Origins: Angels Watching Over Me

Subject: RE: Origins: 'Angels Watching Over Me'
From: GUEST
Date: 09 Mar 11 - 10:13 AM

Thank you for the words to Angels Watching Over me. I am a clergy
woman wanting to use the words to this old working negroe spiritual in a sermon.

Blessings,
Pastor Jan

Subject: RE: Origins: 'Angels Watching Over Me'
From: Joe Offer
Date: 18 Nov 10 - 12:11 AM

Thanks a lot, Q. Of course, you must have gotten the impression from the book that this was not a newly-composed song in 1924. I think Nancy is quite safe in assuming the song is in public domain.
I pasted a copy of the lyrics into Q's post, because I think it's important to have them here.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Origins: 'Angels Watching Over Me'
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 17 Nov 10 - 08:15 PM

Joe, 1924 is a year off-
Posted in St. Helena Island Spirituals Permathread 130508.
St. Helena Island

21. De Angels are watchin' obuh me
Nicholas George Julius Ballanta-(Taylor), Diploma, 1924, Saint Helena Island Spirituals, G. Schirmer, Inc. NY.

The verses in the variants are mainly floaters.

---

21. De Angels Are Watchin' obuh Me

Chorus-
All night, all night
de angels are watchin' obuh me
All night, all night
de angels are watchin' obuh me.-

1
Someday Peter and someday Paul
de Angels are watchin' obuh me-
Ain't but one Gawd made us all
De Angels are watchin' obuh me.-
2
You git dere befo' I do
de Angels are watchin' obuh me-
Tell all my fr'en's I'm coming too
De angels are watchin' obuh me.

Subject: RE: Origins: 'Angels Watching Over Me'
From: Joe Offer
Date: 17 Nov 10 - 05:50 PM

Looks like we haven't documents an early source for this song. It's included on a CD titled Harrod's Jubilee Singers 1922 & Utica Institute Jubilee Singers 1927 - 1929A. So....that dates the song as 1929 or earlier, and the copyright cutoff date is 1923. I'm guessing the song is much older, but it bothers me that we haven't found an earlier instance.

By the way, click here for a history of the Utica Campus of Hinds Community College, home of the Utica Institute Jubilee Singers.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Origins: 'Angels Watching Over Me'
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 17 Nov 10 - 04:43 PM

Which music? More than one song, more than one tune.

The one linked at the top of the thread is given at Kididdles, "Traditional, written by unknown, copyright unknown."
I re-posted the same one in this thread. It is safe.

Lyrics by Kibble et al., Amy Grant, Sara Groves, etc. are copyright, I don't know about their music.

Subject: RE: Origins: 'Angels Watching Over Me'
From: GUEST,Nancy
Date: 17 Nov 10 - 01:21 PM

My question is, "Is the music to the song in public domain?" I've written a song to its tune and I don't want to violate copyright laws.

Subject: RE: Origins: 'Angels Watching Over Me'
From: GUEST,Anon
Date: 12 Sep 10 - 02:34 PM

I had a dream last night. When I woke up, I was mentally singing this tune. The words that came to me were:
    When I get to he'ben, gonna look all around,
         Angels watching over me, My Lord.
    When I get to he'ben, gonna jump up and down,
         Angels watching over me, O Lord.
I have no idea where these words came from. I did not see them in the earlier comments. Also, I have no memory of when I last heard this song, but it was brought up from my sub-conscious memory into my consciousness by some means.

Subject: RE: Origins: 'Angels Watching Over Me'
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 27 Sep 07 - 05:31 PM

Wow! - I had completely forgotten that I used to sing this until I saw the thread! And instantly remembered the tune!

Kitty

Subject: RE: Origins: 'Angels Watching Over Me'
From: wysiwyg
Date: 27 Sep 07 - 08:59 AM

Many of them are grouped with the spirituals in the African Amercican Spirituals Permathread. Definitions of spirituals are fluid (by time, culture, and political correctness). Since many of what we think of now as "work songs" were used to facilitate the work done under slavery, and were passed among the slaves-- they all kind of blend together despite effoirts to separate them into hard-and-fast categories, if you study any individual song long enough and get get far enough back in time.

But it's an uneven path, working back like that.... For instance, before I learned so much about spirituals I might have said that this song I knew as a child is strictly a "white" composition or European-American construction, just due to the major-scale tune this musician knows for it. But a lot of the music now called "spirituals" in hymnals and classrooms is actually music "sanitized" out of the minor scale and put into a rigid text, with a major-scale tune, that turn out to have started as very different-sounding songs with variable and improvised texts.

