Mary, Don't You Weep
I don't know why I like spirituals so much. I shouldn't. But the old Negro spirituals almost always sound great, and this is no exception.
Written even before the Civil War, Mary in this song isn't Jesus' girlfriend; it's Mary of Bethany who begged and begged for Jesus to raise her brother Lazarus from the dead. Most of the song, though, is about the Exodus from Egypt ("Pharaoh's army got drownded...") with the obvious freedom references that made it popular during slavery and the civil rights movement as one of the many "freedom songs."
The Swan Silvertones' version is the earliest one I could find (the song was first recorded in 1915 by the Fisk Jubilee Singers), but it is by far the most popular. The band was started in 1938 by a West Virginian coal miner, but this song was recorded in 1962.
The Springsteen version is from his recent Seeger Sessions which I think is a great piece of work. I have no idea who Mike Farris is, but for a white guy, he's pretty soulful.
Enjoy.
PLAY: Mary Don't You Weep - The Swan Silvertones
PLAY: Mary Don't You Weep - Bruce Springsteen
PLAY: Mary Don't You Weep - Mike Farris
Written even before the Civil War, Mary in this song isn't Jesus' girlfriend; it's Mary of Bethany who begged and begged for Jesus to raise her brother Lazarus from the dead. Most of the song, though, is about the Exodus from Egypt ("Pharaoh's army got drownded...") with the obvious freedom references that made it popular during slavery and the civil rights movement as one of the many "freedom songs."
The Swan Silvertones' version is the earliest one I could find (the song was first recorded in 1915 by the Fisk Jubilee Singers), but it is by far the most popular. The band was started in 1938 by a West Virginian coal miner, but this song was recorded in 1962.
The Springsteen version is from his recent Seeger Sessions which I think is a great piece of work. I have no idea who Mike Farris is, but for a white guy, he's pretty soulful.
Enjoy.
PLAY: Mary Don't You Weep - The Swan Silvertones
PLAY: Mary Don't You Weep - Bruce Springsteen
PLAY: Mary Don't You Weep - Mike Farris
Labels: 1962, bruce springsteen, gospel, mike farris, swan silvertones
