The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #62700   Message #2050472
Posted By: Azizi
13-May-07 - 05:07 AM
Thread Name: Origins: So High
Subject: RE: Origins: So High
Here's the version I learned in my childhood [Atlantic City, New Jersey 1950s] and continue singing to this day:

MY LORD IS SO HIGH

[chorus]
My Lord is so high-
You can't get over Him.
So low-
You can't under Him.
So wide-
You can't get around Him.
You must come in at the door.

[verse]
Some people go by wa-ter.
Some people go by land.
But if
you want
to go to heaven.
Well, you must go hand in hand.

[chorus]

-snip-

I can't remember any more verses of this song. I have a good recollection for the verses of other early gospel {spirituals}? but I can't remember any more but this one verse.

I always sing this song {at home and not professionally} before singing the song "Don't Miss That Train". Maybe that is because these songs were combined at my church, but I really can't recall whether they were or not. The fixed order of these songs in my private concert may reflect the way I learned these songs. I always sing "My Lord Is So High" and then, immediately after the repeat of its chorus, sing "Don't Miss That Train". [See my next post in this thread for the lyrics to Don't Miss That Train" as I recall them].

Here's my take on the meaning of "My Lord is so High":
The lyrics of this song are based on the widespread Christian theological belief that the only way that anyone can get to heaven is through Jesus. Jesus is both "the Lord" & "the door" referred to in this song.