American Folklife Center, Library of Congress Alan Lomax Collection (AFC 2004/04) folder 07.01.21 writings, books The Land Where the Blues Began transcripts Baptist Prayer Convention transcript; Coahoma, Fisk, 1941 Prayer opening Baptist Association... Our father, OUR FATHER, Our father, OUR FATHER, We call you our father Because you said that when we pray Say, "Our father." We feel that Thou are our father, OUR FATHER, Because you created us In your image and after your likeness, PRAY NOW, Our father OUR FATHER, Which art in Heaven, We adore thee Because thou art high, Thou art exalted And Thou rages, YES YES Hallowed be thy name, LORD HAVE MERCY We know Your name is sweet And we learned how you were-- At your name every man must bow And tongues must confess. Thy kingdom come, (O YES) Thy presence here in Clarksdale Is a dem-on-stration! That we are doing our best Yes To lift up thee, That your kingdom might come on earth.. As it is in heaven. Give us day by day FATHER Our daily bread, Feed our bodies. We pray for food. Our souls need heavenly food. And we learn that you're the giver. Give food for Hungry souls. Father in heaven, fill us with grace. We can carry your majesty Condigned in aperishing world Friends, we come from all parts of the state, Trying to lift up that kingdom Which feels the need of thee And we're asking for the guidance of the Holy Spirit We pray that Thou would take hold of everything. B assoc opening-2 You know Satan is very busy And every time we try to do right He will disturb us YES And we have a covenant With God Almighty Who have the power in heaven and earth in your hand HAVE MERCY TONIGHT I know you know me. I got acquainted with Yuh one Sunday morning. YES! You remembered me. When I need you, Call on you, Anytime , anywhere, YEAH Have mercy tonight! HaVe MERCY. The reason I know you know me TELL US ALL-laughter I talked with you this morning ALL RIGHT You been with me all day long Ye--ah. Have mercy HAVE MERCY O lord. D*O LORD, We're down here depending on You, YEAH Everything has been going on so lovely, Everything has been going on along so sweetly UNH-HUNH! Don't allow Satan to disturb out minds, Don't allow Satan to get in our hearts, UNH-HUNH! Keep us under the shadow of they wings, YES. Have mercy tonight, HAVE MERCY LORD, O lord, O Lord, LORD LORD Shour , Lord, LO-rd If we feel your spirit We'll feel more like going on. YES Have mercy HAVE MERCY. B assoc 3 Lord-- LORD-- Lord---- LORD---- Lo--rd Jesus (AGONY) The following here need you, To keep us encouraged, YES, NEED COURAGE I'm here tonight, YES In Clarksdale YES Touch my heart, YESSUH! That we may do your mission work, YES And make a better world. Give us a message, YES To carry back home To carry the Gospel. Lord, LORD If you know me, YES Don't leave me YES But come here tonight YES O look tonight YES And let your spirit YES Come down If you ple--se (WOMAN BEGINS CHANTING-- we need you OLORD we need you we need you.....) O Jesus--- O JESUS My rock In a weary land, YES OUR shelter In a time of storm. YES Please have mercy tonight YES O lord--- (HE IS IN AGONY.. O LORD O Lord (THE SCREAM IS SHRILL.. Lord Lord (TORTURED... LORD B assoc 4 (PALMS SMACK TOGETHER AFTER EVERY YELL OF ANGUISH. THE WOMEN BEGIN TO MOAN AND CRY. THE SHOURING FERVOR MOUNTS.... Lo---rd Je--Sus, HOWDY, HOWDY. (A WOMAN SHRIEKS... I know you heard me one Sunday morning When I was in sin. (THE CHURCH REEKCHOES WITH THE SHOUTS OF THE RESPONSES. You got on my side You cut loose my stammerin tongue, Set my HEART on fire. (A LONG PAUSE FILLED BY THE MOANING OF THE WOMEN. HE BEGINS AGAIN ON BEAT... Lord! LORD! Oh------(A LONG SCREAM... ALL RIGHT Oo------(SCREAMING... When Ican'teven make it no more, (A PAUSE. THE WOMEN ARE MOANING A TUNE... When we