Sunday, May 1, 2022

Were You There


We just learned about the Christian Song Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen.

Another famous Christian song is called Were You There.

This song was another song that was sung by African Americans when they were slaves, and then later written down and put in a book of hymns for churches to sing.

It goes through four verses, and in each one asks if you were there for one of the sad things that happened to Jesus.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord.
Were you there when they nailed him to the cross.
Were you there when they pierced him in the side.
Were you there when the sun refused to shine.

After every verse it says "Sometimes it causes me to tremble!"
Before the civil war when slavery was still happening in the south, the African American slaves had very hard lives where sometimes they were beaten or even killed.
So sometimes a song like this could maybe help them feel like they were connected to Jesus who also suffered in hard times.

Lyrics:
Were you there when they crucified my Lord? (Were you there?)
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
O sometimes it causes me to tremble! tremble! tremble!
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there when they nail'd him to the cross? (Were you there?)
Were you there when they nail'd him to the cross?
O sometimes it causes me to tremble! tremble! tremble!
Were you there when they nail'd him to the cross?

Were you there when they pierced him in the side? (Were you there?)
Were you there when they pierced him in the side?
O sometimes it causes me to tremble! tremble! tremble!
Were you there when they pierced him in the side?

Were you there when the sun refused to shine? (Were you there?)
Were you there when the sun refused to shine?
O sometimes it causes me to tremble! tremble! tremble!
Were you there when the sun refused to shine?


(from: wikipedia - were you there)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: How Great Thou Art - Carl Boberg