This blog is dedicated to the amateur or beginner musician with music written in a simple and easy to read Alpha Notes format and with Chords for the left hand. This is to assist those with little or hardly at all note reading skills. This is a blog that shows all the chords in Alpha Notes format too which you can find the notes for the chords in one of the blogs. Please feel free to leave a comment or any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Enjoy!
This African
American spiritual may date back to the eighteenth century. Other stanzas have
been added by oral tradition. A look through modern hymnals will reveal an
array of variations on the text. The most notable alteration in the Psalter
Hymnal is the phrase "to the Lord of life" in place of the original
"to the rising sun," in which "sun" was an ambiguous
metaphor referring to God. The song's use at communion services probably dates
from after the American Civil War. Miles Mark Fisher notes in Negro Slave Songs
in the United States (1953),
[Originally
the hymn] relates hardly at all to holy communion, which does not necessarily
require early morning administration or a devotee who faces east. [This] it
seems was a signal song of Virginia slaves during the eighteenth century who
used it and similar ones to convene their secret meetings.
The text
discerns participation in the Lord's Supper as a humble act in which we not
only eat the bread (st. 1) and drink the wine (st. 2) but also praise our God
(st. 3) "on our knees." The refrain ends with a prayer for mercy, an
African American kyrie (see PHH 258) that reminds us of the tax collector's
prayer in Luke 18:13.
To download the easy alphanotes and chords sheet music, look here. Enjoy!
Lyrics:
1 Let us
break bread together on our knees.
Let us break
bread together on our knees.
Refrain:
When I fall
on my knees with my face to the rising sun,
O Lord have
mercy on me.
2 Let us
drink wine together on our knees.
Let us drink
wine together on our knees. [Refrain]
3 Let us
praise God together on our knees.
Let us
praise God together on our knees. [Refrain]
"The Angels Rolled the Stone Away" is an African-Amarican spiritual song.
“Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to see the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, because an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and rolled aside the stone and sat on it. His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint” (Matthew 28:1-4 New Living Translation).
Matthew 27:65 says Pilate said to the chief priests and Pharisees, “You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how” (New King James Version). This was his response to their request to make the tomb of Jesus secure until the third day. They wanted to forestall a situation where Jesus’ disciples would come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people that He had risen from the dead! They claimed that the last deception would be worse than the first. What they called the first deception was probably Jesus ‘pretending’ to be the Messiah, a truth they rejected.
The point is that nobody had any plan to steal the body of Jesus. His disciples were actually in hiding. Pilate who had reluctantly handed over Jesus to them to be crucified granted the request of the chief priests and Pharisees. They went and made the tomb secure; they sealed the stone and set the guard to keep watch (verse 66).
What does it mean to seal the stone? The Greek word for sealing in Matthew 27:66 is sphragizo which means “to stamp (with a signet or private mark) for security or preservation.” It also means to authenticate or confirm. In the Old Testament, the word sealed is used in Daniel 6:17. The word translated sealed is chatham (Aramaic), which means to seal. “Then a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signets of his lords, that the purpose concerning Daniel might not be changed” (Daniel 6:17 New King James Version).
The stone at the door of the tomb of Jesus was sealed to secure the tomb. Nobody could remove the stone without breaking the seal. Only the person who sealed it could authorize the breaking of the seal. It would be a crime for anyone to remove the seal without authorization. This is similar to when a regulatory authority or an appropriate authority seals up a property putting its seal, stamp, or notice to that effect and an unauthorized person goes there to remove the seal and open the place. This would be a crime.
The chief priests and Pharisees probably sealed the stone with the seal of the Sanhedrin, thus preventing anyone to gain access until the seal is officially broken. Unless the seal was broken, the stone could not be rolled away from anyone to enter the tomb.
On the third day after Jesus’ burial, He rose from the dead. Matthew 28:1-4 says, “Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to see the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, because an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and rolled aside the stone and sat on it. His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint” (New Living Translation).
Please take note of this phrase in the scripture you’ve just read: an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and rolled aside the stone and sat on it. Why did the angel roll away the stone and sat on it? Many people often think that the angel rolled away the stone so that Jesus could come out of the tomb. This is not correct. The stone that was rolled away was not a barrier to Jesus coming out of the grave. Therefore, the angel didn’t roll away the stone for Jesus.
