Songs of Washington Phillips

Subject: ADD: Take Your Burden to the Lord & Leave It There
From: Joe Offer
Date: 21 Aug 09 - 04:27 PM

I think we need to know more about Washington Phillips. He introduced some wonderful songs.

Here's one:

TAKE YOUR BURDEN TO THE LORD AND LEAVE IT THERE
(Charles Albert Tindley)

[chorus]
Leave it there, oh, leave it there
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there
If you would trust Him and never doubt
He would surely bring you out
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there

Now, if the world from you withhold all its silver and its gold
And you'll have to get along with meager fare (?)
Just remember in God's words how He fed those little birds
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there

Now, if your body suffers pain and your health you can't regain
And you soul is almost sinkin' in despair
Jesus knew the pain you feel
He can save and He can heal
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there

[chorus]

If your enemy assails and your heart begin to fail
Don't you forget that God in heaven will answer prayer
He will make a way for you, He will guide you safely through
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there

Now, if your useful days are gone and old age in stealing on
And your body sinks beneath the weight of care
Jesus will never leave you then, He'll go with you to the end
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there

[chorus]

Transcribed by ear from I Am Born to Preach the Gospel, Washington Phillips CD

Subject: RE: Songs of Washington Phillips
From: Joe Offer
Date: 21 Aug 09 - 04:30 PM

Here's the list of songs on I Am Born to Preach the Gospel

1 I Am Born to Preach the Gospel 03:07
2 The Church Needs Good Deacons 03:00
3 I Had a Good Father and Mother 03:00
4 Take Your Burden to the Lord and Leave It There 03:12
5 A Mother's Last Word to Her Daughter 02:56
6 Paul and Silas in Jail 02:37
7 Denomination Blues, Pt. 1 03:02
8 Denomination Blues, Pt. 2 02:34
9 Lift Him Up That's All 03:29
10 Jesus Is My Friend 02:52
11 Mother's Last Word to Her Son 02:49
12 What Are They Doing in Heaven Today? 03:16
13 I've Got the Key to the Kingdom 03:03
14 Train Your Child 03:09
15 You Can't Stop a Tattler, Pt. 1 02:53
16 You Can't Stop a Tattler, Pt. 2

Subject: RE: Songs of Washington Phillips
From: Stewie
Date: 21 Aug 09 - 07:40 PM

Joe,

Dale and I struggled over a transcription of 'Paul and Silas ...' in this thread CLICK and eventually came up with this:

PAUL AND SILAS IN JAIL

We must look, we must look, for Jesus to care for us
'Cos you ought to know, in Him, He is our only trust
Whatever we desire, whenever we do pray
We must have the faith and belief that He will do just what He says

Old Paul and Silas in this Philippian jail they was both bound
'Cos [they did believe ] in Jesus they found Him close around
When the dark hours of midnight, when everything was still
Old Paul he whispered to Silas, said, 'Let us do Our Master's will'

Old Silas he began singing, old Paul he entered in prayer
Then heaven it got all stirred up and an angel met them there
And the jail doors all flew open and the jailer thought they was all gone
And he called for his sword for to kill hisself, but Paul said, 'Do thou self no harm'

He sprung out in this floor and in a light he wanted them to gaze
He replied to Paul and Silas, 'What shall I do to be saved'
By Paul being one of Christ's children then, seeing the jailer woke up in a fright
And he said that you must believe in my saviour Jesus Christ

I'm going home, going home, going home on the morning train
If I happen to make it too late, oh sure, Lord, it won't be my aim
I'm sweeping up this old templed body, oh, in sincere prayer
Oh the place they call heaven, I certainly want to go there

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Songs of Washington Phillips
From: Bob the Postman
Date: 21 Aug 09 - 08:06 PM

Thanks for this thread, Joe. I sing Leave It There several times a month, at least, after cobbling together my own transcription from the Wahington Phillips record. As you can see from the link, it was composed by Rev. Charles Tindley, who, if I remember correctly, worked himself up from janitor to pastor of one of America's first mega-churches--he also wrote "By and by, when the morning comes", not a Phillips song but still, one which has helped me over many a rough patch. Another Washington Phillips song on my must-learn list is "Lift Him Up". I often sing along to the mp3 as I go about my rounds.

Subject: RE: Songs of Washington Phillips
From: Joe Offer
Date: 21 Aug 09 - 08:12 PM

I used "Leave It There" in a sermon last year, and none of the Catholics I was preaching to had ever heard the song. They didn't know "Softly and Tenderly, Jesus Is Calling" either - but hey, they liked my sermons.
Maybe I'm more folkie than Catholic...

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Songs of Washington Phillips
From: Bob the Postman
Date: 21 Aug 09 - 08:15 PM

Many mansions, Joe, many mansions.

