Were You There

"Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord)" is an African-American spiritual that was first printed in 1899. It was likely composed by enslaved African Americans in the 19th century.[1]

There are some of the more recent plantation hymns which have added an element of culture without diminishing religious fervor. One of the best of these is "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?" It dwells on the details of the crucifixion, and the separate stanzas add only a single line each to the song. It is a tender and beautiful hymn, the climax of its effect depending largely on the hold and slur on the exclamation "Oh!" with which the third line begins, and the repetition and expression of the word "tremble! tremble! tremble!"

—William Eleazar Barton, Old Plantation Hymns (1899)

Sheet music for Were You There

The song was first published in William Eleazar Barton's 1899 Old Plantation Hymns[1] but was described in writings prior to this publication.[2][3][4] In 1940, it was included in the Episcopal Church hymnal, making it the first spiritual to be included in any major American hymnal.[5] It is also unique in that it is the only African-American song included in the Catholic Church's Liturgy of the Hours.

As reported in Howard Thurman's autobiography, the song was one of Mahatma Gandhi's favorites.[6] The song has been recorded by artists including Paul Robeson,[7] Marion Williams,[8] Johnny Cash,[9] Roy Acuff,[10] Phil Keaggy,[11] Max Roach,[12] Diamanda Galás,[13] Harry Belafonte,[14] The Seldom Scene,[15] Diamond Version (with Neil Tennant),[16] Bayard Rustin,[17] Rajaton,[18] and Chris Rice.[19] A writer from the Indianapolis News wrote about Paul Robeson's rendition, saying that "It was as startling and vivid a disclosure of reverent feeling of penetrating pathos as one could imagine."[20]

Lyrics

The following lyrics are those printed in the 1899 Old Plantation Hymns;[21] other variations exist.

Were you there when they crucified my Lord? (Were you there?)
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
O sometimes it causes me to tremble! tremble! tremble!
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there when they nail'd him to the cross? (Were you there?)
Were you there when they nail'd him to the cross?
O sometimes it causes me to tremble! tremble! tremble!
Were you there when they nail'd him to the cross?

Were you there when they pierced him in the side? (Were you there?)
Were you there when they pierced him in the side?
O sometimes it causes me to tremble! tremble! tremble!
Were you there when they pierced him in the side?

Were you there when the sun refused to shine? (Were you there?)
Were you there when the sun refused to shine?
O sometimes it causes me to tremble! tremble! tremble!
Were you there when the sun refused to shine?

References
  1. Raymond F. Glover (1990). The Hymnal 1982 Companion. Church Publishing. p. 349. ISBN 978-0-89869-143-6.
  2. The Jubilee Singers the song at the 1898 Annual Meeting of the American Missionary Association according to The American Missionary - Volume 52 (1898) p. 160 (accessible on Google Books)
  3. Report of the First General Convention of the National Florence Crittenton Mission and School for Methods (Mountain Lake Park MD). July 1897, p. 100 accessible at https://babel.hathitrust.org
  4. "CRITTENTON'S FAREWELL,"Los Angeles Herald, Volume 25, Number 336, 1 September 1896, p. 3
  5. LindaJo H. McKim (1993). The Presbyterian Hymnal Companion. Westminster John Knox Press. p. 91. ISBN 978-0-664-25180-2.
  6. Howard Thurman (1981). With Head and Heart: The Autobiography of Howard Thurman. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 0-547-54678-5.
  7. Paul Robeson (2008). "Were you there?". Warner Classics.
  8. Ron Wynn. "Can't Keep It to Myself - Marion Williams | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
  9. "The Man in Black: 1959-1962 - Johnny Cash | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
  10. "Praguefrank's Country Music Discographies, Roy Acuff, part 1". Praguefrank. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  11. "Christ His Passion: Remembering the Sacrifice - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. 2004-03-09. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
  12. Vincent Thomas. "Lift Every Voice and Sing - Max Roach | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
  13. Brian Olewnick. "The Singer - Diamanda Galás | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
  14. "Harry Belafonte: My Lord What a Mornin'". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
  15. "Scenic Roots - The Seldom Scene | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
  16. "MUTE • Diamond Version • Release new album 'CI' on 2/3 June + Listen to first track 'Were You There' feat Neil Tennant". Mute.com. 2014-06-03. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
  17. Bayard Rustin sings a program of spirituals: with scripture reading by James Farmer. (Musical LP, 1950s). 2017-01-20. OCLC 61832618.
  18. "Record Reviews, Streaming Songs, Genres & Bands". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
  19. "Untitled Hymn: A Collection of Hymns - Chris Rice | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
  20. Olwage, G (2015). "Listening B(l)ack: Paul Robeson After Roland Hayes". Journal of Musicology. 32 (4): 524–557. doi:10.1525/jm.2015.32.4.524.
  21. William Eleazar Barton (1899). Old Plantation Hymns: A Collection of Hitherto Unpublished Melodies of the Slave and the Freedman, with Historical and Descriptive Notes. Lamson, Wolffe. p. 40.
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