Were You There
Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord) is an American spiritual that was first printed in 1899.
There are some of the more recent plantation hymns which have added an element of culture without diminishing religious fervor. One of the best of these is "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?" It dwells on the details of the crucifixion, and the separate stanzas add only a single line each to the song. It is a tender and beautiful hymn, the climax of its effect depending largely on the hold and slur on the exclamation "Oh!" with which the third line begins, and the repetition and expression of the word "tremble! tremble! tremble!"
Were You There was likely composed by African-American slaves in the 19th century. It was first published in William Eleazar Barton's 1899 Old Plantation Hymns. In 1940, it was included in the Episcopal Church hymnal, making it the first spiritual to be included in any major American hymnal. As reported in Howard Thurman's autobiography, the song was one of Mahatma Gandhi's favorites. The song has been recorded by artists including Marion Williams,Johnny Cash,Phil Keaggy,Max Roach,Diamanda Galás,Harry Belafonte,The Seldom Scene, Diamond Version (with Neil Tennant), and Bayard Rustin.
Podcasts:
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by Crystal Lewis
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by Russ Taff
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by Grant Lee Buffalo
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by M. Ward
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by Shai Linne
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by Jessye Norman
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by Selah
Were You There
by: Crystal LewisYou can't let it get you down
No no no no no
No no no no no
No no oh no no
Don't let it get you down
Just when everything seems to be going alright
Some unexpected misery enters your life
Then you ask your self how could this be wondering why
I've been there
You see your whole world come crashing down
All at one time
Your bodies weak from all the worrying
And so is you mind
Your walking down that rocky road
But things will get better
Cause trouble won't last forever
You can't let it get you down
Not now
You've come to far to turn around
You gotta walk with your head up high
Believing you can reach the sky
You can't let it get you down
Have you ever felt the need to get away from it all
The person that you care about the most just broke your heart
Just to be in the same room with them
You can't stand the thought
I've been there
You don't know if your relationship is worth holding on
How much longer can you take being treated so wrong
You're confused on what to do
But no matter what you do
You're gonna make it through
Oh, take it from me
The only thing you need is a little faith
The size of a mustard seed
You may cry through the night but hold on
Cause joy comes in the morning
In the morning
Joy comes in the morning
Have a little faith
Just a little faith
And you can make it
So don't you give up
Don't you let nobody turn you around
Don't you let nobody tuen you around
Keep your head up to the sky
Believe in yourself