The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #39266   Message #597613
Posted By: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
21-Nov-01 - 08:23 PM
Thread Name: Lyr Add: No Man Can Hinder Me
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: NO MAN CAN HINDER ME
It was not been pointed out that No Man Can Hinder Me is a work song, for rowing, etc., as well as a spiritual.
Ware (the version in Allen) "wrote these tunes" so that "two measures are to be sung to each stroke, the first measure being accented by the beginning of the stroke, the second by the rattle of the oars in the row-locks. On the passenger boat at the (Beaufort) ferry, they rowed from 16 to 30 strokes a minute; 24 was the average." Slave Songs of the United States, 1867, p. xvi.
In the DT, it should be marked @religion @spiritual @work.
The other tunes used for rowing (and note that Ware arranged them according to the scheme above) are Praise, Member; No Man Can Hinder Me; Religion So Sweet; Heaven Bell A-ring; Jine 'Em; Rain Fall and Wet Becca Lawton (not a spiritual); Bound To Go; Michael Row...; Sail, O Believer; Rock O' Jubilee; Satan's Camp A-fire; and Bell Da Ring. Others were used as work songs, the rhythm changed to suit.