The Bible says the angel of the Lord rolled away the stone and sat on it. It was as if the angel was waiting for anyone who would challenge him because he didn’t receive anybody’s permission to rolling away the stone! The seal must have been broken in the process. If anyone was in doubt the person who broke the seal, he would meet the angel sitting on the stone!
The resurrection of Jesus demonstrated the indisputable, absolute power of God over the High priest and other religious leaders in Israel, their collaborators in the crucifixion of Jesus, and the guard posted to secure the tomb (Matthew 28:4, 11-15).
The sealed stone was a barrier to Mary Magdalene and the other women to enter the tomb, and without entering the tomb they wouldn’t be able to anoint His body which was their original mission on the morning of Jesus’ resurrection. They were even already worrying about who would help them roll away the stone (Mark 16:3). But when they got to the tomb, the stone had been rolled away.
The angel rolled away the stone to prove that Jesus had actually risen from the dead and the tomb was empty. The stone was rolled away so that it could be obvious that Jesus had resurrected and the tomb was empty. If the stone had not been rolled away, these women would not have been able to gain entry to the tomb to discover that the body of Jesus was ‘missing’ whereas he had resurrected.
Furthermore, without the seal being broken and the stone removed, Peter and the other disciples wouldn’t have been able to enter the tomb, especially with the guards posted there to secure the place. Therefore, they wouldn’t have been aware that Jesus had risen before he began to appear to them. (John 20:1-18; Matthew 28:1, 5-8).
What announced the resurrection of Jesus Christ was the great earthquake and angel’s removal of the sealed stone and the empty tomb! I believe that If Jesus had resurrected quietly with the seal and stone intact and thereafter showed himself to His disciples, the propaganda that he didn’t resurrect would have been worse.
The removal of the sealed stone without human participation tells us that there is no barrier that God can’t remove; there’s no embargo that God can’t lift; there’s nothing that the enemy has done that God can’t undo; there’s no human finality that God can’t overturn. Proverbs 21:30 says, “Human plans, no matter how wise or well advised, cannot stand against the LORD” (New Living Translation). With God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26b).
Any stone that the enemy has rolled against your life, marriage, health, business, finances, career, destiny, etc. is rolled away now in Jesus. The seal of the devil is broken now in Jesus’ name. The power of resurrection shall break every evil seal on every department of your life and cause life to replace death in Jesus’ name.
The power that raised Jesus from the dead shall give you life. You shall live; your family shall live; your ministry shall live; your destiny shall live, your business shall live, every good thing in your life shall live and not die.
Jesus is risen! Hallelujah! The propaganda of the chief priests and the elders to discredit the truth about His resurrection by bribing the guards to lie that His disciples came at night and stole Him away while they slept, failed woefully (Matthew 28:11-14). For forty days after His crucifixion, Jesus appeared to the apostles from time to time and, by many infallible proofs, presented Himself to them that He was actually alive and talked to them about the Kingdom of God (Acts 1:3).
Jesus is alive forevermore!
To download the easy alphanotes and chords sheet music, look here. Enjoy!
1 The angel rolled the stone away! The angel rolled the stone away! 'Twas on a bright and shine day, When the trumpet began to play, The angel rolled the stone away!
2 My Jesus spurned that dreadful tomb! My Jesus spurned that dreadful tomb! 'Twas on a bright and shine day, When the trumpet began to play, My Jesus spurned that dreadful tomb!
3 My Lord will come again for me! My Lord will come again for me! And on a bright and shine day, When the trumpet began to play, My Lord will come again for me.
I’ve Got Peace Like a River is an African-American spiritual. Spirituals began on the fields and the slaves would sing to pass the time of day. It was also a great way to pass messages along and share the gospel.
This song uses water “as a simile” to describe peace, joy and love.
Hymnary.org says “This spiritual compares the peace of God to a placidly flowing river, the joy of Christ to a merrily bubbling fountain, and the love of God to a deep, wide ocean.”
The earliest appearance in a hymnal appears to be in 1975. This was really a surprise, as I thought it would be much earlier.
To download the easy alphanotes and chords sheet music, look here. Enjoy!
1 I've got peace like a river, I've got peace like a river, I've got peace like a river in my soul. I've got peace like a river, I've got peace like a river, I've got peace like a river in my soul.