That's why the Spirituals Permathread doesn't try to impose those rigid divisions, but simply refers students to threads just like this one where ideas and facts can be added to the lore of any individual song.

~Susan

Subject: RE: Origins: 'Angels Watching Over Me'
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 27 Sep 07 - 12:05 AM

In 1926, Howard W. Odum and Guy B. Johnson published a book titled "Negro Workaday Songs." There are many of call and answer type. They are helpful to anyone doing repetitive work, on the land or on shipboard, helping the workers to keep a rhythm that makes the work seem easier.

I am sure that a number of these call and response work songs are posted here at Mudcat.

Subject: RE: Origins: 'Angels Watching Over Me'
From: GUEST,Texas Guest
Date: 26 Sep 07 - 11:23 PM

Stewie - I agree with you about the notes; most of the songs on the
disc are absolutely wonderful, but without notes - a shame indeed.
I would further agree that the recording sounds like an Af/Am group.

Q - thanks for your input and the links.

The thought had come to my mind earlier that this song is structured as a "call and answer" type work song - or even a sea chanty.
Although I don't think that it's origins are adrift at sea, let me
ask this question: did slaves in the cotton fields sing work songs
that were a "call and answer" type? I'm a Texan now, but I was born and raised a yankee and Detroit, Michigan is a l-o-n-g way from Louisiana. Thanks to all for your contributions. Cheers.

Subject: Lyr. Add: Angels Waiting at the Door
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 26 Sep 07 - 10:08 PM

ANGELS WAITING AT THE DOOR
Jubilee Singers, c. 1880

My sister's took her flight and gone home,
And the angel's waiting at the door.
My sister's took her flight and gone home,
And the angel's waiting at th door.

Refrain:
Tell all my father's children,
Don't you grieve for me;
Tell all my father's children,
Don't you grieve for me.

She has laid down her cross and gone home,
And &c.

She has taken up her crown and gone home, And &c.

With score.

No. 70, p. 189, J. B. T. Marsh, c. 1880, "The Story of the Jubilee Singers; with Their Songs." Revised Edition. Houghton, Mifflin and Company, Boston.

Subject: RE: Origins: 'Angels Watching Over Me'
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 26 Sep 07 - 09:56 PM

This is an old song, often called a lullaby. There must be several versions, some African-American. Here is one:

ANGELS WATCHING OVER ME

All night, all day, angels watching over me, my Lord,
All night, all day, angels watching over me.

Sun is a-setting in the west, angels watching over me, my Lord,
Sleep my child, take your rest; angels watching over me.

All night, all day, angels watching over me, my Lord,
All night, all day, angels watching over me.
Angels watching

ANGELS WATCHING OVER ME
From the Wolf Collection, sung by 'unknown', audio.

... my lord,
All night, all day,
Angels watching over me.

Now I lay me down to sleep, oh, lordy,
Angels watching over me, my lord.
Pray the lord my soul to keep,
Angels watching over me.


Chorus:
All night, all day, oh, lordy,
Angels watching over me, my lord.
All night, all day,
Angels watching over me.

If I die before I wake, oh, lordy,
Angels watching over me, my lord.
Pray the lord my soul to take,
Angels watching over me.

Chorus:

If I live another day,
Angels watching over me, my lord,
Pray the lord will guide my way,
Angels watching over me.

John Quincy Wolf Folklore Collection.
Angels watching

Subject: RE: Origins: 'Angels Watching Over Me'
From: Stewie
Date: 26 Sep 07 - 08:29 PM

The only entry Dixon & Godrich have for Utica Institute Jubilee Singers is: 'This Victor and ARC group offers nothing suggestive of the black musical tradition'.

It is a great pity that the notes for the Yazoo 2000 series are poor or non-existent. The recording sounds like an African-American group.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Origins: 'Angels Watching Over Me'
From: GUEST,Texas Guest
Date: 26 Sep 07 - 07:29 PM

Q - the lyrics to the song are quite similar to what Alison has listed above, although there are an additional one or two verses on
the recording I have.

My recording is on an album titled, "The Story That The Crow Told Me (Early American Rural Children's Songs)." The notes say that the recordings are "from the 1920's and 30's."

