Could you imagine with me for a short while? Easter will be here soon and I thought of a hymn that's perfect for that day. When I looked it up in my old Baptist hymnal it had three small type written words at the bottom of the page. I wish I knew more about this song but I don't. All I know are the words to the song and the three little words that said it is a Traditional Negro Spiritual. Let's just enjoy going back in history and trying to think of details in the life of the humble person who wrote such meaningful words.
From sun up to sundown that's the way he worked. He was a strong black man. He worked hard. A day's work began in the semi-dark hours before the sun arose and ended when darkness settled in and you could no longer see the crop you'd pick for the owner of the plantation. The owner was a tough business man and with a firm hand. The hard working man and his young family belonged to the plantation owner. He was a slave. This year the owner wanted more bushels of grain picked from his fields than ever before. Life would become difficult when such goals were not achieved. This man of slavery had great ability in strength and endurance, more so than most, but he also had other talents. He was a Christian man and although he couldn't read he would listen with all his focus and learn the Bible. There was a handful of slaves who could read and on the Lord's Day they would meet together and the Word of God would be proclaimed. He had another talent, a God-given talent It was deep and distinct voice. If you heard him sing you would have to stop and just listen, listen to every part of how he would use his voice to sing the simple songs about the Christian life that he had learned from his childhood. The plantation owner's wife had heard him sing once as he was leaving the field. She had commented to him how she enjoyed his song. It was hard to believe she had spoken such kindness. But he cherished it and intentionally decided he would never be boastful about his song. It was the Lord who placed a song in his heart and caused the sound that was so pleasant to hear. Many times all through his long days in the field along side others he would sing. It would cause the time to go by more quickly. Sometimes when the noon sun was overhead and he had to keep going at a good pace even though the sweat on his brow was heavy and his back hurt from stooping too low to the ground he would escape through his song. Sometimes he would sing words until they became new songs. He'd sing right out loud until the right words would fit together in just the right way. No one cared. They loved the sound and it was interesting to them just to listen until words became a song full of rich meaning. He was good at writing songs even though he couldn't write. He would write the words upon his heart. Those working around him would give free advice on the songs but in the end he chose what they would say. Since he wrote them upon his heart they had to be good words. Not songs of gossip or judging of others. No, his songs would talk about God and the Jesus he served. As a slave all his life he had been very poor. Your life was simple and when someone in the family would get sick, oh, how everyone would learn a whole lot more about praying to the good Lord above. His Mama had given him riches though, because she taught him the most important thing you should do in life and that is to live for the Lord. So he did, that's why he worked so hard and that's why he only wrote songs about His Lord. At night, when he would relax before bedtime he would sing his songs because he wanted his children to be rich, rich in the riches of God himself. He would teach them so they could also teach his grandchildren the goodness of the Lord.
One day as he thought of how good God was to him he thought of his destiny of heaven. He thought of what had to happen so long ago so he could go to heaven. It angered him how Jesus had to die but he had the greatest respect and honor for him because of this. He wanted a way that others would understand that it was a serious thing Jesus did when he died on the cross. He wanted them to know that had to be done and Jesus had to die and be placed in a tomb as they did to the deceased so long ago. He wanted somehow for people to know that Jesus didn't stay dead like all other men but he did something powerful and came back to life after three days. He'd been thinking of how he could tell others of this most meaningful part of his life. He would make a song. So he did and in the fields he would sing his song until he wrote it just like he knew it ought to be written. He made it simple and he would sing out the message.
The song that made me want to enjoy imagining this story is Were You There? Here are the words:
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Were you there when He rose up from the dead?
Were you there when He rose up from the dead?
O! Sometimes I feel like shouting glory, glory, glory!
Were you there when He rose up from the dead?
In the hymnal this song had no author. I like to hear it sung a cappella by a single person. I tried to find a website that sang it this way but couldn't but I did find one that played it on the piano. It's at cyberhymnal.org. I like how the the author started out by grabbing the attention of those singing it or listening to it by asking a question that was thought provoking. All of the verses are questions and then the last ends with a rhetorical question to show the excitement the songwriter had in that Jesus overcame death.
Posted by Linda at March 17, 2005 06:54 PM