Lyr Add: I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray

Subject: AND I COULDN'T HEAR NOBODY PRAY
From: wysiwyg
Date: 20 Sep 01 - 06:18 PM

See also:

I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray, Book Of American Negro Spirituals

I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray, Books Of American Negro Spirituals I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray, Folk Songs Of North America

I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray, Folk Songs Of The American Negro

I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray, Let's All Sing

I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray, Songs Of Southern Colleges & Old Southern Melodies

I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray, American Negro Songs

I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray, Songs Of Zion (Nix)

I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray, Lift Every Voice And Sing

Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray, Hall Johnson (Choral Sheet Music)

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AND I COULDN'T HEAR NOBODY PRAY
Traditional Negro Spiritual

REFRAIN:
And I couldn't hear nobody pray
O Lord! couldn't hear nobody pray
O! way down yonder by myself
And I couldn't hear nobody pray.

In the valley
On my knees
With my burden
And my Saviour
O Lord!

Chilly water
In-a the Jordan
Crossing over
In-a to Canaan
O Lord!

Hallelujah
Troubles over
In the Kingdom
With my Jesus
O Lord!

SOURCE :
Park New Choir, http://parknewchoir.free.fr/

@spirituals

SH

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: AND I COULDN'T HEAR NOBODY PRAY
From: Charley Noble
Date: 20 Sep 01 - 08:17 PM

Must be the basis for "The Crash on the Highway" song that them old time bluegrass folks used to sing.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: AND I COULDN'T HEAR NOBODY PRAY
From: wysiwyg
Date: 20 Sep 01 - 08:58 PM

Charley, did you look to see if that one is posted here anywhere, or in DT? If not, could you add it in this thread?

Thanks!

~S~

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: AND I COULDN'T HEAR NOBODY PRAY
From: masato sakurai
Date: 20 Sep 01 - 09:51 PM

Other title variants are "I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray" (this seems to me to be the most widely used, as shown in WYSIWYS's first message above), "Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray," and "Lord, I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pay." The spelling is sometimes (but not often) "Heah" instead of "Hear."

Masato

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: AND I COULDN'T HEAR NOBODY PRAY
From: toadfrog
Date: 20 Sep 01 - 11:43 PM

"Wreck on the Highway" is here.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: AND I COULDN'T HEAR NOBODY PRAY
From: wysiwyg
Date: 20 Sep 01 - 11:47 PM

Thanks tf. Good to have you in on this. See the Permathread on them yet?

Project Control:

COME ON IN!

~S~

Subject: Lyr Add: AND I COULDN'T HEAR NOBODY PRAY
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 18 Oct 01 - 08:01 PM

The arrangement is somewhat different in J. W. Johnson, The Book of American Negro Spirituals. "I couldn't hear nobody pray" is sung between each line of a verse. Much the same is given in Work, American Negro Songs and Spirituals. Work notes that the leader starts off with "O Lord! And I couldn't hear nobody pray;" then may vary the O Lord! with other interjections. He suggests that the 3rd verse may be sung slowly and softly but the refrain is gone into "a tempo." According to Johnson, the song is to be sung "moderately slow (with religious devotion)."
The verses as arranged by R. Johnson are given below. Verses and refrain are not sharply separated in the singing. An extra note is placed at the beginning of the 2nd and 4th lines of each verse in the Johnson version.

I COULDN'T HEAR NOBODY PRAY

An' I couldn't hear nobody pray, O Lord.
I couldn't hear nobody pray, O Lord.
O 'way down yonder by myself
An' I couldn't hear nobody pray.
In de valley, I couldn't hear nobody pray.
On a my knees, I couldn't hear nobody pray.
Wid my burden, I couldn't hear nobody pray.
An' a my Savior, I couldn't hear nobody pray, O, Lord,
Refrain
An' I couldn't hear nobody pray, O Lord.
I couldn't hear nobody pray, O Lord
O way down yonder by myself
An' I couldn't hear nobody pray,

Chilly water, I couldn't hear nobody pray,
In-a de Jordan, I couldn't hear nobody pray,
Crossin' over, I couldn't hear nobody pray
In-a to Canaan, I couldn't hear nobody pray, O Lord.

Hallelujah! I couldn't hear nobody pray.
Troubles am over, I couldn't hear nobody pray
In de Kingdom, I couldn't hear nobody pray,
Wid a my Jesus, I couldn't hear nobody pray, O Lord.

Refrain
An' I couldn't hear nobody pray, O Lord
I couldn't hear nobody pray, O Lord
O 'way down yonder by myself
An' I couldn't hear nobody pray.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: AND I COULDN'T HEAR NOBODY PRAY
From: wildlone
Date: 19 Oct 01 - 04:56 PM

I have found this site while looking for songs
Click here
you might have seen it allready if so sorry
BTW some of the files take a long time to open but if you keep paging down you will find lyrics and music.
dave

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: AND I COULDN'T HEAR NOBODY PRAY
From: DougR
Date: 19 Oct 01 - 05:15 PM

Charley, that was my immediate thought when I saw the thread posted. I though for sure WYSYetc. was referring to the old Roy Acuff song, "Wreck on the Highway." I wasn't familiar with the spiritual.

DougR

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: AND I COULDN'T HEAR NOBODY PRAY
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 19 Oct 01 - 07:59 PM

wildlone, it is a good one. There are others in the spirituals permathread.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: AND I COULDN'T HEAR NOBODY PRAY
From: GUEST,BigDaddy
Date: 19 Oct 01 - 11:55 PM

Sorry, I thought this was a thread about a noisy pub I used to play at..."I couldn't hear nobody play."

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: AND I COULDN'T HEAR NOBODY PRAY
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 21 Oct 01 - 02:01 PM

Hi, Susan:''I don't know that I have this in a book, butI have a recording of it by the Fairfield Four I can send you...