can't get together no more, O you promised you'd lead me, YEAH O over there Oh! Oh’. Lord Push back the dark clouds Mm----, over yonder WHEre there's (TEARING AGONY... YEAH No more heartaches, YEAH No more sorrow No more cryin (HE IS WEEPING... O-----get me home, Let me sit down And rest for myself.... One glad morning, When this life is over, I'll fly away, To the sky Hallellujah by and bye, I'll fly away. I'll fly away, O glory, I'll fly away, To the sky, Hallelujah, by and bye, I'll fly away. (A GRAVE OLD MAN BEGAN TO PRAY SPEAKING IN MEASURED, THOUGHTFUL STYLE... I acknowledge that I have sinned by commission As well as by ommission And you are so sympathetic And You have so much patience with me And I'm ashored from past and present treatment From you that if I come And deny my sins and turn from them That you'll own me again... (HE CONTINUED FOR SEVERAL MINUTES IN THIS FASHION[X]. HIS VOICE GRADUALLY RISING WITH FEELING. HIS PERIODS GREW SHORTER. THE RESPONSES BEGAN TO COME FROM THE CONGREGATION... O lord O LORD Look on the presiding officer-ah And the president of this congregation-ah, Bless these brethering that are holding up his arms-ah (WITH EACH -AH THERE IS A VIOLENT INTAKE OF BREATH.. I don't want you to leave town -ah And leave us here by ourselves-ah I want you to go in every home-ah O Lord O LORD O my father MY FATHER Let us make and impression -ah Upon these gambling dives-ah So that they will know-ah That the men of God are in town-ah (THE FERVOR OF THE CONGREGATION BEGINS TO MOUNT. THE OLD PREACHER'S VOICE GOES SHRILLER [?] SOUNDING IN THIS FOLLOWING PASSAGE FULL OF THE AGONY OF A CHILD SHRIEKING FOR MERCY FROM A CRUEL PARENT... We need you this evening-AAH Sin is causing men to die-AAH Mussalinah needs you this evening-AAH He's causing men to die-AAH You know the world--, the world--, the world--- (EACH "WORLD IS A TREMBLING, DESPAIRING CRY. EACH REPETITION IS A DESCENDING CADENCE OF UTTER DESPAIR... Come over here and baptize us-AAH The world--, the world-- They makin war on every hand-AAH The world--, the world-- There is no shame here-AAH The world-- the world--, It's got us wringing our hands [???] and cryin-AAh, SHeddin briny tears-AAH, And when the ware is over-AAH When I can't pray no more-AAH O Lord, When I can't go no more-AAH Old man -2 When I got to lay down and die-AAH, O Lord, O Lord. (THE OLD MAN BEGINS TO SOB IN A PASSION OF SORROW. THAT'S ALL RIGHT, BUDDY. (THE CONGREGATIONS MOANS WITH HIM... You know I can't help from loving you Beacause you loved me, yourself, Long before I knew what love was... And when my time has come, I've got a king's crown in coming glory. And when I come down to the river, Help me to pull off my war coat and enter I'll enter in the name of the Lord And make my enemies out a liar... (A WOMAN BEGAN TO SHRIEK STEADILY AND RHYTHMICALLY, PITCHING AROUND IN THE ARMS OF THE USHERS LIKE A FISH ON A HOOK AS THE OLD MAN WAILED OUT THE LAST PHRASES OF HIS PRAYER IN A HIGH PITCHED CHILD'S DESPAIR... (THE REVEREND H.T. JAMES OF LULA AROSE AFTER THE CONGREGATION HAD SUNG "A LITTLE TALK WITH JESUS" AND PRAYED FOR TEN MORE MINUTES. HIS VOICE AT THE BEGINNING WAS A RICH CONFIDENT BARITONE BUT AS HE REACHED THE CLIMAX OF HIS PRAYER HE WAS HOWLING A HIGH NASAL CRY THAT SHIVERED YP YOUR SPINE, MAKING LONG MUSICAL YELLS THAT TORE THE HEARTS OF THE WOMEN... O lord Don't leave us. Don't leave us. Please suh, don't leave us. PLEASESUH Stay here on the streets with us. Keep alcohol out of our mouths, Keep the old bitter beer out of our lips, Havemercy on us. Walk beside us as a light, Guidx our feet as our protector. O---o----o----o-- Lord (A SOUND LIKE A SIREN, WAVERING, MOUNTING... The congregation is on its feet... Please suh, Bless thy manservant tonight, Please