Showing posts with label Christian Songs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christian Songs. Show all posts

Sunday, May 15, 2022

Michael, Row the Boat Ashore


We just learned about the Down to the River to Pray.

Another famous African American spiritual is Michael, Row the Boat Ashore.

During the Civil War the Union troops of the north were fighting to end slavery, and the Confederates of the south were fighting to keep it.
When the northern Union troops came down to South Carolina, they freed the slaves and the southern Confederates ran away.

On one of the islands in South Carolina called Saint Helena Island, there was an old farm where people that used to be slaves were still working to keep the farm going.
When a man named Charles Pickard Ware came down to see how the freed slaves were living, he was in a boat with them and they were singing this song.
He wrote it down and shared it with others to show that the slaves were good Christian people and should never have been made slaves.

The song talks about Michael, which most people think is supposed to be the angel Michael that the Bible talks about.
Michael is rowing the boat ashore, and the song is about woring to a great place with milk and honey on the other side, which is supposed to be heaven.

Michael row the boat ashore, hallelujah. Michael row the boat ashore, hallelujah.
Sister help to trim the sail, hallelujah. Sister help to trim the sail, hallelujah.
Michael row the boat ashore, hallelujah. Michael row the boat ashore, hallelujah.
The River Jordan is chilly and cold, hallelujah. Chills the body but not the soul, hallelujah.
Michael row the boat ashore, hallelujah. Michael row the boat ashore, hallelujah.
The river is deep and the river is wide, hallelujah. Milk and honey on the other side, hallelujah.
Michael row the boat ashore, hallelujah. Michael row the boat ashore, hallelujah.


(from: wikipedia - michael, row the boat ashore)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: It Is Well With My Soul

Sunday, May 8, 2022

Down to the River to Pray


We just learned about the Christian song Were You There.

Another famous Christian song is Down to the River to Pray, sometimes also called Dotn in the River to Pray, Down in the Valley to Pray, The Good Old Way, or Come Let Us All Go Down.

This is another very old song, that was first put into a song book around 1867 in America.

No one knows who first wrote this song, but it was sung by African Americans who sang songs about God and Jesus while they were slaves.
Before the civil war happened, people had slaves in the southern parts of America.
There were people in northern part of Americat that wanted to get rid of slavery.

In the south the bad people would argue that African Americans weren't actually even human.
So some northern people went down to southern slave plantations and wrote down a bunch of the songs that the slaves were singing, just like this one.
They put the songs into a book called Slave Songs of the United States, and printed the book for everyone to read.
In that way they showed that African Americans weren't just people, but God loving Christian people that needed to be saved from slavery.

Lyrics:
As I went down in the valley to pray, Studying about that good old way,
When you shall wear the starry crown, Good Lord, show me the way.
O mourner, let's go down, let's go down, let's go down,
O mourner, let's go down, Down in the valley to pray


(from: wikipedia - down in the river to pray)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Holy Holy Holy, Lord God Almighty

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

Sunday, April 24, 2022

Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen


We just learned about the He's Got the Whole World in His Hands.

Another famous Christian song is Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen.

This is another song that started off as something that African American slaves would sing.
Life was very bad for slaves that had to work very hard jobs and were treated very badly.
So this is one of the songs they would sing about how they have lots of troubles, but heaven is waiting for them.

It was first recorded in 1867, but the song was a lot older than that.
One of the most famous recordings was by a famous musician named Louis Armstrong.

Lyrics:
Nobody knows the trouble I've been through, Nobody knows my sorrow
Nobody knows the trouble I've seen, Glory hallelujah!
Sometimes I'm up, sometimes I'm down, Oh, yes, Lord
Sometimes I'm almost to the ground, Oh, yes, Lord
Although you see me going 'long so, Oh, yes, Lord
I have my trials here below, Oh, yes, Lord
If you get there before I do, Oh, yes, Lord
Tell all-a my friends I'm coming to Heaven!, Oh, yes, Lord


(from: wikipedia - nobody knows the trouble i've seen)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Amazing Grace - John Newton
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Sunday, April 17, 2022

He's Got the Whole World in his Hands


We just learned about the Swing Low Sweet Chariot.

