Lyr Req: Rocky Road (Alabama Sacred Harp Singers)

Subject: Lyr Req: Alabama Sacred Harp's Rocky Road
From: Roberto
Date: 30 Mar 08 - 07:56 AM

I'd like to get the lyrics of the recording of Rocky Road sung by the Alabama Sacred Harp Singers. Thanks. R

Subject: Lyr Add: ROCKY ROAD (from The Sacred Harp)
From: masato sakurai
Date: 30 Mar 08 - 12:00 PM

Probably "Rocky Road" from The Sacred Harp (1991 Edition).

294 Rocky Road

Tune: J. C. Brown & Paine Denson, 1935
Words: J. C. Brown & Paine Denson, 1935
Meter: Irregular

I'm enlisted on the road,
I'm almost done traveling,
Enlisted on the road.
I'm bound to go where Jesus is,
My soul shall ascend where Jesus is,
To enjoy the peaceful home of rest.
I'm bound to go where Jesus is,
And be there forever blest.

Chorus:

It's a mighty rocky road,
I'm almost done traveling,
A mighty rocky road,
I'm bound to go where Jesus is.

I've a Father on the road,
He's almost done traveling,
A Father on the road.
He's bound to go where Jesus is,
His soul shall ascend where Jesus is,
To enjoy the peaceful home of rest.
He's bound to go where Jesus is,
And be there forever blest.

(Chorus)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Alabama Sacred Harp's Rocky Road
From: Roberto
Date: 30 Mar 08 - 12:39 PM

Thank you, Masato, but I don't think this is what they actually sing, although this could be the song. R

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Alabama Sacred Harp's Rocky Road
From: masato sakurai
Date: 30 Mar 08 - 10:45 PM

Alabama Sacred Harp singers - Rocky road is at YouTube. This is from Columbia 15274-D Side A (May 1928), which is also on Anthology of American Folk Music (edited by Harry Smith).

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Alabama Sacred Harp's Rocky Road
From: Roberto
Date: 31 Mar 08 - 03:29 AM

Please, someone with English as mother tongue to transcribe what they sing...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Alabama Sacred Harp's Rocky Road
From: BanjoRay
Date: 31 Mar 08 - 05:45 PM

You can get the words to Rocky Road (or any other shape note hymn) here
Cheers
Ray

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Alabama Sacred Harp's Rocky Road
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 01 Apr 08 - 12:54 PM

Roberto,

I don't have the book in front of me, there may be repeats that Masato did not include in his transcription. That's the primary difference.

Here's what they're singing:

I've a Father on the road,
He's almost done traveling, ("He's 'most done travelling")
A Father on the road,
He's 'most done traveling,
A Father on the road,
He's 'most done traveling,
He's bound to go where Jesus is,
His soul shall ascend where Jesus is,
To enjoy the peaceful home of rest.
He's bound to go where Jesus is,
And be there forever blest.

Chorus:
It's a mighty rocky road,
he's 'most done traveling,
A mighty rocky road,
he's 'most done traveling,
A mighty rocky road,
he's 'most done traveling,
He's bound to go where Jesus is.

Repeat first verse with "Mother/she/her"

Chorus (with "she")

---

That's a fun one to hear; it's one of the one's that was absorbed into the Sacred Harp from the tent/gospel tradition.

It may also be that they're not singing from the Sacred Harp, but from another shape note text. Someone else may know better about this.

~ Becky in Tucson

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Alabama Sacred Harp's Rocky Road
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 01 Apr 08 - 12:56 PM

Regarding my last comment -- on second thought, given that they call themselves the Alabama Sacred Harp Singers, they're probably singing from that book! (Unless this was an error made by the person making the recording -- they may not have had a formal name for themselves, given that it's not a performance tradition.)

~ Becky in Tucson

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Alabama Sacred Harp's Rocky Road
From: Roberto
Date: 03 Apr 08 - 11:28 AM

Thank you very much, Becky in Tucson. R

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Alabama Sacred Harp's Rocky Road
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 04 Apr 08 - 11:07 AM

'Please, someone with English as mother tongue to transcribe what they sing... '

Hello, Roberto. I understand your problem! If you are speaking of the YouTube video that masato linked above, it is far from clear. Much of the time they are singing 'la la' or perhaps 'da da.' When they sang English, there were many words I couldn't understand.

If you can listen to the singing while looking at the words listed here, perhaps you find the correlation.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Alabama Sacred Harp's Rocky Road
From: GUEST,Bob L
Date: 04 Apr 08 - 11:21 AM

The usual practise with shape note songs is to sing the tune once through first to the "shapes", i.e. the syllables fa, so, la and mi. Here they seem to do the verse, refrain and a repeat of the verse before launching into "I've a father..."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Alabama Sacred Harp's Rocky Road
From: masato sakurai
Date: 04 Apr 08 - 11:47 AM

Listen also to
Harpeth Valley Sacred Harp Singers' "Rocky Road" (Arr. - J. C. Brown & Paine Denson) and Emma Keeton and Belton Beasley Memorial Singing's "Rocky Road" (Old Concord Primitive Baptist Church, Winfield, Alabama 1977).