Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.
I am weak, but Thou art strong,
Jesus, keep me from all wrong,
I’ll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.
Through this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.
When my feeble life is o’er,
Time for me will be no more,
Guide me gently, safely o’er
To Thy kingdom's shore, to Thy shore
One of my favorite gospel songs, of unknown Southern African-American origins, is "Just a Closer Walk With Thee." The beautiful, simple melody and its long history in the black gospel and jazz traditions make it an obvious favorite by someone like me. I especially like Sister Rosetta Tharpe's bluesy rendition, recorded in 1941.
Grant Green recorded a jazz version of the tune for an album of spirituals, Feelin' the Spirit. Featuring Green on guitar and Herbie Hancock, as well as drummer Billy Higgins, their instrumental version of one of gospel's greatest tunes is success. Hancock does not solo as much as Green, but the clean guitar sound works well with the song's simple melody. It's always a pleasure to hear jazz musicians play spirituals or gospel music, especially when some of the best jazz songs are really gospel numbers.
Mahalia Jackson sings the song very well in this video. "Daily walking close to Thee, oh, let it be, dear Lord, let it be."
Here's a good gospel version by the Five Blind Boys of Alabama
Here's a scene from a show I should be watching, Treme, that shows a New Orleans jazz funeral with the melody of "Just a Closer Walk With Thee"
No comments:
Post a Comment