The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #48189   Message #2274333
Posted By: Q (Frank Staplin)
27-Feb-08 - 10:00 PM
Thread Name: DTStudy: All My Trials, Lord
Subject: RE: DTStudy: All My Trials, Lord
Happy, that verse is in her Songbook. Lyrics in the "Joan Baez Songbook," 1964, Amsco, slightly different from those at top of thread.
"Flowing, with a moderate calypso beat. C#, Capo 1st, Play: C."

ALL MY TRIALS

Hush, little baby, don't you cry,
You know your Mama was born to die.-
All my trials, Lord,-
Soon be over.

Refrain-
Too late, my brothers,-
Too late but never mind,-
All my trials, Lord,-
Soon be over.

The river of Jordan is muddy and cold,
Well, it chills the body, but not the soul,
All my trials, Lord, soon be over

I've got a little book with pages three,
And every page spells liberty,
All my trials, Lord, soon be over.

Refrain-
Too late my brothers,
Too late, but never mind
All my trials, Lord, soon be over.

If living were a thing that money could buy,
You know the rich would live and the poor would die,
All my trials, Lord, soon be over.

There grows a tree in Paradise,
And the Pilgrims call it the tree of life,
All my trials, Lord, soon be over.

Too late, my brothers, etc.

pp. 126-129, with score. Seems put together from floating verses. First sung by Pete Seeger, 1961; supposedly from the West Indies.

Brown, "North Carolina Folklore," vol. 5, "The Music of the Folk Songs," Ed. Jan Philip Schinhan, includes music and partial lyrics to:
TREE IN PARADISE

There's a green tree standing in Paradise,
Oh, yes, my Lord.
And the Christians call it the tree of life,
Oh, yes, my Lord.
And it's over River Jordan I'm bound to go,
And it's over River Jordan I'm bound to go,
And it's over River Jordan I'm bound to go,
Oh, Lord, yes, my Lord.

Coll. 1922, Montgomery Co., NC. Other versions collected.
_____________________

The following have been called the Pete Seeger lyrics. I don't have a recording of him singing the song; apparently he changed the lyrics from time to time. Does anyone have the 1961 lyrics? For what they're worth-

ALL MY TRIALS

Hush, little baby, don't you cry,
You know that your mother's bound to die.

Chorus-
Too late, my brothers, too late but never mind,
All my trials, Lord, soon be over.

If religion was a thing that money could buy,
The rich would live and the poor would die.

I had a little book was given to me
And every leaf spelled Victory.

Well, the hardest tree in Paradise,
Don't you know, it's the tree of life?
_____________________

Version at ingeb.org. No reference.
Anyone know where it comes from?

ALL MY TRIALS

If religion was a thing
That money could buy,
The rich would live
And the poor would die.

Go to sleep, my little baby,
And don't you cry,
Your daddy was born
Just to live and die.

Refrain-
All my trials, Lord,
Will soon be over.
Too late my brothers,
Too late but never mind,
All my trials, Lord,
Will soon be over.

Oh, I have a litle book
That sets me free,
My bible, it spells
"LIberty."

Yes, a man was born
To suffer agony,
His will to live
Spells "Victory."