There are some of the more recent plantation hymns which have added an element of culture without diminishing religious fervor. One of the best of these is "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?" It dwells on the details of the crucifixion, and the separate stanzas add only a single line each to the song. It is a tender and beautiful hymn, the climax of its effect depending largely on the hold and slur on the exclamation "Oh!" with which the third line begins, and the repetition and expression of the word "tremble! tremble! tremble!" - William Eleazar Barton, Old Plantation Hymns (1899)
No one knows who created either the words or the music of Were You There, but it was likely that it was composed by African-American slaves in the 19th century. It was first published in an 1899 Negro spiritual hymn-book by William Eleazar Barton (1861-1930) entitled Old Plantation Hymns. In 1940, it was included in the Episcopal Church hymnal, making it the first Negro spiritual to be included in any major American hymnal.It is often sung in churches on Good Friday, the day on which, according to Christian tradition, Jesus was crucified, died and was entombed. As reported in the autobiography of Howard Thurman (1899 -1981: African American author, philosopher, theologian, educator and civil rights leader), the song was one of Mahatma Gandhi's favorites.
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The following lyrics are those printed in the 1899 Old Plantation Hymns:
Were you there when they crucified my Lord? (Were you there?)
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble! tremble! tremble!
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they nailed him to the cross? (Were you there?)
Were you there when they nailed him to the cross?
O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble! tremble! tremble!
Were you there when they nailed him to the cross?
Were you there when they pierced him in the side? (Were you there?)
Were you there when they pierced him in the side?
O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble! tremble! tremble!
Were you there when they pierced him in the side?
Were you there when the sun refused to shine? (Were you there?)
Were you there when the sun refused to shine?
O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble! tremble! tremble!
Were you there when the sun refused to shine?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble! tremble! tremble!
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they nailed him to the cross? (Were you there?)
Were you there when they nailed him to the cross?
O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble! tremble! tremble!
Were you there when they nailed him to the cross?
Were you there when they pierced him in the side? (Were you there?)
Were you there when they pierced him in the side?
O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble! tremble! tremble!
Were you there when they pierced him in the side?
Were you there when the sun refused to shine? (Were you there?)
Were you there when the sun refused to shine?
O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble! tremble! tremble!
Were you there when the sun refused to shine?
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You can both hear and see Marion Williams sing Were You There in the traditional style of the Negro spiritual at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xu_GW2osRVA&feature=youtube_gdata Williams gets so emotional while singing the song and says in the middle of it, "Can't take too much of this song".
Other very impressive renditions are on YouTube, particularly by the Annie Moses Band at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9-1thLeoaI&feature=youtube_gdata
by Paul Robeson at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-0xzU0qMe4&feature=youtube_gdata
and by Willie Nelson at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-b18DzXHU&feature=youtube_gdata