Lyr Req: 'Oh, Lord I want two wings to veil my...'

Subject: Oh, Lord I Want...
From:
Date: 05 Jul 97 - 04:04 PM

I only know that this song starts out:"Oh Lord I want two wings to veil my face..." Does anyone have therest of the lyrics?

Subject: RE: Oh, LOrd I Want...
From: rich r
Date: 06 Jul 97 - 09:57 PM

This is the chorus I remember. I will have to go hunting for the verses.

O Lord I want 2 wings to veil my face

O Lord i want 2 wings to fly away

O Lord i want 2 wings to veil my face

So the devil can't do me no harm

rich r

Subject: RE: Oh, LOrd I Want...
From: GUEST,yvonne
Date: 29 Nov 04 - 05:10 AM

I only know the verses partly...

1) this old world is so hard
   so full of sorrow and (pain?)
   but if I come to heaven, Lord
   I (chant?) and never give in (???)

2) meet me, Jesus, meet me
   just meet me in the air (?)
   and if these two wings fail me
   then fit me another pair.

Subject: Lyr Add: I WANT TWO WINGS TO VEIL MY FACE
From: masato sakurai
Date: 29 Nov 04 - 06:22 AM

Here's Cotton Top Mountain Sanctified Singers' version (rec. 1929), from Goodbye, Babylon CD set.

I WANT TWO WINGS TO VEIL MY FACE

Now yonder comes my mother
Where have you been so long?
I've been down in the valley to pray
And my soul got anxious in the Lord

Chorus:
Oh, I want two wings veil my face
And I want two wings fly away
Yes I want two wings veil my face
And I want two wings fly away

Now yonder comes an angel
What might be your name?
My name is Jehovah
And you must be born again

Now in that awful sea of sin
I was sinking fast
There were many things within
From my sinful past

Say, Jesus didn't come in the morning
(when did he come?)
Neither in the heat of the day
But, he came in in the cool of the evening
And drove my sins away

Subject: Lyr Add: TWO WINGS
From: masato sakurai
Date: 29 Nov 04 - 06:46 AM

This is Roland Hayes' version, from his My Favorite Spirituals (1948 [as My Songs]; rpt. Dover, 2001, pp. 41-44):

TWO WINGS

Lord, I want two wings to veil my face,
I want two wings to fly away; Lord,
I want two wings to veil my face,
And I want two wings for to fly away;
Lord, I want two wings to veil my face,
I want two wings to fly away;

I want two wings to veil my face,
And I want two wings for to fly away;

O, meet me, Jesus, meet me,
Meet me in-a the air,
And if these two wings fail me,
Jus' give me another pair.

O, I want two wings to veil my face, Lord,
I want two wings for to fly away, Lord,
I want two wings to veil my face,
And I want two wings for to fly away.

I want two wings to veil my face, Lord,
I want two wings to fly away, Lord,
I want two wings to veil my face,
And I want two wings for to fly away.

Subject: Lyr & Tune Add: LAWD I WANT TWO WINGS
From: masato sakurai
Date: 29 Nov 04 - 10:15 AM

The version below is from Mary Allen Grissom, The Negro Sings a New Heaven (1930; rpt. Dover, 1969, pp. 80-81). Tempo added is mine.

X:1
T:LAWD I WANT TWO WINGS
M:2/4
L:1/8
Q:1/4=60
B:Mary Allen Grissom, The Negro Sings a New Heaven, pp. 80-81
K:C
C/ C/|E3/2 c/ (G/ E) C/|C C/ (E/ E) C/C/|
w:Lawd I want two wings_ to veil my face_ Lawd I
E3/2 c/ (G/ E) C/|E E/ (C/ C) C/ C/|
w:want two wings_ to fly a-way_ Lawd I
E3/2 c/ (G/ E) C/|C C/ (E/ E) C/ C/|
w:want two wings_ to veil my face_ Lawd I
E3/2 c/ (G/ E) C/|(E/ D/) E/ (C/ C) z|
w:want two wings_ to fly_ a-way_.
c/ c (c/ c/) (G/ G)|(_B/A/B/) (G/ G2)|
w:Je-sus on_ the_ moun_ - tain_
c/ c (G/ G/ F/) E/ G/-|G4|c/4 c/4 c (G/ G/ F/) E/ G/-|
w:Preach-in' to__ the po'_ Ne-ver heard such__ a ser-
G2 C C| G G (F/ E/) C/ C/-|C2 z|
w:_ mon In all my life_ be-fo'_.

