'Go, Tell It on the Mountain'
To the men and women held in the bondage of slavery (and its memory), ideals of liberation are held high. Therefore, Jesus' promise of liberation for all people, combined with the imagery of The Sermon on the Mount, was cherished by African Americans.Chances are, this became the inspiration for the rousing spiritual, "Go, Tell It on the Mountain." Though its author is unknown, the hymn is assumed to have originated in the early 1800s. "Go, Tell It on the Mountain" was popularized in 1879 when performed by the Jubilee Singers of Fisk University, a school that once specialized in educating freed slaves.
 ©2006 Publications International, Ltd. |
1. Go tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere,
Go tell it on the mountain,
That Jesus Christ is born!
When I was a seeker,
I sought both night and day,
I asked the Lord to help me,
And He showed me the way.
Oh! Go tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere,
Go tell it on the mountain,
That Jesus Christ is born!
2. While shepherds kept their watching
O'er silent flocks by night,
Behold throughout the heavens
There shone a holy light.
3. The shepherds feared and trembled
When lo! above the earth
Rang out the angel chorus
That hailed our Savior's birth.
4. Down in a lowly manger
The humble Christ was born,
And God sent us salvation
That blessed Christmas morn.
Christmas sheet music: "Go, Tell It on the Mountain"
What child doesn't imagine toys on parade, marching around when no one is there to see? Our next Christmas carol paints just such a scene -- keep reading to learn about the origins of "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers."