The song on this disc is sung by the Utica Institute Jubilee Singers.
It sounds like this is simply an old negro spiritual and I may have to let it go at that. Thanks everybody. Cheers.

Subject: RE: Origins: 'Angels Watching Over Me'
From: Joe Offer
Date: 26 Sep 07 - 06:11 PM

I'd swear this one came from the Fisk Jubilee Singers in the late 1800's, but I can't find my Fisk book just now.
Chanticleer has a wonderful recording of this song.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Origins: 'Angels Watching Over Me'
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Sep 07 - 05:49 PM

There are a couple references in the forum for All Night All Day but
One version can be found here.

---

See above - threads combined.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Origins: 'Angels Watching Over Me'
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 26 Sep 07 - 03:47 PM

Texas Guest- would you please post some lyrics from the recording you have? And by 'early last century,' what exactly do you mean? 1900-1920, 1920-1940 or later?

The phrase itself is little help since it has been used by many for a long time- there are European books and hymns from as early as the 17th c. that use that phrase.

There are Negro spirituals with that title:
De angels are watchin' obuh me. Ballanta-Taylor, St. Helena Island Spirituals.
Angels watchin' over me. Johnson, Utica jubilee singers spirituals.

Probably there are more modern gospel and spiritual songs with the same message.

More information please; someone here probably will be able to help.

Subject: Origins: 'Angels Watching Over Me'
From: GUEST,Texas Guest
Date: 26 Sep 07 - 03:04 PM

Well, it's my turn again - to ask for help. There is a wonderful
childrens song/lullaby with the title, "Angels Watching Over Me."
I've a recording of it from back in the early part of last century but there are no liner notes of consequence and I would like to know where it came from.

The net has proved fruitless, so far, except for a site where the
owner states that there is a book of the same name and that the song is an old negro spiritual. It certainly sounds like an old spiritual so I wouldn't contest that statement; however, I'd like to know more - can anyone add anything? The recorded version I have is sung almost as if it were a sea chanty,...so... Cheers.

Subject: RE: angels
From: Kristin
Date: 16 Nov 99 - 01:17 AM

Thanks to everyone for your help. Mudcat always comes forth!!

Subject: Lyr Add: ANGELS WATCHING OVER ME
From: alison
Date: 14 Nov 99 - 11:49 PM

I remember it as....

ANGELS WATCHING OVER ME

Day is dying in the west,
Angels watching over me, my Lord.
Time for me to take my rest,
Angels watching over me.

CHORUS: All day, all night,
Angels watching over me, my Lord.
All day, all night,
Angels watching over me.

Now I lay me down to sleep.
Angels watchin' over me, my Lord.
Pray the Lord my soul to keep,
Angels watchin' over me. CHORUS

If I die before I wake,
Angels watchin' over me, my Lord,
I pray the Lord my soul to take,
Angels watchin' over me. CHORUS

Let me know if you need the tune....

Slainte

Alison

Subject: RE: angels
From: mary
Date: 14 Nov 99 - 07:58 PM

Is that an old song or was it written for a movie? Sidney Potier was in a movie about nuns and he sang it.....

another verse is if I die before I wake..pray the Lord my soul to take

Subject: RE: angels
From: mary
Date: 14 Nov 99 - 07:58 PM

Is that an old song or was it written for a movie? Sidney Potier was in a movie about nuns and he sang it.....

another verse is if I die before I wake..pray the Lord my soul to take

Subject: RE: angels
From: Mbo
Date: 14 Nov 99 - 05:29 PM

Kristin & Penny, I used to sing that song when I was a little kid in Catholic School. It brings back so many memories!

--Mbo

Subject: RE: angels
From: enelrad
Date: 14 Nov 99 - 04:32 PM

the song I know is the children's prayer............. Now I lay me down to sleep O lordy angels watchin' over me my lord pray the lord my soul to keep angels watchin' over me chorus If I die before I wake O lordy, angels watchin' over me my lord pray the Lord my soul to take angels watchin' over me chorus If I live another day.........etc. pray the Lord to guide my way.......etc.

Subject: RE: angels
From: Penny S.
Date: 14 Nov 99 - 06:33 AM

All day, all night, Angels watching over me, my lord, All day, all night, Angels watching over me.

It's a spiritual, and I only have a faint memory of the verses.

Penny

Subject: angels
From: Kristin S.
Date: 14 Nov 99 - 02:11 AM

I remember a few words from a song ......"angels watching over me"....... What is this song? Please assist.