Subject: RE: Songs of Washington Phillips
From: Stewie
Date: 21 Aug 09 - 08:29 PM

Jim Dixon and Masato posted versions of 'What are they doing in heaven today?' in this thread: CLICK.

Phillips' version has only minor departures from the Tindley original as posted by Jim.

WHAT ARE THEY DOING IN HEAVEN TODAY?
(Charles Albert Tindley)

Spoken:
What are they doing in heaven today? I don't know, boy, but it's my business to stay here and sing about it.

Chorus:
What are they doing in heaven today,
Where sin and sorrow are all gone away?
Peace abounds (it bounds) like the river, they say
What are they doing there now?

I'm thinking of friends whom I used to know
Who lived and suffered in this world below.
But they're gone up to heaven, but I want to know
What are they doing there now?

Chorus

There's some whose hearts was burdened with care
They paid (for) their moment through fighting and tears,
But they clung to the cross with trembling and fear
But what are they doing there now?

Chorus

There's some whose bodies was full of disease
Their medicine and doctors couldn't give them much ease
But they suffered until death brought a final release
But what are they doing there now?

Chorus

There's some who was poor and often despised
They looked up to heaven with tear-blinded eye
While people was heedless and deaf to their cry
But what are they doing there now?

Chorus


Washington was not much fussed by grammar.   His pronunciation of the second word in line 2 of the penultimate stanza sounds like a mixture of 'citizen', 'medicine' and 'physician', but I reckon he was struggling to say 'medicine'.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Songs of Washington Phillips
From: Stewie
Date: 21 Aug 09 - 08:35 PM

Joe, Pat Conte's notes to the Yazoo CD of Phillips recordings indicate that Tindley was also the author of 'Take your burden ...'

--Stewie.

---

Thanks, Stewie. Attribution added to the lyrics I posted.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Songs of Washington Phillips
From: Janie
Date: 21 Aug 09 - 08:46 PM

You are not going to believe this, Joe, but I was researching songs by Washington Phillips earlier this week and considered starting a thread. Glad to see you acted where I just thought.

Janie

Subject: RE: Songs of Washington Phillips
From: Janie
Date: 21 Aug 09 - 08:51 PM

Here is a rather wonderful piece of research. Seems researchers had the wrong Washington Phillips for awhile.

exhuming the Legend of Washington Phillips

Subject: RE: Songs of Washington Phillips
From: Janie
Date: 21 Aug 09 - 08:56 PM

And at lastfm , you can listen to darn near everything he recorded.

"A Mother's Dying Words to Her Daughter" is the only one of his songs I do, but it is a favorite of mine and led me to search around for more.

Subject: RE: Songs of Washington Phillips
From: Bob the Postman
Date: 22 Aug 09 - 12:00 PM

Dolceola thread

Subject: RE: Songs of Washington Phillips
From: Ron Davies
Date: 22 Aug 09 - 12:12 PM

The songs--and the sound--are just wonderful. I used to sing several of the songs from his CD while walking to the Metro. every day. I'll have to relearn them. The controversy over the dulceola is also fascinating.

Subject: RE: Songs of Washington Phillips
From: Bob the Postman
Date: 22 Aug 09 - 12:35 PM

Mother's Last Words in Digitrad

Subject: RE: Songs of Washington Phillips
From: GUEST,Jon Dudley
Date: 23 Aug 09 - 02:29 AM

Couldn't agree more about Washington Phillips. We were first turned on to him by the wonderfully talented Andy Cohen. Andy sings several of his songs and accompanies them on the Dolceola. I haven't visited the Doclceola thread but I remember Andy saying that the instrument was sold door-to-door and by mail order. They are extremely rare today, being regarded as somewhat ephemeral at the time but the sound seems a perfect accompaniment to Washington Phillips' songs...the album of archive recordings is highly recommended.

STOP PRESS!
Bugger, I just went to the Dolceola thread and it's all been said...never mind - Washington Phillips recordings remain absolutely captivating as does Andy Cohen, who has the virtue of still being with us...unlike WP! I just wish he'd come and tour over here in England.

Subject: RE: Songs of Washington Phillips
From: wysiwyg
Date: 28 Aug 09 - 11:40 PM

Anyone else run into bootleg trouble on an item purported to be Yazoo with Conte's rather poorly-written notes? We just received an unplayable "CD" that is actually a Blue Cross marketing CD-ROM, through an Amazon Marketplace shipper. I was especially interested in the "bonus" songs it purports to have-- do y'all's Yazoo CDs have those tracks (or was that part of the fraud)?

~S~

Subject: RE: Songs of Washington Phillips
From: Thomas Stern
Date: 18 Nov 16 - 06:02 PM

Dust to Digital has just released a remastered CD of Washingto
Phillips recordings with a BOOK presenting current research
and ephemera.


DtD Washington Phillips
http://www.dust-digital.com/washington-phillips/

Thomas.