Lyr Add: You hear the lambs a-cryin'

Subject: YOU HEAR THE LAMBS A-CRYING
From: wysiwyg
Date: 18 Sep 01 - 11:15 AM

See also YOU HEAR THE LAMBS A-CRYING in books:
SONGS OF ZION (Nix)
LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING

See also HEAR DE LAMBS A-CRYIN' in books:
MY SONGS
HAMPTON AND ITS STUDENTS (Armstrong, Ludlow)

~S~

---

YOU HEAR THE LAMBS A-CRYING
Traditional Negro Spiritual


REFRAIN:
You hear the lambs a-cryin',
Hear the lambs a-cryin',
Hear the lambs a-cryin',
O Shepherd, feed my sheep.
You hear the lambs a-cryin',
Hear the lambs a-cryin',
Hear the lambs a-cryin',
O Shepherd, feed my sheep.


VERSES:

LEADER: My Savior spoke these words so sweet,
PEOPLE: O Shepherd, feed my sheep.
LEADER: Sayin' "Peter if you love me feed my sheep."
PEOPLE: O Shepherd, feed my sheep.

LEADER: Lord I love Thee Thou dost know,
PEOPLE: O Shepherd, feed my sheep.
LEADER: O give me grace to love Thee more.
PEOPLE: O Shepherd, feed my sheep.

LEADER: Wasn't that an awful shame,
PEOPLE: O Shepherd, feed my sheep.
LEADER: He hung three hours in mortal pain.
PEOPLE: O Shepherd, feed my sheep.


SOURCE:
American Negro Songs, 230 Folk Songs and Spirituals, Religious and Secular. John W. Work, Dover Publications, Mineola, NY 1998. Orig. pub. Crown Publishers, NY, 1940. ISBN 0-486-40271-1.

@spirituals

SH

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: YOU HEAR THE LAMBS A-CRYING
From: wysiwyg
Date: 18 Sep 01 - 04:37 PM

Originally posted at:

Subject: RE: History of spirituals
From: Dicho
Date: 18-Sep-01 - 02:04 PM

"... If you look at the sheet music given by Fenner (he should be acknowledged as the 1870's compiler in references to the Hampton site), It is difficult to sing the line "Oh, shepherd feed my sheep" unless feed is rendered as feed-a, as in the 1870' lyrics Fenner gives. "fe-ed" just doesn't sing right. I fear Work's sanitization of the language in some cases creates a problem with the flow of the song.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: YOU HEAR THE LAMBS A-CRYING
From: wysiwyg
Date: 19 Sep 01 - 10:40 AM

I have NWC tune available.

~S~

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: YOU HEAR THE LAMBS A-CRYING
From: masato sakurai
Date: 19 Sep 01 - 10:52 AM

CDs by Roland Hayes (Favorite Spirituals & Brother Can you Spare a Dime?)and Paul Robeson (The Power and the Glory) are available for this song.

Masato

Subject: Add: new version, YOU HEAR THE LAMBS A-CRYING
From: wysiwyg
Date: 06 Oct 01 - 04:15 PM

Here's our version for tonight. See how the change in verse order makes it a slightly different "message."

~S~

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

YOU HEAR THE LAMBS A-CRYING
Traditional Negro Spiritual
(Edited and Additional Verse by Susan O. Hinton)

REFRAIN:
You hear the lambs a-cryin', hear the lambs a-cryin',
Hear the lambs a-cryin', O Shepherd, feed my sheep
You hear the lambs a-cryin', hear the lambs a-cryin',
Hear the lambs a-cryin', O Shepherd, feed my sheep

VERSES:
LEADER: Wasn't that an awful shame
PEOPLE: O Shepherd, feed my sheep
LEADER: He hung three hours in mortal pain
PEOPLE: O Shepherd, feed my sheep

LEADER: Lord, You died that I might live
PEOPLE: O Shepherd, feed my sheep
LEADER: All to You, I freely give
PEOPLE: O Shepherd, feed my sheep

LEADER: Lord I love Thee Thou dost know
PEOPLE: O Shepherd, feed my sheep
LEADER: O give me grace to love Thee more
PEOPLE: O Shepherd, feed my sheep

LEADER: My Savior spoke these words so sweet,
PEOPLE: O Shepherd, feed my sheep
LEADER: Sayin' "Child, if you love Me, feed my sheep"
PEOPLE: O Shepherd, feed my sheep

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: YOU HEAR THE LAMBS A-CRYING
From: Stewie
Date: 06 Oct 01 - 08:23 PM

See also 'He said if you love me, feed my sheep' by the Stancer Quartet on Mike Seeger's wonderful compilation: 'Close to Home: Old Time Music From Mike Seeger's Collection 1952-1967' Smithsonian/Folkways SF CD 40097.

--Stewie.