Go Tell It on the Mountain (song)

Go Tell It on the Mountain (song)

"Go Tell It on the Mountain" is an African-American spiritual dating back to at least 1865 that has been sung and recorded by many gospel and secular performers. It is considered a Christmas carol because its original lyric celebrates the Nativity: "Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere; go tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born."

In 1963, Peter Yarrow, Noel "Paul" Stookey, and Mary Travers, along with their musical director, Milt Okun, adapted and rewrote "Go Tell It on the Mountain" as "Tell It on the Mountain", their lyrics referring specifically to Exodus and employing the line "Let my people go," but implicitly referring to the Civil Rights struggle of the early '60s. The song was recorded by Yarrow, Stookey and Travers on their Peter, Paul and Mary album "In the Wind" and was also a moderate hit single for them. (US #33 pop, 1964). Civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer used this rewritten version of the song as an anthem during the mid-1960s.

Other artists, besides Peter, Paul and Mary, who have recorded the song (chiefly on either Christmas-themed music albums or collections of spirituals or folk songs) include:
* The New Christy Minstrels
* Simon & Garfunkel
* Bob Marley
* Mahalia Jackson
* Fred Hammond
* Kirk Franklin
* Candi Staton
* Frank Sinatra & Bing Crosby
* James Taylor
* Cece Winans
* Anne Murray
* Vanessa L. Williams
* Jewel
* Dustin Kensrue
* Bruce Cockburn
* Little Big Town
* Sherill Milnes
* John Rutter and the Cambridge Singers
* Sara Evans
* Jim Nabors
* Toby Keith
* Peter Tosh
* The Blind Boys of Alabama
* Dolly Parton
* Carola Häggkvist
* Bobby Darin
*Art Paul Schlosser(who rewrote the lyrics for kids with the title Go tell it on the Swingset)

Traditional lyrics

"Refrain ""Go, tell it on the mountain,""Over the hills and everywhere""Go, tell it on the mountain,""That Jesus Christ is born."

The shepherds feared and trembled,When low above the earth,Rang out the angels chorusThat hailed our Savior's bi--rth."Refrain"

While shepherds kept their watchingo’er silent flocks by night,Behold, throughout the heavens There shone a holy li--ght"Refrain"

And lo! When they had heard it,They all bowed down to pray,Then travelled on together,To where the Baby la--y."Refrain"

Down in a lowly mangerThe humble Christ was bornAnd God sent us salvationThat blessed Christmas mo--rn."Refrain"


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Go Tell It on the Mountain — may refer to:* Go Tell It on the Mountain (song), a Christian spiritual song * Go Tell It on the Mountain (novel), a novel by James Baldwin * Go Tell It on the Mountain (album), an album by The Blind Boys of Alabama * Go Tell It on the Mountain… …   Wikipedia

  • Go Tell It on the Mountain (album) — Infobox Album | Name = Go Tell It on the Mountain Type = studio Artist = The Blind Boys of Alabama Released = September 16, 2003 Recorded = 2003 Genre = Gospel music Length = 45:18 Label = Real World Records Narada Productions Producer = Reviews …   Wikipedia

  • John the Revelator (song) — Infobox Song Name = John the Revelator Border = Caption = Type = Artist = Blind Willie Johnson alt Artist = Several artists Album = Published = Released = track no = Recorded = 1930 Genre = Length = Writer = Composer = Label = Producer = Tracks …   Wikipedia

  • Up to the Mountain (MLK Song) — is a contemporary folk song written by Patty Griffin. As the subtitle indicates, the song is at one level based upon emotions surrounding Martin Luther King, Jr. s famous 1968 I ve Been to the Mountaintop speech, given the day before his… …   Wikipedia

  • The Blind Boys of Alabama — performing at the Quebec City Summer Festival in 2008. Background information Origin Alabama …   Wikipedia

  • King in the mountain — A king in the mountain, king under the mountain or sleeping hero is a prominent motif in folklore and mythology, that is found in many folktales and legends. The Antti Aarne classification system for folktale motifs classifies these stories as… …   Wikipedia

  • The Best of the Wailers — The Best of The Wailers …   Википедия

  • The Staple Singers — Gründung: 1951 Auflösung: Genre: Gospel, Soul Gründungsmitglieder Gesang / Gitarre …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • The Greatest Show On Earth — war eine kurzlebige britische Popband der frühen 1970er Jahre. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Line up 2 Aufnahmen und Erfolge 3 Diskographie 3.1 Langspielplatten 3.2 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • The Greatest Show on Earth — war eine kurzlebige britische Popband der frühen 1970er Jahre. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Line up 2 Aufnahmen und Erfolge 3 Diskographie 3.1 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”