Hymn Series - "Lift Every Voice and Sing" 

Mr. Draper, this is a heartfelt version of an anthem with which I connect deeply. Your harmonies have renewed its spirit freshly for me. Thank you for your passion behind the message and thank you for showing us your embedded gifts. Be blessed. MJT

Lift every voice and sing, Till earth and heaven ring, Ring with the harmonies of Liberty; Let our rejoicing rise High as the list'ning 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. Stony the road we trod, Bitter the chast'ning 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. 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. From Saint Peter Relates an Incident by James Weldon Johnson. Copyright © 1917, 1921, 1935 James Weldon Johnson, renewed 1963 by Grace Nail Johnson. Used by permission of Viking Penguin, a division of Penguin Books USA Inc. James Weldon Johnson Photo credit: Carl Van Vechten James Weldon Johnson, born in Florida in 1871, was a national organizer for the NAACP and an author of poetry and nonfiction. Perhaps best known for the song "Lift Every Voice and SIng," he also wrote several poetry collections and novels, often exploring racial identity and the African American folk tradition. About James Weldon Johnson Occasion Fourth of July Themes Ambition America For Children Gratitude History Identity Sign up for Poem-a-Day * indicates required Email Address * More by this poet The Creation And God stepped out on space, And he looked around and said: I'm lonely- I'll make me a world. And far as the eye of God could see Darkness covered everything, Blacker than a hundred midnights Down in a cypress swamp. Then God smiled, And the light broke, And the darkness rolled up on one side, And the light stood shining on the other, And God said: That's good! James Weldon Johnson 1927 Fifty Years (1863-1913) On the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Signing of the Emancipation Proclamation O brothers mine, today we stand Where half a century sweeps our ken. Since God, through Lincoln’s ready hand. Struck off our bonds and made us men. James Weldon Johnson 1922 Brothers See! There he stands; not brave, but with an air Of sullen stupor. Mark him well! Is he Not more like brute than man? Look in his eye! No light is there; none, save the glint that shines In the now glaring, and now shifting orbs Of some wild animal caught in the hunter’s trap. James Weldon Johnson 1922 Related Poems Still I Rise You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

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

Trouble don't last always rev Timothy Wright

Stunning. Want to share with my child, my grandchildren. Love the tempo, which at first seemed startlingly slow. The tempo you choose and what you do with it are perfect match. Could I purchase your chord changes?

Nice and Disciplined playing!

still on point ricky, just like the first time i heard you on the hammond 10 years back, a beautifully controlled talent.

That ending is celestial bro

BOOM! gave me the goose bumps, brother! woooooooo!

This is great and touching. Thank a million. Will love to see more.

So beautiful cousin❤️🙏🏾

Beautiful 💗

AWE AND GRATEFULNESS!!! THE BEST ARRANGEMENT ON YT BAR LIGHT-SPEED!!

Beautiful , well done !

Awesomely executed, refined​ and from the soul, Brother!

instant sub and notification squad

Used in a saxophone arrangement of this, on my page with a shout-out. Ty!

ilove it

Wonderful Man. You just gained a sub.

Yesss yesss yessss!🖤👏💙💚👏👏👏👏

Beautifully done bro! Way to celebrate BHM

Ima need the sheet music

Nice chord progressions.

That was beautiful! Can you put out more clips? The hymns are so necessary

We need more black men women to get back to our instruments start playing them.

Any chance you would do a tutorial on this Brother? How about just what key you played it in?

Ricky is the real deal!

Bro! Can you do a tutorial?!?!?!

werddddddd

They (cultured fools) turned this Christian poem/song into a racist anthem.