WERE YOU THERE (WHEN THEY CRUCIFIED MY LORD)
"Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord)" is an American spiritual that was first printed in 1899. "Were You There" was likely composed by African-American slaves in the 19th century. It was first published in William Eleazar Barton's 1899 Old Plantation Hymns. In 1940, it was included in the Episcopal Church hymnal, making it the first spiritual to be included in any major American hymnal. As reported in Howard Thurman's autobiography, the song was one of Mahatma Gandhi's favorites. (More from Wikipedia)
Other famous Negro spirituals include "Go Down Moses", "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen", and "Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord)". Some modern songs have the distinct feel of Negro spirituals, such as Andraé Crouch's "Soon and Very Soon" and James Cleveland’s "I Don't Feel No-Ways Tired".
(March 2015)