sire, God, hear us, Please suh, throw out the life line, And now Lord, will you, Please suh, Please suh, Get ready to go on home with us, Get holt of the steering gear And guide us down the road. O----o-----o------o Lord, When the war is ended, When the battle is well fought, And the victory is won, Please suh, O please Suh. (LONG DRAMATIC PAUSE . CONGREGATION MOANS... Please suh, when we stand on the bank and it come crumbling off; When Jordan is arage that morning . Please suh Please suh, Oo-------(ANOTHER SIREN SCREAM.. Please suh, Please suh, When the hobgoblins of hell are standing there Watching us walk down to the river, O----o----o----o---, Lordy----, (A FINAL HOWL OF AGONY... (NOW INK A CALM AND MATTER OF FACT SPEAKING TONE... Lead us safe to glory i ask in Jesus name. Amen. (ANOTHER MINISTER THEN TOOK HIS TURN WITH THE ROUSING CONGREGATION. HIS CLOSING PERORATION RAN LIKE THIS... ...Please suh look down from heaven, And smile upon our midnighted path. Have mercy upon me. O gracious God we have tried to get around bothering you. But we find we can't get around it. We need you. We can't get along without you. Have mercy upon us, o blessed Lord, We love to talk to you. We love your name. Your name soothes our sorrow. Your name heals up our wounds. Your name drives away our fears. We are saved through hearing your name. O have mercy. we've never seen you in our life, We only hear your name. We've been hearing your name(HE SINGS THIS LIKE A CHILD SINGS ABOUT CAKE AND ICE CREAM... Your name sounds sweet, Have mercy upon us, Please suh, have mercy. We're willing to trust you for your name's sake... Please suh, have mercy.... (AFTER MORE SINGING, A BIG POWERFUL MINISTER TOOK THE FLOOR, PLOWING ALONG IN A DRIVING STYLE, ROARING AT HIS AUDIENCE WITH A BIG, ROUGH VOICE. THE CONGREGATION ANSWERED EVERY LINE WITH RESPONSES THAT SHOOK THE FLOOR... ...They taken him to Nero's choppin block, He sais, "I'm gonna give my life For the Cause of light. I've fought a good fight And now I'll pay the score And I'm ready to go beyond forever. Children you go on and preach the word. rough-2 No matter what the world say about you- Preach the word. Don't be discouraged- Preach the word, everywhere you go. Preach it in the morning. Preach it when they shut doors in your face God will make room for you. God will open doors for you. Preach the word. Be a messenger for God. Preach it everywhere you go. Preach it wxxx with tears in your eyes. If you sow in tears You shall reap in joy. Likey, Isaiah, I heard him say, "For time's sake, I won't hold my peace And for Jerusalem's sake, I'll not rest Until I Out here in the Out here on the Out yonder, All kinds of crimes and follies is going on. Preach the word. The word of God. Preach the word. It'll save somebody's soul. Preach the word, Everywhere you go. How can we hear without a preacher? Somebody must have ears. Somebody must hear. Somebody, my friends, must preach. And somebody must hear. Faith come by hearing. Hearing the word of God. And my brethering-ah, I'm glad, More than forty years ago God made me One of his messengers. I told him I wasn't prepared. I told him I was too ig'n'ant. I told him I didn't know how to go. But God said, "You go And I'll go with you. I'll take part in what you say." And, thank God, I'm happy tonight, For being counted in that number, A messenger for God. rough-3 I'm happy tonight and not ashamed To tell the world Where I stand. I'm a messenger. Then I got a message. And my message is salvation. You give it. You tell the world. None of your business Whether they believe it or not. Neither the condemnation of all men. Go out the preach the word. Preach the word with tears in your eyes. Preach the word. Preach the word.... x(THE FINAL PRAYER