The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #19551   Message #376273
Posted By: Dani
17-Jan-01 - 12:48 PM
Thread Name: Gospel Origin-Civil Rights & Labor Songs
Subject: Origins: We Shall Overcome
Also interesting to note: Pete Seeger credits Zilphia Horton with changing the 'I' to 'WE'. The wording is significant.

Bernice Johnson-Reagon (Sweet Honey in the Rock, The Freedom Singers) discussed the history of the song We Shall Overcome with Noah Adams on NPR:

The song was changed from an earlier I Shall Overcome to We Shall Overcome when white students began working with black students in the civil rights movement. But of the version she knew, Johnson-Reagon says, "In the Black community, to EXPRESS THE GROUP, you say I. If you say WE are gonna have a picnic, I have no idea who's gonna be there. But if you say, "I'm going to bring some cake and someone ELSE says, "I'll bring the chicken", then you actually know you're gonna get a dinner!"