A good many of us music lovers are attracted to an art form called the spirituals. In former days, that art form was called Negro spirituals. But somehow, Negro fell into disfavor and it became awkward to call them colored spirituals, black spirituals, or Afro-American spirituals. So the compromise in the music world has now been to call them simply spirituals.
It would be very easy to remember the lyrics to this spiritual as every line is identical. The line is “Ain’t gonna study war no more.” That is the first line, as well as the second line, the third line, and the 72nd or the 94th line. When sung by a choir with a good base section, it is an entrancing piece of music. One line in this spiritual is distinguished from the others by emphasis on words. One line may emphasize “ain’t.” Another may emphasize “study,” and stretch that word over three or four notes. So while the lyrics may appear to be identical, when sung by a good choir under an artful director, each line would appear to stand by itself. It makes the performance of “Ain’t gonna study” a magnificent piece of music.
All spirituals tend to repeat the lyrics from one line to the next. In the example, “Better get a home inna’ that rock,” that phrase is repeated in three of the four lines in every verse.
While I am on the subject of “Better Get a Home Inna’ That Rock,” my fellow Missourian, Howard Davis who now lives in Manhattan, took an uncommon interest in the second and third verses. Those verses draw a distinct difference in the eternal treatment of rich men and poor men. The second verse go like this:

“Rich man died, he lived so well, don’t you see
Rich man died, he lived so well, don’t you see
Rich man died, he lived so well,
When he died he found a home in hell,
So you better get a home inna’ that rock, don’t you see.”

Contrast the rich man’s fate with that of the poor man. For the poor man, the song says,

“Poor man died, he barely got by, don’t you see,
Poor man died, he barely got by, don’t you see.
Poor man died, who barely got by,
When he died he found a home on high.
So you better get a home inna that rock, don’t you see.”

These lyrics are provided for Mr. H. L. Davis who will sing them at the upcoming Anglican Convention in London after a fortnight or two.
The art form of repeating one line after another may well derive from ancient chants, such as the Russian hymn, “Hos po dee po mil wee.” In a hymn that takes nearly four or five minutes to perform, these are the only lyrics. They are Russian in origin and are reproduced here phonetically. I believe they mean, “God be with you.” The lyrics are also delivered rapidly or slowly as a means of variation. Again, by putting the emphasis on different words in this hymn, it is a stirring piece of work.
There is one more spiritual that ought to be mentioned. It is “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen”. The lyrics go like this:

“Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen,
Nobody knows but Jesus,
Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen,
Gloria Halleluiah”
“Sometimes I’m up, sometimes I’m down,
Sometimes I’m almost to the ground,
But oh yes, Lord.”

The chorus of “Nobody Knows” is repeated.
Paul Robeson, a bass-baritone, was the leading spiritual singer in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Robeson was a liberal who was grossly maligned by religious forces in the United States who attempted to call him a Communist. The fact that he was widely acclaimed in Europe during his exile only added fire to the Bible thumpers. By the time he recovered from defending himself, audiences here had lost interest and his career faded. What a shame!
Now there are some encouraging thoughts about spirituals and related hymns. My good friend Thelma Dupont, who worked with me in Ma Bell’s vineyard, tells me that some of the spirituals are sung in her Catholic Church. She mentions specifically, “Were you there when they crucified my Lord.” That is good news and I hope my friend Thelma encourages the organist to learn “Better Get a Home Inna That Rock, Don’t You See.”
Speaking of the Catholic faith, I attended a funeral for Rosemary Bannon in New City, New York, who had been murdered by her husband Lonnie Bannon. I believe I was the only non-family member attending that service in 1980. To kill a little time, the organist, who was located above us on a balcony, played “Amazing Grace.” That is a completely Protestant hymn and a nearly fell off my pew, but it was good news because that was my mother’s all time favorite hymn.
Finally, the good news will not stop. Canon Howard Davis of the Episcopal Dioceses of New York now informs me that the official Episcopal hymnal has “Were You There When They Crucified My Lord.” I assume that this inclusion is in accordance with the wishes of the Archbishop of Canterbury and Queen Elizabeth of Mother England. As I say, this is unanticipated good news.
Perhaps some of you may wonder why this old essayist has such an interest in spirituals knowing that he is a copper-riveted, diamond-studded non-believer. The fact is that spirituals are a magnificent art form, and they make for very pleasant listening as well. Just because I am fond of spirituals does not mean that I have pretensions of being a supervising management angel. I just admire the art form and the music that is derived therefrom, and it would please me greatly just to sing in the choir. So I leave you with the thought that “Jordan river, muddy and cold, chills the body, but not the soul.” Chorus: “Every time I feel the Spirit moving in my heart, I will pray.” (REPEAT THESE CHORUS LYRICS AS OFTEN AS YOU WOULD LIKE.)
E. E. CARR
July 20, 2006
~~~
Kevin’s commentary: Pop definitely knew what he liked, musically speaking. Not one of those guys who’ll tell you “oh, I listen to everything.” He had his religious music and his Irish music and a few other types that he really liked, a generally poor outlook on modern music, and that was that.