As far as I'm concerned, "Wade in the Water" is a completely different song than the "Jesus Met the Woman at the Well" that I know, which is the song referenced in the third message of this thread, the one which appears in Rise Up Singing and on albums by Ian and Sylvia, Peter Paul & Mary, and Dave Van Ronk.

Both excellent traditional-gospel songs, but definitely different ones ~ despite the fact that some versions of "Wade" may include lyrics about a woman at a well.

*********************

I can verify what Roger in Baltimore posted earlier today ~ Tracy Nelson's band was called "Mother Earth," and they often performed an old blues song of that same title. ("No matter how rich you are / No matter how much you worth . . . When it all comes down / You got to go back to Mother Earth.")

About ten years ago, Tracy collaborated with Marcia Ball and Irma Thomas on a really great album, and they toured together for a while. Tracy was a great admirer of Irma (the longtime "Soul Queen of New Orleans"),and over the years had recorded several of Irma's greatest hits, with and without Mother Earth.