GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN “Go Tell It on the Mountain” is an African-American spiritual dating back to at least 1865 that has been sung and recorded by many gospel and secular performers. It is considered a Christmas carol because its original lyric celebrates the Nativity: “Go tell it on the mountain, over the […]
GOD BLESS THE CHILD “God Bless the Child” is a song written by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog Jr. in 1939, first recorded on May 9, 1941 under the Okeh label. Holiday’s version of the song was honored with the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1976. It was also included in the list of […]
GOING DOWN THE ROAD FEELING BAD “Going Down the Road Feeling Bad” was frequently recorded in the 1920s and 1930s by hillbilly artists such as Henry Whitter, Ernest Stoneman, and Fiddlin’ John Carson. While the earliest commercial release dates only to 1923, these numerous recordings suggest currency in the oral tradition. Floating lyrics common to […]
GOOD MORNING LITTLE SCHOOLGIRL In 1934, Sonny Boy Williamson moved to Chicago, where a thriving blues scene was in full swing. An experienced artist, he immediately made his imprint, first as a much- recruited accompanist and, when he began to play his own compositions, as a much- sought-after headliner. Three years after he moved to […]
GOOD OLD REBEL According to Herbert Quick, who printed an account of “Good Old Rebel” in Colliers for April 14, 1914, its author was Major James Randolph, a Virginian and a member of General J.E.B. Stuart’s staff. Sung to the tune of “Joe Bowers”, it was a favorite of the forty-niners, it traveled beyond the […]
GOODNIGHT IRENE “Goodnight, Irene” or “Irene, Goodnight,” is a 20th century American folk standard. The lyrics tell how the singer lost his love through “rambling and gambling”. He contemplates suicide in the famous line “Sometimes I take a great notion to jump in the river and drown”. The final verse urges the listener to “go […]
GOTTA TRAVEL ON Authored by the Weavers and Paul Clayton “Gotta Travel On” has very old traditional roots. Originally taken from the W C Handy song “Harlem Blues”, new lyrics were then written by Clayton. The Weavers were a group who resurrected a lot of traditional songs; but this one sounds like it was composed, […]
GRAND COULEE DAM Woody Guthrie wrote thousands of songs, but this is one of the few that he was paid to write. The Bonneville Power Administration hired him to write songs for a month to promote the project, and Guthrie came up with a series of songs, which included this and “Roll On Columbia.” The […]
GREAT SPECKLED BIRD “The Great Speckled Bird” is a Southern hymn whose lyrics were written by the Reverend Guy Smith. The song is in the form of AABA and has a 12 bar count. It is based on Jeremiah 12:9, “Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against […]
GREEN GRASS GREW ALL AROUND This is a very important and notably pagan religious song. Generally the American versions either drop the final circular verses or drop them and continue the song to the absurd length. Point is, that originally it reflected the life cycle and was called (and often still called in the UK) […]