GO DOWN, DEATH
All: Weep not, weep not,
She is not dead;
She’s resting in the bosom of
Heart-broken husband—weep no more;
She’s only just gone home.
Solo 1: Day before yesterday morning,
God was looking down from his great high heaven,
All: Looking down on all his children,
Solo 1: And his eye fell on sister
Tossing on her bed of pain.
And God’s big heart was touched with pity,
All: With the everlasting pity.
Solo 1: And God sat back on his thron,
And he commanded that tall, bright angel standing
at his right hand
Solo 2: Call me Death!
Solo 1: And that tall, bright angel cried in a voice
That broke like a clap of thunder,
Solo 3: Call Death!—Call Death!
Solo 1: And the echo sounded down the streets of heaven
Till it reached away back to that shadowy place,’
Where Death waits with his pale, white horses.
And Death heard the summons,
And he leaped on his fastest horse,
Pale as a sheet in the moonlight.
All: Up the golden street Death galloped
And the hoofs of his horse struck fire from the gold.
Solo 1: But they didn’t make no sound.
Up Death rode to the Great White Throne,
And waited for God’s command.
All: And God said:
Solo 2: Go down, Death, go down.
Go down, to
Down in Yamacraw,
And find
She’s borne the burden and the heat of the day,
She’s labored long in my vineyard,
And she’s tired—
She’s weary—
Go down, Death, and bring her to me.
Solo 1: And Death didn’t say a word,
But he loosed the reins of his pale white horse,
And he clamped the spurs to his bloodless sides,
All: And out and down he rode,
Solo 1: Through heaven’s pearly gates
Past suns and moons and stars;
All: On death rode,
Solo 1: And the foam from his horse was like a comet in
the sky;
All: On Death rode,
Solo 1: Leaving the lightning’s flash behind;
All: Straight on down he came.
Solo 1: While we were watching round her bed,
She turned her eyes and looked away,
She saw what we couldn’t see;
All: She saw old death, she saw old Death,
Coming like a falling star.
Solo 1: But Death didn’t frighten
He looked to her like a welcome friend.
All: And she whispered to us;
Solo 4: I’m going home.
All: And she smiled and closed her eyes.
(Choir sings “Swing Low Sweet Chariot”)
Solo 1: And Death took her up like a baby,
And she lay in his icy arms,
But she didn’t feel no chill.
And Death began to ride again—
All: Up beyond the evening star,
Out beyond the morning star,
Into the glittering light of glory,
On to the Great White Throne.
Solo 1: And there he laid
On the loving breast of
And
her tears,
And he smoothed the furrows from her face,
All: And the angels sang a little song,
And
And kept a—saying:
Solo 2: Take your rest, Take your rest, Take your rest.
(Finish song)
All: Weep not—weep not,
She is not dead;
She’s resting in the bosom of