Another famous Christian song is He's Got the Whole World in his Hands.

This is a song that was made famous as an African-American spiritual, from days during slavery when African-American people would sing Christian songs to try and be happy even though they were slaves.
In 1927 the song was put into a book of hymns called Spirituals Triumphant, Old and New.

Since then it's been recorded by many other musicians giving their own style to how the song sounds.

The lyrics start by saying He's got the whole world in his hands, and then move on to say He's got other things, like the little bitty baby, you and me sister, everybody here, you and me brother.


(from: wikipedia - he's got the whole world in his hand)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

Sunday, April 10, 2022

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot


We just learned about the Christian song This Little Light of Mine.

Another famous Christian song is Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.

This is a song called an African-American spirtual song, and it was sung by black people when they were slaves.

The song talks about a chariot coming down from the sky to carry the singer off to heaven.
In the book of 2 Kings in the Bible, the prophet Elijah is carried up to heaven on a chariot:
"As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind."

No one really knows who wrote the song the first time, but in 1909 the Fisk Jubilee Singers made a recording of the song.

Refrain:
Swing low, sweet chariot, Coming for to carry me home.
Swing low, sweet chariot, Coming for to carry me home.

I looked over Jordan, and what did I see, Coming for to carry me home.
A band of angels coming after me, Coming for to carry me home.
[Refrain]

If you get there before I do, Coming for to carry me home.
Tell all my friends I'm coming too, Coming for to carry me home.
[Refrain]

The brightest day that ever I saw Coming for to carry me home.
When Jesus washed my sins away, Coming for to carry me home.
[Refrain]

I'm sometimes up and sometimes down, Coming for to carry me home.
But still my soul feels heavenly bound, Coming for to carry me home.
[Refrain]



(from: wikipedia - swing low, sweet chariot)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Camp Meetings

Sunday, April 3, 2022

This Little Light of Mine


We just learned about the song Jesus Loves Me.

Another well known Christian song is This Little Light of Mine.

The words for this song were first seen as poetry in 1925, and then in 1932 a newspaper in Montana talked about the music and the song.
No one really knows for sure who wrote it the first time, but many people have taken this song and changed it a little and made it their own.

The first time it was found the words were something like "This Little Light of Mine", but some churches like to change it to be "This Little Gospel Light of Mine".
Some people think the song is about when Jesus told people that the Christian people of the world are like a light on a hill shining for other people to show that Christians do good things to help people because they follow God's word.

From the Bible in Matthew chapter 5:

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

During some times in America when African American people were not being treated very well, they would sing this song as a way to say that they would not let someone treat them badly and they would keep their light shining.


(from: wikipedia - this little light of mine)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: French Revolution

Sunday, March 27, 2022

Jesus Loves Me


We just learned about the Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.

There are some other good songs about God and Jesus for kids that maybe aren't Christmas songs, but they are pretty well known.

One of the most popular ones is Jesus Loves Me, written in New York in 1862.

This song was first written down as a poem by Susan Warner, and then the music was added by William Batchelder Bradbury.

In a lot of music books the song is actually just called "China", because it was said to be the most favorite Christian song in China.
Long ago in China the people in charge there did not like Christianity, and people weren't even allowed to write letters to others saying anything about God or Jesus.
So one time someone wrote a letter and said "The this I know people are well".
They used part of the words from the song "Jesus loves me this I know" so that they could talk about being Christian but they wouldn't get in trouble.

Lyrics:
Jesus loves me—this I know, For the Bible tells me so;
Little ones to Him belong — They are weak, but He is strong.
[CHORUS] Yes, Jesus loves me, Yes, Jesus loves me, Yes, Jesus loves me — The Bible tells me so!

Jesus loves me—He who died Heaven’s gate to open wide;
He will wash away my sin, Let His little child come in. Refrain
[CHORUS]

Jesus loves me—loves me still, Though I’m very weak and ill;
From His shining throne on high, Comes to watch me where I lie. Refrain
[CHORUS]

Jesus loves me—He will stay Close beside me all the way;
If I love Him, when I die He will take me home on high. Refrain
[CHORUS]

(from: wikipedia - jesus loves me)


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