Topic: Washington Phillips Lyrics

[Rivers]

Here are the original lyrics, found them just now in my songs folder. The sentiments are even more resonant today then they were then IMO

Denomination Blues Parts 1 and 2 (Washington Phillips, 1927)

(n.b. Ry Cooder plays this sequence of verses: 1, 2, Instr., 17, 3, 7, Instr., 15, 13, Instr.)



(Part 1)
1. I want to tell you, an actual fact,
Every man don't understand the Bible alike
But that's all, I tell you that's all
But you'd better have Jesus, I tell you that's all.

2. Well, denominations have no right to fight
They ought to just treat each other right. That's all

3. The primitive Baptists, they believe,
You can't get to heaven unless you wash your feet. And that's all

4. The only primitive that has any part
Is the one that does the washin' with the pure in heart. And that's all

5. Now the missionary baptists, they believe
Go under the water and not to wash your feet. And that's all'

6. Now the indian methodists, they believe,
Sprinkle the head and not to wash their feet. And that's all

7. Now the African methodists, they believe the same,
Cause they know denominations ain't a thing but a name. And that's all

8. Now the holiness people when they came in
Said "Boys we can make it by living above sin". But that's all

9. Now the church of God had it in their mind
That they can get to heaven without the furgamint () wine. But that's all

(Part 2)



10. You're fightin' each other, and think you're doing well
And the sinners on the outside are going to hell. And that's all

11. Now the preachers is preachin', and think they're doing well
All they want is your money and you can go to hell. And that's all

12. There's another kind of preacher that's high in speech
They have to go to college to learn how to preach. And that's all

13. But you can go to the college, and you can go to the school
But if you ain't got Jesus you're an educated fool. And that's all

14. That kind of a man, he's hard to convince
A man can't preach, son let me find And that's all

15. When these people jump from church to church,
You know their conversion don't amount to much. And that's all

16. When Jesus came here like dividing day
Gonna call the chief, tell him to drive the ghosts away. And that's all

17. It's right to stand together, it's wrong to stand apart
'Cause none's going to heaven but the pure in heart. And that's all

[LeftyStrat]

Another bump of a long dormant thread, but I thought I'd add something, and hopefully add to the discussion. This is definitely one of the better tunes (both parts) by Washington Phillips, IMO. But I hear the lyrics a tad different in the second track. Any opinions?

16. When Jesus came here like dividing day
Gonna call the chief, tell him to drive the ghosts away. And that's all

I hear:

When Jesus comes here on dividing day
Gonna call the sheep to him, drive the goats away.....

17. It's right to stand together, it's wrong to stand apart
'Cause none's going to heaven but the pure in heart. And that's all

for this verse, I hear "....none's gonna enter but the pure at heart...

Just wanna throw that out there to test my ears against what some who may hear and/or understand the words better than I do

[banjochris]

Another bump of a long dormant thread, but I thought I'd add something, and hopefully add to the discussion. This is definitely one of the better tunes (both parts) by Washington Phillips, IMO. But I hear the lyrics a tad different in the second track. Any opinions?

16. When Jesus came here like dividing day
Gonna call the chief, tell him to drive the ghosts away. And that's all

I hear:

When Jesus comes here on dividing day
Gonna call the sheep to him, drive the goats away.....

17. It's right to stand together, it's wrong to stand apart
'Cause none's going to heaven but the pure in heart. And that's all

for this verse, I hear "....none's gonna enter but the pure at heart...

Just wanna throw that out there to test my ears against what some who may hear and/or understand the words better than I do

I think the "sheep and goats" is right, although there's an "and" in there and the chorus starts "that'll be all..."
The "none's gonna enter" is right, but he does say "pure in heart," although he elides it, so it's more like "pure in 'eart"
Chris

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I was listening to Washington Phillips lately and was struck by his performance of "Train Your Child".  Many of his songs have spoken intros, but "Train Your Child" has a much more lengthy homily, followed by a dulceola/zither solo (whichever it was) without any singing.  I wonder if Washington Phillips commonly preached with such a poetic cadence.  From his degree of comfort working this way, it seems very likely.  Everything transcribed here is spoken.  Phillips pronounces the opening word of the next to last stanza "they-ose"; I think he was caught between "they" and "those".



   The subject of this lecture, that God to Solomon says, "Train the child in the way that you should go, and when he gets old, he will not depart from you."

   Lots of people in the World
   Of course, you can not blame them
   God have given them children
   And they don't know what to train them

   When you'n educate an untrained child
   That's brought up full of sin
   It just only got sense enough
   That before you know it, they'n go to the pen

   Let us train our children
   And try to keep down so much sin
   'Cause it'll be too late to cry
   When you see them going to the pen

   Lots of these little womanish girls
   That thinks themselves to be grand
   They will stand on the corners at night
   Making dates with a married man

   Those little mannish boys
   With the hat sitting on one strand of hair
   Will go marry some woman's nice little girl
   And ain't got nowhere to carry her

   Education is all right
   I will tell you before you start:
   Before you educate the head,
   Try to educate the heart

   SOLO

All best,
Johnm


   

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I've been meaning to transcribe Washington Phillips' lyrics for his recording of "Paul and Silas In Jail" for some time.  He played the song in 3/4, and it has an exceptionally pretty melody, and is an altogether different song from the more commonly heard "Paul and Silas Bound in Jail".  As usual, I have some stuff I either couldn't hear or heard wrong, so I'd really appreciate help in getting this right.