LAWD I WANT TWO WINGS

Lawd, I want two wings to veil my face,
Lawd, I want two wings to fly away;
Lawd, I want two wings to veil my face,
Lawd, I want two wings to fly away.

Jesus on the mountain
Preachin' to the po',
Never heard such a sermon
In all my life befo'.

Did not come in the mawnin',
Neither in the heat of the day;
But He always come in the evenin',
An' washed my sins away.

When you are in trouble,
Journeyin' on yo' way;
Jes' put yo' trust in Jesus,
An' don't forget to pray.

Git up in the mawnin',
Git up out-a yo' bed;
You should not eat one mouthful
Until yo' prayers are said.

I went down in the valley,
Hands across my breast;
Thought I heard King Jesus say--
come unto me an' rest.

Yonder comes my mother--
Wha' you been so long?
Well, I been down in the valley,
My soul's done anchored an' gone.

Yonder comes that Angel--
What might be yo' name?
My name is Great Jehovah,
Well, you must be bawn again.

---

---

Click to play

To play or display ABC tunes, try concertina.net

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Oh, Lord I want two wings to veil my...'
From: wysiwyg
Date: 29 Nov 04 - 10:21 AM

Wow!!!!!!!!!!

~S~

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Oh, Lord I want two wings to veil my...'
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 29 Nov 04 - 07:52 PM

Also a version with Eagle's Wing, collected by Ballanta-Taylor (Haven't seen).

Subject: Lyr Add: LORD I WANT TWO WINGS
From: Tinker
Date: 29 Nov 04 - 08:30 PM

I learnt the following at Girl Scout Camp around 1968 in East Otis Massachusetts.

LORD I WANT TWO WINGS

Lord I want two wings, to cover my face
Oh Lord I want two wings, to cover my face
Oh Lord I want two wings, to cover my face
And the world can do me no harm.

Oh Lord I want a harp, to play for myself
Oh Lord I want a harp, to play for myself
Oh Lord I want a harp, to play for myself
And the world can do me no harm.

Oh Lord I want two shoes, to cover my feet
Oh Lord I want two shoes, to cover my feet
Oh Lord I want two shoes, to cover my feet
And the world can do me no harm.

Oh Lord I want two wings, to cover my face
Oh Lord I want a harp, to play for myself
Oh Lord I want two shoes, to cover my feet
And the world can do me no harm
Yeah, the world can do me no harm.

Subject: Lyr Add: EAGLE'S WINGS
From: masato sakurai
Date: 29 Nov 04 - 10:10 PM

St. Helena version of "Eagle's Wings," copied from Erskine Peters, Lyrics of the Afro-American Spiritual (pp. 386-87):

EAGLE'S WINGS

Lord, I wish I had an eagle's wings,
O, Lord, I wish I had an eagle's wings,
O, Lord, I wish I had an eagle's wings,
O, Lord, I wish I had an eagle's wings.

I would fly all the way to Paradise,
O, Lord, I would fly all the way to Paradise,
O, Lord, I would fly all the way to Paradise,
O, Lord, I would fly all the way to Paradise.

O, the thunder is a-rollin' over my head,
O, Lord, the thunder is a-rollin' over my head,
O, Lord, the thunder is a-rollin' over my head,
O, Lord, the thunder is a-rollin' over my head.

And the lightenin' [sic] is flashin' in my face;
There is no hidin' place for sinner to hide;
O, I run to the rocks to hide my face;
O, I run to the sea an' the sea run dry.

Lord, I wish I had an eagle's wings,
O, Lord, I wish I had an eagle's wings,
O, Lord, I wish I had an eagle's wings,
O, Lord, I wish I had an eagle's wings.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Oh, Lord I want two wings to veil my...'
From: wysiwyg
Date: 22 Mar 05 - 03:50 PM

Titles above now indexed in the Spirituals permathread.

