Lift Every Voice and Sing - Black National Anthem

This song is posted in honor of Black History Month. It was written by James Weldon Johnson and John Rosamond Johnson. They were two brothers. Google the song title to find out the history behind OUR song.

Everyone, especially Black people, NEED to learn this song. I am ashamed when I go places and someone who sing s this forgets the words, don't know the words or don't honor the song by standing. So here are the words:

Verse 1
Lift every voice and sing, till earth and Heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise, high as the listening skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on till victory is won.

Verse 2
Stony the road we trod, bitter the chastening rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat, have not our weary feet,
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered,
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered;
Out from the gloomy past, till now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.

Verse 3
God of our weary years, God of our silent tears,
Thou Who hast brought us thus far on the way;
Thou Who hast by Thy might, led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee.
Lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee.
Shadowed beneath Thy hand, may we forever stand,
True to our God, true to our native land.

Enjoy and Be Blessed!!!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• jamminondakeys
• God
• Jesus
• Christ
• Christian
• Lift
• Every
• Voice
• and
• Sing
• Black
• National
• Anthem
• black
• History
• Month
• MLK

[antgrant]

Your arrangement is a bit fast (for my taste), but it is excellent. I greatly appreciate [you really don't know] as a musician that you are playing this song its original key.

However, there are a few corrections I must make. (Check the sheet music.)

#1: Sing with the harmonies-"harmonies" has this melody: "har(Db) mo(C) nies(Ab); NOT har(Db) mo(C) o(Bb) nies(Ab)

#2: Of liberty-"liberty" has this melody: "li(Ab) ber(Ab) ty(G)"; NOT "li(Ab) ber(G) ty(G)"

[jamminondakeys]

@antgrant For the "harmonies" part I know the music doesn't have the Bb but I added it just because I like it in there.

For the "liberty" portion that is how I played it.

[NikDLenfent]

I REALLY enjoyed this. I'm also used to it a bit slower, but I like this arrangement! Is this the original arrangement? or one of the first piano or choral arrangements? It seems so nice and pure. Everybody always has a new take on stuff, ya know! This takes me back to the (clean and straight to the point) version we used to sing along to every morning in elementary school XD

[jamminondakeys]

This is the arrangement found in most hymnals. I'm not exactly sure, but it is probably the original music or close to it.

I'm glad you enjoyed.

God Bless!

[bajaburstqueen]

y d0 u think people expecially black people call lift every voice and sing the black national anthem the meaning of it is to acknowledge the struggle that black people went through and how we "have over come it" right? but didnt every body go through a struggle???????? and not just blacks??? example:jewish people,nazis, minorites of people right now of all races with the economy taxes financial problems etc....

[jamminondakeys]

In retrospect, I agree with you in that the words represent the struggle that many groups have gone through.

The reason it is considered "The Black Nat'l Anthem" is because in 1919 the NAACP adopted the song it as so. That's the only reason.

I guess the fact that it was written by a black man and put to music by his brother lends to blacks "claiming" the song as ours. Also it was written as a poem to introduce Booker T. Washington at the school where the author was principal.

[GoldenTigress08]

Beautiful arrangement, I had no problem singing along with it.

[hawkinman18]

Just to add to the discussion about why this song is considered to be the Black National Anthem, I wouldn't put today's economics in the same league of the oppression that we African-Americans (as a people) had to suffer. The two circumstances just are unequal.

[schs19947]

Those makin comments about this being a black national anthem...We got to remember that in 1919 segregation ruled the land with education and it was instituted by the African American community becuz it was only form of representation in the African American community for civil rights...so af amer children were taught this song in all the schools..my mother graduated in 1959 from high school and she said they sang it..so it has a rich history..read his bio James Weldon Johnson n i thnk his brthr

[johnnywitchburner]

An interesting play of music, for certain.

However, "The (un)Official Anthem of White History," (found here on YouTube), is waaaaaaay funnier. I mean waaaaaaaaaaaaay funnier.

~ H.Ron

[Nenendude]

Great Job.

[mzmemi24]

u crazy

[twilightfean99]

ITS NICE BUT I CANT SING THAT FAST HAHA