   We must love, we must love, for Jesus to care for us
   'Cause you ought to know in him, He is our only trust
   Whatever we desire, whenever we do pray
   We must have the faith and belief that He will do just what He say

   Old Paul and Silas in the Phillipian jail they was both bound
   'Cause you only see in Jesus, they found him close around
   When the dark hours of midnight, when everything was still
   Old Paul, he whispered to Silas, said, "Let's us do our Master's will."

   Old Silas, he began singin', old Paul he entered in prayer
   Then Heaven, it got all stirred up, and an angel met them there
   And the jail doors all flew open, and the jailer thought they was all gone
   And he pulled for his sword for to kill hisself, but Paul said, "Do thouself no harm."

   He sprung out in the floor, and a light he wanted them to gaze
   He replied to Paul and Silas, "What shall I do to be saved?"
   By Paul being one of Christ's children, then, seeing the jailer woke up in a fright
   And he said that, "You must believe in my savior, Jesus Christ."

   I'm going home, going home, going home on the morning train
   If I happen to make it too late, oh, sure Lord, won't be my aim
   I'm sending up this old sinful body, oh, it's sincere prayer
   Oh the place they call Heaven, I certainly wants to go there

Edited, 10/8 to pick up corrections from banjochris

All best,
Johnm
   


   

[banjochris]

Such a great performer and a great song, too. I think this fills in most of the gaps, John:

1.2 in Him
1.3 desire
1.4 the faith and belief

2.1 Phillipian
2.2 ? I think what you have is as good as anything, he clearly messes up here
2.4 Let's us do?

3.2 to make it too late, oh sure Lord won't be my aim
3.3 I'm sending up this old sinful body, oh it's sincere prayer
3.4 Oh the place they call Heaven...

Chris

[Johnm]

Thanks so much for the help, Chris, that's terrific!  I knew "Phillipine jail" was wrong, but didn't know my Bible well enough or have one handy to find the right word with a very close pronunciation.  I actually had "let's us" in my transcription but typed it out wrong--I remembered Booker White saying that in "Jitterbug Swing".
Washington Phillips is one of my very favorite singers and musicians.  In re-listening to his songs, I feel like there are two harps or zithers or whatever they were on several of the songs. His first recordings have pretty plain, purely chordal back-up for the most part, and starting with about "Lift Him Up" you start to get a thicker and more orchestrated sounding chordal texture along with almost constant countermelodies from the harp, the kind of thing that would be difficult to do while singing the melody and remembering all those lyrics.  Boy, did he do great songs, and I don't see how they could be sung any better than he sang them.
All best,
Johnm

[Cleoma]

Thank you John, I have always loved this song but never could make out the words.  I never could quite make out the time either, gotta go back and listen.  I never thought of this as in 3/4 time.
Will you be in Bellingham next week?  We will be there on Friday, staying overnight til Saturday.  If you and Ginny are around, we would love to see you.

[Mr.OMuck]

Wow, what wonderful lyrics! It would be great if we could start posting sound files along with these "what's the lyric?" discussions. Its hard to be a participant if you don't know the piece at hand.

[Johnm]

Suzy, we will be around on Friday and are looking forward to the concert and to seeing you and Eric.  That will be a treat.
Phil, the posting of a performance being transcribed on the lyrics board used to be a more common practice, but the relict attachments began using up the memory on the site and so we've pretty much discontinued doing that.  It's kind of a shame, because it let more people get involved, in addition to just hearing the songs, maybe for the first time, but it's a tough one to see a way around.  All of Washington Phillips' recordings are collected on a Yazoo re-issue that did make it to the CD era, and it may be available from the library.
All best,
Johnm

[jopoke]

You can get the track for $1.00 here:

http://www.amazon.com/Paul-And-Silas-In-Jail/dp/B003VSQ0WA/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_t_2

Money well spent! 

Thanks, Joe

[uncle bud]

Also a good idea to check YouTube which occasionally has some surprises:

[Gumbo]

I think i just need one word in the first verse of Take Your Burden to the Lord
His first recording from December 1927



Leave it there O leave it there
take your burden to the Lord and leave it there
if will you trust Him and never doubt He will surely bring you out
take your burden to the Lord and leave it there

Now if the world from you withhold of it's silver and it's gold
and you'll have to get along with meagrest fare
Just remember in Gods words how he fed those little birds
take your burden to the Lord and leave it there

now if your body suffers pain and your health you can't regain
and your soul is almost sinking in despair
Jesus knew the pain you feel he can save and He can heal
take your burden to the Lord and leave it there

Leave it there O leave it there ...

if your enemy assails and your heart begin to fail
don't you forget that God in Heaven will answer prayer
He will make a way for you he will guide you safely through
take your burden to the Lord and leave it there

now if your youthful days are gone and old age is stealing on
and your body sinks beneath the weight of cares
Jesus will never leave you then he'll go with you to the end
take your burden to the Lord and leave it there

Leave it there O leave it there ...

now if your mother leaves you here grief and sorrow you must bear
and you feel that all the friend you have is gone
but when ever you feel alone Jesus will take you in His arms
take your burden to the Lord and leave it there

Leave it there O leave it there ...

10-10-11 edited to pick up correction from tomfeldmann below
23-07-12 adding changes from Johnm and correcting to meagrest in vese 1

[-]

2nd line is

"And you have to get along with meager fare"

http://www.scriptureandmusic.com/Music/Text_Files/Leave_It_There.html

Charles Albert Tindley...one of my favorite writers.

[Gumbo]

thanks Tom. It sounds like he started to sing Meagre and then stopped and sang despair to me. Do you hear that?

And it's good to know it's 'Youthful' rather than 'Useful' in the 4th verse!