We do this one to the slow pace of a tired walk. It was the first one where we used the line-out teaching method with the people, and it went over gangbusters! There's room for a lot of echoing in the lines, so teaching it was not difficult.

I don't remember now where I heard it-- probably on Sinner's Crossroads (99% of which is vintage black gospel), like so many in this songbook. As I recall, I had just discovered SC's archive when we were ready to do another songbook, and poor "Yellow" carried the weight.

The text evokes not only the prayer at Gethsemane, but the utterances from the cross. Like many songs most definitely NOT from the Roman or Anglican experience, this song reminds me how sacramental-- and how Lenty-- songs can be. Even when they spring from a tradition that doesn't observe Lent, nor consider itself sacramental. I did a lot of text-editing and text-writing on this one, but it all fit so seamlessly (IMO) that I couldn't say now which words were mine, and which ones it came with to start. ("Po' me" I know is original to the song... when I write in dialect, it's not usually dialect that goes back to what I read from slave times but rather dialect my Chicago-area ears picked up more recently.)

~Susan

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IF JESUS HAD TO PRAY
Learned from the singing of the Spirit of Memphis Quartet on King Records, 1949. Adapted, arranged, add'l lyrics (C) 2004 Susan O. Hinton for The Good News-Goodtime Band.

1. Well if Jesus had to pray,
What about me, what about me?
Yes if Jesus had to pray,
What about me, what about me?
He had to fall down on bended knee,
Calling His Father, "Help me please!"
Lord if Jesus had to pray,
What about me, what about po' me?

2. In the Garden of Gethsemane
Jesus went low, on bended knee,
Calling His Father up in heaven,
"Help me please! Help me please!"
When His strength was almost gone,
Lord He bent down on the ground.
Yes if Jesus had to pray,
What about me, what about po' me?

3. And when they hung Him high, for all to see,
His heart was low as lonely can be.
He called on His Father,
"Why hast Thou forsaken Me?"
When His spirit had fallen down,
Must have felt lower than the ground.
Yes if Jesus had to pray,
What about me, what about po' me?

4. And as He died, there on Calvary,
Still he prayed, yes He prayed for you and me.
Calling His Father in heaven,
"Forgive them, please! Forgive them please!"
He looked in love, at the crowd around,
Hearts full of anger, or broken down.
Yes if Jesus had to pray,
What about me, what about po' me?


SH