2 I've got love like a river, I've got love like a river, I've got love like a river in my soul. I've got love like a river, I've got love like a river, I've got love like a river in my soul
3 I've got joy like a river, I've got joy like a river, I've got joy like a river in my soul. I've got joy like a river, I've got joy like a river, I've got joy like a river in my soul.
This hymn of encouragement in times of difficulty is usually described as an American folk hymn or spiritual, attributed to "traditional"
It started to be included in hymnals in the USA during the second half of the 20th century - but was likely in use before that. Some writers believe that it's current form is likely a combination of a simplified Appalachian folk song an African-American spiritual.
The allusion to the Kedron Valley where Jesus walked makes the song suitable for Lent and Good Friday - but it is not confined to these seasons.
With meter of 88.10 8, it is set to a tune called LONESOME VALLEY, which is an African-American spiritual, composer unknown.
As well as the traditional four verses, various others have been added in different publications - espeically ones which emphasise the communal nature of Chrisian life, eg "
As we walk our lonesome valley, We do not walk it by ourselves, For God sent His Son to walk it with us, We do not walk it by ourselves."
An extra three verses by Jack Schrader were included in Worship and Rejoice (2001, Hope Publishing Company), which focus the song on Jesus resurrections:
"Jesus prayed for His disciples; ... nobody else could bear such sorrow ..." "Jesus died on Calvary’s mountain ... O, nobody else could die for sinners... " "Jesus rose from death’s dark prison ... O, nobody else could bring us victory ...."
To download th easy alphanotes and chords sheet music, look here. Enjoy!
Lyrics:
Jesus walked this lonesome valley.
He had to walk it by Himself;
O, nobody else could walk it for Him,
He had to walk it by Himself.
We must walk this lonesome valley,
We have to walk it by ourselves;
O, nobody else can walk it for us,
We have to walk it by ourselves.
You must go and stand your trial,
You have to stand it by yourself,
O, nobody else can stand it for you,
You have to stand it by yourself.
"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" is anAfrican-American spiritualsong and one of the best-known Christian hymns. Originating in early oral and musical African-American traditions, the date it was composed is unknown. Performances by the Hampton Singers and theFisk Jubilee Singersbrought the song to the attention of wider audiences in the late 19th century. J. B. T. Marsh includes an early version of text and tune in his 1876 publicationThe Story of the Jubilee Singers, with their Songs.The earliest known recording of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" was taken in 1909, by theFisk Jubilee SingersofFisk University.
The song uses the theme of death to remind the audience of the glory that awaits in Heaven, when Christians believe they will transcend the earthly world of suffering and come to rest in their final home. Specifically, the text refers to the Old Testament account of the Prophet Elijah's ascent into Heaven by chariot.
The stylistic elements and thematic content are highly typical to those of other spirituals. The song is characterized by its use of repetition as a key poetic element, powerful imagery, personal rhetoric, and potentially coded lyrics.
"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" was traditionally performed as a call-and response tune. Its free-form structure intentionally allows for improvisation and spur-of-the-moment changes made to bring the performers and audience to a state of ecstasy and connection with the Holy Spirit. The melody is pentatonic.
The Singers were organized as a fundraising effort for Fisk University. The historically black college in Nashville, Tennessee was founded by the American Missionary Association and local supporters after the end of the American Civil War to educate freedmen and other young African Americans. In 1871, the five-year-old university was facing serious financial difficulty. To avert bankruptcy and closure, Fisk's treasurer and music director, George L. White, a white Northern missionary dedicated to music and proving African Americans were the intellectual equals of whites, gathered a nine-member student chorus, consisting of four black men (Isaac Dickerson, Ben Holmes, Greene Evans, Thomas Rutling) and five black women (Ella Sheppard, Maggie Porter, Minnie Tate, Jennie Jackson, Eliza Walker) to go on tour to earn money for the university. On October 6, 1871, the group of students, consisting of two quartets and a pianist, started their U.S. tour under White's direction. They first performed in Cincinnati, Ohio. Over the next 18 months, the group toured through Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.
After a concert in Cincinnati, the group donated their small profit, which amounted to less than sixty dollars, to the relief to the victims of the Great Chicago Fire of October 1871. As soprano Maggie Porter recalled, "We had thirty dollars and sent every penny to Chicago and didn’t have anything for ourselves." The mayor of Chillicothe, Ohio, expressed "thanks to these young colored people for their liberality in giving the proceeds of last evening’s concert to our relief fund for the Chicago sufferers." The group traveled on to Columbus, Ohio, where lack of funding, poor hotel conditions, and overall mistreatment from the press and audiences left them feeling tired and discouraged.
