Go, Tell It On the Mountain

One of my favorite spirituals and Christmas songs of any genre, "Go, Tell It On the Mountain" dates back to the 19th century. The lyrics of the original song celebrate the birth of Christ, but during the 1960s folk musicians changed the lyrics to refer to Exodus, thereby connecting the struggle of the Israelites to African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement. Furthermore, according to a little research on Wikipedia, the song was only compiled in the early 20th century by an African-American folklorist who collected Negro spirituals and folk music, John Wesley Work, Jr. So the origins of the song are still unknown...it's possible that it may not date back to the slave era.

Here is an interesting version of the song performed by a singer playing guitar. His vocals aren't great, but this guy videotapes himself playing different folk songs.

Peter Tosh and the Wailers performed a reggae-tinged "Go, Tell It On the Mountain" that uses some of the Civil Rights and Exodus references of the Peter, Paul and Mary version. Interesting to hear this old song with a reggae beat, right?

Gospel singer Mahalia Jackson also recorded the song, accompanied by a small choir and organ. Her version is the most beautiful I have heard, and probably closer to the original spirit of the song. She sings the traditional lyrics, which obviously refer to the birth of Christ.

Simon and Garfunkel also recorded the song on their not-so-good first album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. It's funny to hear Jewish boys singing a Negro spiritual about the birth of Christ, but unfortunately that alone doesn't make it an essential version of the song. I believe both Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel are singing here, and if I remember correctly, Spike Lee's father, jazz bassist Bill Lee, played bass on this record. Spike's father also played with Odetta and Bob Dylan, so he wasn't above working with folk singers. Interesting fact, right?

Here is the progressive, Civil Rights version of the song. Using lyrics from "Go Down Moses" (another Negro spiritual alluding to Exodus), Peter, Paul and Mary are connecting the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s to Exodus. Of course they were not the first to make that connection, since African-Americans have identified themselves and their struggles with Biblical references since slavery days.

The Blind Boys of Alabama also recorded a good version of the song that uses more R&B and gospel influences.