Folks, please help us keep the index growing and accurate-- ANY time a new TITLE is posted, please put a note in the permathread indicating the song title and the thread ID number or full URL.

Thanks,

~Susan

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Oh, Lord I want two wings to veil my...'
From: wysiwyg
Date: 22 Mar 05 - 03:53 PM

Masato, when I tried to convert your ABC above, I got this:

Title: LAWD I WANT TWO WINGS

No image available -- there's probably a error in the ABC source causing the conversion to fail.


Can it be fixed?

Thanks,

~Susan

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Oh, Lord I want two wings to veil my...'
From: masato sakurai
Date: 22 Mar 05 - 07:45 PM

Susan,

I can't see the reason. No problem with the file.

~Masato

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Oh, Lord I want two wings to veil my...'
From: wysiwyg
Date: 22 Mar 05 - 09:58 PM

I had not seen the link to the MIDI-- got it, now.

~S~

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Oh, Lord I want two wings to veil my...'
From: GUEST,Dsty
Date: 18 May 05 - 10:10 PM

Lord, give me two wings
two wings to veil feet
two wings,
two wings to veil my face
two wings,
two wings too fly away to glory so the world can't do me no harm

Meet me, Jesus meet me
Meet me in the middle of the air
and if these wings should fail me
Lord, meet me with another pair

Oh give me two wings, two wings to fly away to glory so the world can't do me no harm
(go back and repeat the top)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Oh, Lord I want two wings to veil my...'
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Aug 06 - 11:16 AM

I conduct music in the church and sometimes my mind goes back to the Negro Sprituals. Can I get some scores of my favourites such as for the song: Lord I want two wings to veil my face?
Please help. it is not easy to find even a used 120 Negro Spirituals hymnbook. I had one but it is stollen
Thanks

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Oh, Lord I want two wings to veil my...'
From: GUEST,Bruce H
Date: 23 May 07 - 07:46 AM

I need two wings   (Two wings to veil my face);
    I need two wings   (Two wings to veil my feet);
    I need two wings   (Two wings to fly away);
    And the world can't do me no wrong.

1) Up in Glory I've got a long white robe;
    Up in Glory I've got a new pair of shoes;
    Up in Glory I've got a long pair of wings;
    I'll fly away, spread the news.

2) One of these old mornings
    And it won't be long
    You're gonna look down here for me,
    But I'll be goin' on home.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Oh, Lord I want two wings to veil my...'
From: wysiwyg
Date: 23 Sep 07 - 08:20 PM

Robert Sims - Two Wings:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh90YSZkJpg

~S~

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Oh, Lord I want two wings to veil my...'
From: Peace
Date: 23 Sep 07 - 10:08 PM

Two versions here.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Oh, Lord I want two wings to veil my...'
From: wysiwyg
Date: 24 Sep 07 - 09:28 AM

Which are:

Now yonder comes my mother
Where have you been so long?
I've been down in the valley to pray
And my soul got anxious in the Lord

Chorus:
Oh, I want two wings veil my face
And I want two wings fly away
Yes I want two wings veil my face
And I want two wings fly away

Now yonder comes an angel
What might be your name?
My name is Jehovah
And you must be born again

Now in that awful sea of sin
I was sinking fast
There were many things within
From my sinful past

Say, Jesus didn't come in the morning
(when did he come?)
Neither in the heat of the day
But, he came in in the cool of the evening
And drove my sins away

===============================================================

and:


Lord, I want two wings to veil my face,
I want two wings to fly away; Lord,
I want two wings to veil my face,
And I want two wings for to fly away;
Lord, I want two wings to veil my face,
I want two wings to fly away;

I want two wings to veil my face,
And I want two wings for to fly away;

O, meet me, Jesus, meet me,
Meet me in-a the air,
And if these two wings fail me,
Jus' give me another pair.

O, I want two wings to veil my face, Lord,
I want two wings for to fly away, Lord,
I want two wings to veil my face,
And I want two wings for to fly away.

I want two wings to veil my face, Lord,
I want two wings to fly away, Lord,
I want two wings to veil my face,
And I want two wings for to fly away.