The group and their pastor, Henry Bennett, prayed about whether to continue with the tour. White went off to pray as well; he believed that they needed a name to capture audience attention. The next morning, he met with the singers and said "Children, it shall be Jubilee Singers in memory of the Jewish year of Jubilee." This was a reference to Jubilee described in the book of Leviticus in the Bible. Each fiftieth Pentecost was followed by a "year of jubilee" in which all slaves would be set free. Since most of the students at Fisk University and their families were newly freed slaves, the name "Jubilee Singers" seemed fitting.
The Jubilee Singers' performances were a departure from the familiar "black minstrel" genre of white musicians' performing in blackface. One early review of the group's performance was headlined "Negro Minstrelsy in Church--Novel Religious Exercise," while further reviews highlighted the fact that this group of Negro minstrels were, oddly enough, "genuine negroes." "Those who have only heard the burnt cork caricatures of negro minstrelsy have not the slightest conception of what it really is," Doug Seroff quotes one review of a concert by the group as saying. This was not a uniquely American response to the group's performance, but was typical in audience receptions in Europe as well: "From the first the Jubilee music was more or less of a puzzle to the critics; and even among those who sympathised with their mission there was no little difference of opinion as to the artistic merit of their entertainments. Some could not understand the reason for enjoying so thoroughly as almost everyone did these simple unpretending songs."
As the tour continued, audiences came to appreciate the singers' voices, and the group began to be praised. The Jubilee Singers are credited with the early popularization of the Negro spiritual tradition among white and northern audiences in the late 19th century; many were previously unaware of its existence. At first the slave songs were never sung in public, according to Ella Sheppard; "they were sacred to our parents, who used them in their religious worship and shouted over them...It was only after many months that gradually our hearts were opened to the influence of these friends and we began to appreciate the wonderful beauty and power of our songs. After the rough start, the first United States tours eventually earned $40,000 for Fisk University.
In early 1872 the group performed at the World's Peace Jubilee and International Musical Festival in Boston, and they were invited to perform for President Ulysses S. Grant at the White House in March of that year. They gave a separate performance in Washington, D.C., for Vice President Schuyler Colfax and members of the U.S. Congress. They traveled next to New York, where they performed before enthusiastic audiences at preacher Henry Ward Beecher’s Plymouth Church in Brooklyn and at Steinway Hall in Manhattan. They garnered national attention and generous donations. Staying in the New York area for six weeks, by the time they returned to Nashville, they had raised the full $20,000 White had promised the university.
In a tour of Great Britain and Europe in 1873, the group, by then with 11 members, performed "Steal Away to Jesus" and "Go Down, Moses" for Queen Victoria in April. They returned the following year, they sailed to Europe again, touring from May 1875 to July 1878 and drawing rave reviews. This tour raised an estimated $150,000 for the university, funds used to construct Fisk's first permanent building. Named Jubilee Hall, the building was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1975 and still stands.
The original Jubilee Singers disbanded in 1878 because of their grueling touring schedule. As Ella Sheppard, one of the original Jubilee Singers recalled, "our strength was failing under the ill treatment at hotels, on railroads, poorly attended concerts, and ridicule." Porter also said, "There were many times, when we didn’t have place to sleep or anything to eat. Mr. White went out and brought us some sandwiches and tried to find some place to put us up." Other times while the singers would wait in the railway station, White "and some other man of the troupe waded through sleet or snow or rain from hotel to hotel seeking shelter for us".
The original Jubilee Singers introduced slave songs to the world in 1871 and were instrumental in preserving this unique American musical tradition known today as Negro spirituals. They influenced many other troupes of jubilee singers who would go on to make their own contributions to the genre, such as the Original Nashville Students. They broke racial barriers in the US and abroad in the late 19th century. They raised money in support of their beloved school due to it failing. In 1999, the Fisk Jubilee Singers were featured in the documentary Jubilee Singers: Sacrifice and Glory, which aired on PBS' American Experience. In July 2007, the Fisk Jubilee Singers went on a sacred journey to Ghana at the invitation of the U.S. Embassy. It was a history making event, as it was their first time visit to Ghana. In 2008, the Fisk Jubilee Singers were selected as a recipient of the 2008 National Medal of Arts, the nation's highest honor for artists and patrons of the arts. The award was presented by President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush during a ceremony at the White House.
