Lyr Add: In That Great Getting-Up Morning

Subject: Lyr Add: IN THAT GREAT GETTING-UP MORNING
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 06 May 07 - 03:57 PM

Lyr. Add: IN THAT GREAT GETTING-UP MORNING
Hampton Students; 1880's, in J. B. T. Marsh

1.
I'm a-going to tell you about the coming of the Saviour,
Fare you well! Fare you well!
I'm a-going to tell you about the coming of the Saviour,
Fare you well! Fare you well!
There's a better day a-coming,
Fare you well! Fare you well!
Prayer-makers, pray no more,
Fare you well! Fare you well!
Oh, preachers, fold your Bibles,
Fare you well! Fare you well!
For the last soul's converted,
Fare you well! Fare you well!

In that great getting-up morning,
Fare you well! Fare you well!
In that great getting-up morning,
Fare you well! Fare you well!
2.
The Lord spoke to Gabriel:
Go look behind the altar,
Take down the silver trumpet,
Blow your trumpet, Gabriel.
Lord, how shall I blow it?
Blow it right calm and easy,
Do not alarm my people,
Tell them to come to judgement;
Gabriel, blow your trumpet,
Lord, how loud shall I blow it?
Loud as seven peals of thunder!
Wake the sleeping nations.
3.
Then you'll see poor sinners rising;
Then you'll see the world on fire;
See the moon a-bleeding,
See the stars falling,
See the elements melting,
See the forked lightning,
Hear the rumbling thunder;
Earth shall reel and totter.
Then you'll see the Christians rising;
Then you'll see the righteous marching,
See them marching home to heaven.
Then you'ss see my Jesus coming
With all His holy angels,
Take the righteous home to heaven,
There they'll live with God for ever.

No. 110, with score, pp. 240-241, J. B. T. Marsh, 1880's, "The Story of the Jubilee Singers; With Their Songs." (Seventy-fifth Thousand)
Houghton, Mifflin and Company, Boston.
Not in original histories by Pike; new songs added (including this one.)
The "Index to Negro Spirituals," The Cleveland Public Library, lists this song as being in Fenner, but it was added after his death to a later edition, 1891 or later: See R. Nathaniel Dett, 1927, "Religious Folk Songs of the Negro as Sung at Hampton Institute, pp. 154-156, with additional verses and somewhat different arrangement.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: In That Great Getting-Up Morning
From: Azizi
Date: 06 May 07 - 06:08 PM

For some reason, from my childhood/youth I just remember singing the refrain to "In That Great Gettin Up Mornin'" and not the verses themselves.

I remember the "calm & easy" phrase that is found in the verse:

"Blow your trumpet, Gabriel.
Lord, how shall I blow it?
Blow it right calm and easy"

from the spiritual "Swing That Chariot, Lord" {which I have since learned is really named "Swing Down Chariot, Lord"}.

The words as I remember them from "Swing That Chariot, Lord" are

Swing that chariot, Lord
and let me ride.
Swing that chariot, Lord
and let me ride.
Ohhh, rock me, Lord.
Rock me, Lord,
calm and easy.
I've got a home.
{I've got a home}.
I've got a home.
{I've got a home}.
I've got a home
on the other side.

**

Here's a link to a YouTube video of a quartet singing "Great Gettin' Up Morning" and "Good News".

Great Gettin Up Mornin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAbsOB14iNU

Added March 13, 2007;From gmberry2
"Bufford, Gary, Lowell, Terry
Just warmin up"

-snip-

Well, it's definitely not how I remember either of those songs. Still, imo, that quartet has a good sound.

Subject: In Dat Great Gittin'-up Mornin'
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 08 May 10 - 09:35 PM

In Dat Great Gittin'-up Mornin'
Fenner, 1874, Hampton Singers (from a student)

"This song is a remarkable paraphrase of a portion of the Book of Revelations, and one of the finest specimens of Negro 'spirituals'. The student who brought it to us and who sings the solo has furnished all that he can remember of the almost interminable succession of verses, which he heard sung for half an hour at a time by the slaves in their midnight meetings in the woods. He gives us the following interesting account of its origin:-
I have heard my uncle sing this hymn and he told me how it was made. It was made by an old slave who knew nothing about letters or figures. He could not count the number of rails that he would split when he was tasked by his master to split 150 a day. But he tried to lead a Christian life, and he dreamed of the General Judgement, and told his fellow servants about it, and then made a tune to it and sang it in his cabin meetings." J. B. Town (Hampton).

Solo
I'm a gwine to tell you 'bout de comin' ob de Saviour;
Tutti- Fare-you-well, Fare-you-well.
Solo
Dar's a better day a-comin';
Tutti- Fare-you-well, Fare-you-well.
Solo
When my Lord speaks to His Fadder;
Tutti- Fare-you-well, Fare-you-well.
Solo
Says Fadder, I'm tired o' bearin',
Tutti- Fare-you-well,
Solo
Tired o' bearin' for poor sinners;
Tutti- Fare-you-well, Fare-you-well.
Solo
Oh, preachers, fold your Bibles;
Tutti- Fare-you-well, Fare-you-well;
Solo
Pray'r makers, pray no more;
Tutti- Fare-you-well, Fare-you-well.
Solo
For de last soul's converted;
Tutti- Fare-you-well, Fare-you-well.