~S~

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Oh, Lord I want two wings to veil my...'
From: GUEST,Springfield Girl
Date: 21 Jan 09 - 11:32 AM

I remember learning this song for a spring concert for the Springfield Massachusetts Public schools, about 1962 or so.

O Lord, I want two wings to cover my face
O Lord, I want two wings to cover my face
O Lord, I want two wings to cover my face
And the world can do me no harm.

I want two golden shoes to put on my feet
I want two golden shoes to put on my feet
I want two golden shoes to put on my feet
And the world can do me no harm.

I want a happy song to sing in my heart
I want a happy song to sing in my heart
I want a happy song to sing in my heart
And the world can do me no harm.

I want to fly around the moon and the stars
I want to fly around the moon and the stars
I want to fly around the moon and the stars
And the world can do me no harm.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Oh, Lord I want two wings to veil my...'
From: GUEST,lorisa
Date: 06 Mar 09 - 08:51 AM

I learned this when I was a girl guide in North Western Australia in about 1952. I only remember the first verse and the tune of course.
I have been searching for this for some time.

Oh Lord I want two wings to cover my face,
Oh Lord I want two wings to cover my face,
Oh Lord I want two wings to cover my face,
So the Devil can do me no harm.

Subject: Lyr. Add: Eagle's Wings (St. Helena I.)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 06 Mar 09 - 12:53 PM

Lyr. Add: EAGLE'S WINGS
Coll. Ballanta-(Taylor)

1
Lawd I wish I had an Eagle's wings
Lawd I wish I had an Eagle's wings
O Lawd wish I, O Lawd wish I,
O Lawd wish I had an eagle's wings.
2
I would fly all de way to Paradise,
I would fly all de way to Paradise
O Lawd, fly all, O Lord, fly all,
O Lawd, fly all de way to Paradise.
3
O de t'under is rollin' o'er muh head,
O de t'under is rollin' o'er muh head
O Lawd, de t'under, O Lawd de t'under,
O Lawd de t'under is rollin' o'er muh head.
4
An' de lightin' is flashin' in muh face,
An' de lightin' is flashin' in muh face
O Lawd, de lightin', O Lawd, de lightin',
O Lawd de lightin' is flashin' in muh face.
5
Dere is no hidin' place fo' sinner to hide
Dere is no hidin' place fo' sinner to hide
O Lawd, no hidin' place, O Lawd, no hidin' place,
O Lawd, no hidin' place fo' sinner to hide.
6
I run to de rocks to hide muh face,
O I run to de rocks to hide muh face
O Lawd, I run, O Lawd, I run,
O Lawd, I run, to de rocks to hide muh face.
7
I run to de sea an' de sea run dry,
O I run to de sea an' de sea run dry
O Lawd, run dry, O Lawd, run dry,
O Lawd, I run to de sea an' de sea run dry.

No. 43, Nicholas George Julius Ballanta-(Taylor), 1925, "Saint Helena Island Spirituals, Recorded and Transcribed at Penn Normal Industrial and Agricultural School, St. Helena Island, Beaufort County, South Carolina." G. Schirmer, Inc., New York.
Diploma, 1924, Institute of Musical Art, New York City [Frank Damrosch, Head].
One of 103 Spirituals collected by Ballanta on Saint Helena Island.
Ballanta-(Taylor): "of Freetown, Sierra Leone, West Africa."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Oh, Lord I want two wings to veil my...'
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 06 Mar 09 - 01:11 PM

All spirituals in the Ballanta-(Taylor) book are accompanied with musical score.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Oh, Lord I want two wings to veil my...'
From: GUEST,Xploradorah
Date: 17 Oct 12 - 04:35 AM

I remember in grade school singing a song that said,
" oh, Lord I want two wings to cover my face, oh Lord I want two wings to cover my feet, oh Lord, I want two wings to fly away so the devil don't trouble my soul."
"Oh Lord does he come in the warmth of morning? No!"
"Oh Lord, does he come in the heat of daylight? No!"
"Oh Lord, does he come in the cool of evening? (Softly) Yessssss."