIC) LYRICS - IN THE MORNING WHEN I RISE *

In the morning
(When I rise)
Oh, In the morning
(When I rise)
Oh, in the morning
(When I rise)
I wanna rise holy
(When I rise)

Oh, In the morning
(When I rise)
Oh, In the morning
(When I rise)
Oh, in the morning
(When I rise)
I wanna rise holy
I wanna was sanctified
I wanna rise holy
(When I rise)

Oh, In the morning
(When I rise)
Oh, in the morning
(When I rise)
Oh, in the morning
(When I rise)
I wanna rise standing
I wanna was shouting
I wanna rise holy
(When I rise)

(Repeat these words or similar words).

Additions and corrections are welcome.
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*This is my transcription of this recording. (The lyrics that are given in genius.com
don't match this recording.)

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Here's information about this song from https://genius.com/Sweet-honey-in-the-rock-in-the-morning-when-i-rise-lyrics
"There is no known author attributed to “In The Morning When I Rise” because the song was created by African people in the 18th century who were living in captivity after being kidnapped into the United States. Forced into the fields of a foreign land, to do hard labor from morning to night must have been pure torture, yet these remarkable human beings refused to be denied their spiritual voice and human dignity. Their painful sacrifices and undeniable brilliance gave us this intoxicating song, beloved by generations of music lovers for it’s joyful power and triumphant beauty.

This acapella version of “In The Morning When I Rise” sung by Sweet Honey In The Rock delivers the song into the 21st century, accenting it’s famous verses with feverish clapping and a modern composition full of rich harmonies and R&B flavored background singing."

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TESTIFYING AD LIB IN THIS RENDITION OF SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK'S RENDITION OF "IN THE MORNING WHEN I RISE"

as sung by Ms. Barnwell ( ?); transcribed by  @Swgabjr, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAJBZXIzKcY

One of these morning

It won't be long

You'll look for me child

And I'll be gone

 

I'm goin up to heaven

To sing and shout

There'll be nobody there

To turn me out

 

I'm goin' up to heaven

To sing and tell

Angels in heaven

Goin toll the bell

 

Shake hands with Moses, Ruth,

Esther, and John

Tell them but this tedious journey

I done run

 

Gonna go a little further

And meet my father

With Frederick Douglas and Sojourner Truth

Walk down by the river

Meet Harriet Tubman

Her battles done been fought

And her victories  won

All the saints gathered around God's throne

Gon' Shout Hallelujah

And welcome me home

 

I wanna rise Holy

I wanna rise Sanctified!!

(repeat this phrase as the spirit moves...)

When I-------RISE
(extend this closing line, reference Sweet Honey in the Rock recording --In the Morning When I Rise, lead Bernice Johnson Reagon)

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THISYOUTUBE SOUND FILE'S DISCUSSION THREAD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAJBZXIzKcY

Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.
 

2009

1. @ochoriostube
"At the Kennedy Center for the Arts! Wonderful!!!"

2010

2. @nodlew1943
"Love it!  This is down home gospel music. That makes you shout!   :-) 

What album was this on?"
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From genius.com's page on this song:
"This is track #7 from the 1993 CD "Still On The Journey". Journey (1993)

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2011

3. @KRxN11
"This tradition is what sustains us and rejuvenates us. Through the years, through the lonely nights and burdensome days in this Babylon called Amerikkka! God bless these Sisters!krxn11"

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Reply
4. @nodlew1943
"@KRxN11  Indeed!  Its the down home gospel that stir the souls that truly sustains us!  I have an old soul.  Today's gospel is too secular.  Must have that old school element."

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2012

5. @indiefilms111
"i feel like shouting when i hear this song"

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2013

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2014

6. @aaronrevealed
"Sweet Honey is CHURCH!  Amen!"

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Reply
7. @dwi5114, 2015
"You ain't never lied!"

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8. @nodlew1943
"Love it!  This is down home gospel music. That makes you shout!   :-)"

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9. @QuakerBoy100
"The real thing!"

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10. @missizpresident
"Honoring All my ancestors today."

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11. @eringobraugh1916
"Magnificent .. powerful .. courageous and strong .."

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2015

12. @playhe57
"I have loved them since I saw and heard them at the Mariposa folk festival in the 70s."

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13. @renaycunningham5656
"WOW AWESOME it gave me chills"

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2016

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2017

14. @angela-d4477
"Yess!! They performed at the 1 Year Annniversary of the National African American History and Culture Museum yesterday! My family and I caught them near the end of their performance. They were good! I’d love to see them live again one day!"

 

2018

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2019

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2020

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2021

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2022

15. @rosemaryswan3782
"Women's History salute to Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon of Dougherty County, Albany, Georgia on lead with "Sweet Honey in the Rock", an accapella group she founded in Washington, D.C. Additionally, along with fellow Albanian Ruth Harris, Cordell Reagon and Charles Neblett she is a founding member of the Original SNCC Freedom Singers and while in Atlanta was involved with the Harambee Singers. So proud of Dr. BJR, Civil rights activist, scholar, historian, author, musician, professor, editor,  producer, writer, human rights activist, soldier, freedom singer and songwriter.

A shining star!"

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16. @ericablige9449
"Ase💜"
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Ase (also written "ashe") is a Yoruba (Nigeria) word that means "power, command, life, energy). Ase can be translated to mean something like "Hallelujah!" and/or "God Almighty!"  In the United States (and elsewhere?) ase is pronounced "ah-shay".

This single word "Ase" was written in this discussion thread by several other commenters after this commenter.

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2023

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2024

17. @phdreed
"Rest in sweet peace Bernice Johnson Reagon 😢"
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From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernice_Johnson_Reagon
"Bernice Johnson Reagon (October 4, 1942 – July 16, 2024) was an American song leader, composer, professor of American history, curator at the Smithsonian, and social activist. In the early 1960s, she was a founding member of the Freedom Singers, organized by the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in the Albany Movement for civil rights in Georgia.[1][2] In 1973, she founded the all-black female a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock, based in Washington, D.C.[3] Reagon, along with other members of the SNCC Freedom Singers, realized the power of collective singing to unify the disparate groups who began to work together in the 1964 Freedom Summer protests in the South.[4]"...

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