Refrain:
In dat great gittin'-up mornin'
Fare-you-well, Fare-you-well,
In dat great gittin'-up mornin'
Fare-you-well, Fare-you-well.

1
Dere's a better day a-comin',
When my Lord speaks to His Fadder,
Says, Fadder, I'm tired o' bearin',
Tired o' bearin' for poor sinners,
Oh, preachers, fold your Bibles,
Prayer-makers, pray no more,
For de last soul's converted. bis
Refrain
2
De Lord spoke to Gabriel,
Say, go look behind de altar,
Take down de silver trumpet,
Go down to de seaside,
Place one foot on de dry land,
Place de oder on de sea,
Raise your hand to heaven,
Declare by your Maker,
Dat time shall be no longer. bis
Refrain
3
Blow your trumpet, Gabriel,
Lord, how loud shall I blow t?
Blow it right calm and easy,
Do not alarm my people,
Tell dem to come to judgement. bis
Refrain
4
Den you see de coffins bustin',
Den you see de Christians risin',
Den you see de righteous marchin',
Dey are marchin' home to heaven.
Den look upon Mount Zion,
You see my Jesus comin',
Wid all His holy angels.
Where you runnin', sinner?
Judgement day is comin'. bis
Refrain
5
Gabriel, blow your trumpet,
Lord, how loud shall I blow it?
Loud as seven peals of thunder,
Wake de sleepin' nations.
Den you see poor sinners risin',
See de dry bones a-creepin'.
Refrain
6
Den you see the world on fire,
You see de moon a-bleedin',
See de stars a-fallin',
See de elements meltin',
See de forked lightnin',
Hear de rumblin' thunder.
Earth shall reel and totter,
Hell shall be uncapped,
De dragon shall be loosened.
Fare-you-well, poor sinner.
Refrain
7
Den you look up in de heaven,
See your mother in heaven,
While you're doomed to destruction.
When de partin' word is given,
De Christian shouts to your ruin.
No mercy'll ever reach you.
Refrain-
Den you'll cry out for cold water,
While de Christian's shoutin' in glory,
Sayin' amen to your damnation,
Den you hear de sinner sayin',
Down I'm rollin', down I'm rollin',
Den de righteous housed in heaven,
Live wid God forever. bis
Refrain-

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: In That Great Getting-Up Morning
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 08 May 10 - 09:37 PM

Verse 8- last seven lines.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: In That Great Getting-Up Morning
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 11 May 10 - 10:52 PM

The sheet music (an arrangement for 4 voices) for IN THAT GREAT GETTING-UP MORNING can be seen in The Story of the Jubilee Singers: With Their Songs by J. B. T. Marsh (New York: S. W. Green's Son, 1883), page 240.

The lyrics are the same as those posted by Q at the beginning of this thread.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: In That Great Getting-Up Morning
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 11 May 10 - 11:09 PM

Quoted in an article "The Negro Music of the South" in The Southern Workman and Hampton School Record Vol. 22, No. 11, Nov., 1893, page 174:


IN DAT GREAT GETTIN' UP MORNIN'.

CHORUS—In dat great gettin' up mornin,'
Fare you well! fare you well!
In dat great gettin' up mornin',
Fare you well! fare you well!

First verse—

Solo—Dere's a better day a-comin'
Refrain—Fare you well! fare you well!
S.—When my Lord speaks to His Fader
R.—Fare you well! fare you well!
S.—Says Fader I'm tired o' bearin'
R.—Fare you well! fare you well!
S.—Tired o' bearin' fo' poor sinners
R.—Fare you well! fare you well!

Chorus again and so on for sixty verses. [!]

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: In That Great Getting-Up Morning
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 11 May 10 - 11:45 PM

Oddly enough, the oldest instance I can find of the phrase "great getting-up morning" is in a Quaker publication, Friends' Quarterly Examiner, Vol. 1, No. 3, Seventh Month [July], 1867, page 449:


The Meetings of the Freedmen's Committee were open to all, and were extremely interesting. Many who had been South, bore witness in favour of the Freed People, and spoke of the large outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon these poor creatures, and of their fervent daily prayers for our Society; even the infantine voices of children are often heard in prayer and praise.

A coloured woman, named Aunt Sally, attended this Committee, and her heart was so filled to overflowing that she kept asking if she might pray and speak; permission having been given, she poured forth her feelings of thanksgiving and praise, as follows:—

"Kind Father, I thank thee that I have lived to see this blessed day, when I can have permission to meet with such multitudes of Thy people; I never had permission to meet with white people before. Oh! kind Father, bless and praise Thy Holy Name — Great Parent in Heaven; I have been trying to serve Thee, kind Father, many a year, many a year, and expect to remain steadfast and immoveable to the end. Oh! blessed Parent, be pleased to stand by these ministers of the Gospel, and send them to the farthest part of the earth, where the foot of man never trod; stand by them in life, stand by them in death, and keep them till the Great Getting-up Morning, safe in Thy holy hands. Kind Father, bless us all, and let us glorify Thy name.—Amen!"

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: In That Great Getting-Up Morning
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 11 May 10 - 11:48 PM

Jubilee Singers (Marsh, 1880s) also posted in thread, Songs of the Jubilee Singers-
Songs of Jubilee Singers

Musical score of In dat Great Gittin'-up Mornin' 1874 in Dett, R. N., Religious Folk-Songs of the Negro

Tune somewhat different from that used by the Jubilee Singers.