The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #3744   Message #19416
Posted By: Bill D
18-Jan-98 - 12:32 PM
Thread Name: Origins: Go Tell It on the Mountain
Subject: ADD Version: Go tell it on the Mountain^^^
Thanksgiving week of 1964, I was in Hattiesburg, Miss., with a group of 'outside agitators' from Kansas who were assisting on a voter registration drive. Part of this job consisted of picketing the courthouse during business hours....round & round a little 3 cornered walk in front, totally bored except for the occasional local who decided to use someone in line to test his spitting aim.

On about day 3 I was there, after about 2 hours, a young black girl directly in front of me in line(I guess she was about 14) just suddenly began slowly singing "Go Tell it on the Mountain" in an absolutely beautiful contralto! Of course, in 15 seconds, we were all singing, and I have never heard the power of song more wonderfully used! We sang the "red...black...etc". version, but in the old church mode and speed.....well, we sang about 4 1/2 verses before the sheriff appeared and told us in no uncertain terms that we "had a permit for walkin'...not no damn permit for singin'".. and that if we didn't shut up, we would all be arrrested. So, we shrugged and just marched....but that song was in everyones head all day and we had made the point and one more step. (Last I heard, Hattiesburg had a black mayor....)

Later, as I did more looking into what these songs were all about, I saw various of the versions from the original gospel to the cranked-up bluegrass. Here is the one that seems to be the original... found at this site...
http://www.christmas-tree.com/

GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN