Show menu

"Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord)"

Thanks! Share it with your friends!

You disliked this video. Thanks for the feedback!

Added by
77 Views
Me doing a rendition of the gospel/spiritual standard "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord". One of my favorite gospel songs. In this video I state that I wasn't sure of the song's origins and I usually know that stuff. So, being the nerd that I am, I looked it up. It originated in 1899 and here is what Wikipedia says on it's history below:

"Were You There" was likely composed by enslaved African-Americans 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. The song has been recorded by artists including Paul Robeson,Marion Williams, Johnny Cash, Roy Acuff, Phil Keaggy, Max Roach, Diamanda Galás, Harry Belafonte, The Seldom Scene, Diamond Version (with Neil Tennant), Bayard Rustin, Rajaton, and Chris Rice. A critic from the Indianapolis News wrote about Paul Robeson's rendition of "Were You There", saying that "It was as startling and vivid a disclosure of reverent feeling of penetrating pathos as one could imagine."

What's your favorite gospel/spiritual song or hymn and why?
Category
Johnny Cash
Commenting disabled.

Up Next