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Band 4, Item 5
Chariot
Group of girls, vocals. Recorded in 1940 in Drew, Miss., by John and Ruby Lomax.
Library of Congress Archive of American Folk Song AFS 4014 A1.
The field collection in the Library of Congress of nine games in which "Chariot"
appears contains a beautiful set of very
African-sounding games. The children's perfect unison of response and their
musical delivery remind one that all over the
South at the time of this recording it had not been long since call-and-response
field chants were sung to lighten labor
through unison effort. The text of "Chariot" derives from spirituals, which made
frequent reference to deliverance from
this life, or metaphorically, from slavery, by the jubilation of the coming
judgement.
Leader: Chariot,
Group: Jubilee!
Similarly
Chariot.
Yonder comes the chariot
Comin' round the mountain.
Side by side,
You and I
Gonna take a ride
(Twice)
Chariot,
Chariot.
Yonder comes the chariot,
Comin' round the mountain
Six white horses,
Side by side,
You and I
Gonna take a ride.
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