To download the easy alphanotes and chords sheet music, look here. Enjoy!
Lyrics
Swing low, sweet chariot Coming for to carry me home Swing low, sweet chariot Coming for to carry he home x 2
I looked over Jordan and what did I see Coming for to carry he home A band of angels coming after me Coming for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot Coming for to carry me home Swing low, sweet chariot Coming for to carry me home
If you get there before I do Coming for to carry me home Tell all my friends I'm coming too Coming for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot Coming for to carry me home Swing low, sweet chariot Coming for to carry me home
Look in any hymnal and if the song “God is so Good” is there, it probably says in the author line that the song is an “African Melody.” The song was born in a very unique place.
In 1961, a young Burundian diplomat knew that God was calling him to work with children. He had been working in the government for several years and had a very good life. His wife and three children lived comfortably in Bujumbura, the capital city. After a serious accident that left Stephen Rutuna on his back in a hospital, unsure if he’d ever walk again, he finally submitted to God’s call.
Shortly after making his commitment to the Lord, the king of Burundi told Stephen that he wanted him to serve as the Prime Minister. Stephen told the king that he would serve for one year to give the king time to find a replacement, but that God had called him to work with children, and he had to obey God. The king agreed to this arrangement.
After serving a year, Stephen reminded the king of their agreement. The king told Stephen that he had two choices: Work for him or work for no one and be put to death. Stephen told the king that he had to obey God. As a result, Stephen was imprisoned.
Stephen was in a cell with others who were to be executed for various “crimes.” The day finally arrived for the execution and one by one the men were removed from their cells and executed. By the time it was Stephen’s turn, evening had set and the king decided to wait until the next morning to kill Stephen.
That evening, all alone in his cell, Stephen began to reflect upon his life. He knew that God could rescue him, just like Peter, or He could allow the execution to take place. Stephen believed that God would somehow use either circumstance to bring glory to Himself.
As he reflected on these things, he could only say, “God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He’s so good to me.” God placed this simple song into Stephen’s heart, and he sang it over and over that evening.
The next morning, the soldiers came to take Stephen to the place of execution. He was to be cut into pieces until dead. However, just as they got to the place where the execution would take place, a violent storm erupted, and lighting struck the ground very near where Stephen stood, knocking him unconscious.
When he awoke, he felt to see if his head was attached or not … so he’d know whether he was in heaven or on earth!
When the soldiers came to their senses, they refused to kill Stephen. They told the king, “We cannot kill this man! His God has done this and He is more powerful. We are afraid to touch him!” The king agreed and set Stephen free. The king warned that if anyone helped Stephen, they would be put to death.
Stephen returned to his home to check on his family. When he arrived, he found his home had been burned to the ground. He sought out the CEF missionaries and found his family hiding in their home.
When the soldiers came to torch the missionaries’ house and kill everyone, including Stephen’s family, Stephen’s youngest son, Wisdom, defiantly looked at the soldiers and exclaimed, “You can kill us, but God will remember.” The soldiers were afraid and let the family go before torching the house.
For several months, the Rutuna family hid with the CEF missionaries until they were all able to escape to Uganda. They settled in Uganda and began the CEF work there. Later, under the reign of Idi Amin, the Rutuna’s again had to flee for their lives.
Wisdom’s need for surgery allowed the family to escape into Kenya where Stephen served with CEF, first as the National Director and later as the Regional Director for East and Central Africa. Stephen served in this capacity until his retirement.
Today, Stephen has been enjoying his citizenship in heaven with the God that he realized long ago was good … no matter the circumstance.
To download the easy alphanotes and chords sheet music, look here. Enjoy!
1 God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, he's so good to me.
2 He cares for me, He cares for me, He cares for me, he's so good to me.
3 God answers prayer, God answers prayer, God answers prayer, he's so good to me.
4 I praise his name, I praise his name, I praise his name, he's so good to me.
Spanish: Dios es muy bueno, Dios es muy bueno, Dios es muy bueno, es muy bueno para mi.
Swahili: Mungu yu mwema, Mungu yu mwema, Mungu yu mwema, yu mwema kwangu.
Portuguese: Deus é tão bom, Deus é tão bom, Deus é tão bom, É tão bom pra mim.
