O WATCH DE STARS
Saint Helena Island spiritual

a. Version by Virginia Brown
1
O watch de stars see how dey run
O watch de stars see how dey run
de stars run down at de setting ob de sun
O watch de stars see how dey run.
2
Jis watch de stars see how dey run
De stars run down at de setting of the sun
Jis watch de stars see how dey run.
3
Oh God's leetle army goin' to shine
De stars run down at de setting of the sun
O watch de stars see how dey run.

With musical score, no. 71, p. 58.
Nicholas George Julius Ballanta-(Taylor), 1924, Saint Helena Island Spirituals, Diploma, 1924, Institute of Musical Art, New York City.
Mr. Ballanta's book seems to be the first publication of this spiritual.

Mr. Ballanta-(Taylor) came to New York through the agencies of the Musical Courier and Walter Damrosch, the conductor. The book of spirituals, collected on the island and the Penn Normal School there, was published by G. Schirmer, Inc. He later visited the "black belts" of Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina.
Submitting compositions by mail, and later in residence, Mr. Ballanta completed work for the Bachelor of Music degree, Durham University, England.
I have not seen these later compositions; they may never have been published.

Dialect and grammar in the above text of the spiritual are as they appear in the book.