OF THE EVENING FEEL TO ONE OF ..THE OLDER MEN. AGAIN HE BEGAN SLOWLY IN A DEEP BASS VOICE. AGAIN, AS HE WAS CAUGHT UP IN THE NET OF HIS OWN FEELINGS HIS VOICE MOUNTED TO A HIGH PITCHED, CHILDISH SCREAM. AS FOR THE CONGRE- GATION PANDEMONIUM LOOSE... O Lord, O Lord, Don't be angry with us this evening, Please suh, have mercy. We know we''ve done wrong, We know we have treated you just as wrong, We know we haven't kept your commandments very well, O Lord, O Lord, You're the forgiving God, Please suh, xxxx xxxxx, forgive us, Love us freely one more time As though we had never sinned, Please suh, have mercy. O Lord, O Lord, O Lord, Give us the determination to press on, Please suh, have mercy. Broaden our shoulders, O---, make us strong, Make us able to bear out burdens, Please suh, have mercy. O Lord, O Lord, We want to thank you, Please suh have mercy. rough-4 You kept back the hands of death. You beat our enemies and made them behave. You made um let us alone in Clarksdale, Please suh, have mercy. O Lord, O Lord, You've took care of every member of the convention, Please suh, have mercy. We want to thank you for it this evening, O Lord, We're about to wind up here, Please suh have mercy. We're about to wind up our work, We're about to return bcak home. But as we get ready to journey back home, We be---g, Thee tonight, To Please suh, have mercy on us. O Lord, Please sir, have mercy, We want you to let us go back home, With better determination To meet next year To do more good in the future Than we have in the past. Please XXX suh, have mercy. We got a big objective before us. Please sir, have mer y. We can't reach out go--al without your assistance. Please suh, have mercy. O blessed God, Oh-ho-ho-ph------, GIve us power, Oh-ho-ho-ho------, Give us courage And make us strong And we'll go on. O Lord, O rock in a weary land, Buckler and shield, Hiding place, Please suh, have mercy. Mmmmmmm--------, (AWAVERING SOBBING SOUND AS IF THE TEARS WERE RUNNING DOWN HIS THROAT... We've been bothering you, But you know we need you, Jesus. Can't git along without you. Bless our 'sociation. rough-5 We humbly beg thee. xxxxxxxxx Bless our convention, Wex humbly beg Thee. Stand by Reverend Cozy when he's falling. O-------------- prop! O--- catch him when he bout to fall. O---------------Lord! When the battle is over with, We got to come off the battlefield. We can't meet in Clarksdale. We can't meet at another convention. You promised me a long time ago, O----o------o-----o----, You'd make up my dying bed, Mmmmmmmmmmm-----------, (AGAIN THE WAVERING SOB, Several women are SHRIEKING LIKE AFRICAN STEAM WHISTLES AS THEY THRASH AROUND IN THE AISLES AND SEATS... O----------------come on! O-----------------rock me! Mm-----------------------, Till I stop crying. O-------------sweet name, Mmmmmmmmmmm--------------, You promised That you'd meet me. That you'd meet me. O----o-----o----o----- (A RISING WAIL THAT GOES UPAND UP SLIDING INTO A SCREAM, AGAIN LIKE A SIREN) ROCK! Ay----hay---hey------, Come on and meet me! O---------------------, Don't let me come into your kingdom cryng, MMmmmmmmmmmmm-------, ROCK! (THE VOICES OF PREACHER AND CONGREGATION BLENDED INTO A HURRICANE SOUND THAT SHOOK THE BUILDING. THE TEARS STREAMED DOEWN EVERY FACE . THE PEOPLE STOMPED THE AISLES FLAILING THE AIR WITH THEIR ARMS LEAPING AND SHRIEKING IN AN ABANDON ON BITTER ANGUISH, OF HURT-CHILD HYSTERICAL SORROW THAT MADE A WIND AND THE WIND BLOTTED OUT THOUGHT AND MEMORY AND TIME AND PLACE AND LEFT A RD TRAIL ACROSS THE DARKNESS OF THE SPIRIT LIKE THE TRAIL xxxxxxxxxx A ROCKET LEAVES IN THE EYE OF THE MIDN--A RED TRAIL THAT THROBS WITH DESPAIR AND ANGER.... Transcribed and reviewed by volunteers participating in the By The People project at crowd.loc.gov.