Go Tell It on the Mountain
- Tune Name: GO TELL IT
- Composer: African American Spiritual (traditional)
- Lyricist: African American Spiritual (traditional); collected and arranged by John Wesley Work Jr.
- Meter: 7.7.7.7. with refrain (irregular)
- Hymnbook Source: Folk Songs of the American Negro by John Wesley Work Jr. (1907).
Go Tell It On The Mountain Lyrics
Refrain:
Go, tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere.
Go, tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.
Verse 1:
While shepherds kept their watching
O'er silent flocks by night,
Behold thru-out the heavens
There shone a holy light.
Go, tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere.
Go, tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.
Verse 2:
The shepherds feared and trembled
When lo! above the earth
Rang out the angel chorus
That hailed our Savior's birth.
Go, tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere.
Go, tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.
Verse 3:
Down in a lowly manger
The humble Christ was born,
And God sent us salvation
That blessed Christmas morn.
Go, tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere.
Go, tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.
Go Tell It on the Mountain: Chronological historical research table
| Period / date | Historical development | Musical and religious characteristics | Historical significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17th century (1600–1700) | Development of African American religious and musical traditions during slavery. | African musical traditions interacted with Christian worship, biblical storytelling, and communal singing. | Established part of the cultural foundation from which African American spirituals emerged. |
| 18th century (1700–1800) | Growth of African American Christian expression and communal religious gatherings. | Oral transmission, repetition, call-and-response, and biblical themes. | Helped establish the musical and religious environment of the spiritual tradition. |
| Early 19th century (1800–1860) | Development of African American spirituals under slavery. | Songs expressed faith, salvation, deliverance, hope, and biblical promises. | The traditional roots of Go Tell It on the Mountain are generally associated with this period, although its precise composition date is unknown. |
| 1865 | Emancipation in the United States. | Spirituals continued to be performed and transmitted within African American communities. | Created new opportunities for documenting and publicly presenting African American music. |
| 1866 | Establishment of Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. | Educational and musical development within an important African American institution. | Provided an institutional foundation for preserving African American musical traditions. |
| 1871 | Formation and touring of the Fisk Jubilee Singers. | Spirituals performed for American and international audiences. | Helped introduce African American spirituals to wider audiences and preserve their musical heritage. |
| Late 19th century (1870–1900) | Increased collection and transcription of African American spirituals. | Oral songs increasingly recorded in written musical form. | Helped preserve traditional songs that had previously depended primarily on oral transmission. |
| 1907 | Publication of John Wesley Work Jr.'s Folk Songs of the American Negro. | Collection and documentation of African American folk music. | An important milestone in the scholarly preservation of spirituals. |
| Early 20th century (1900–1930) | Wider publication and arrangement of spirituals. | Standardized lyrics, musical notation, and choral arrangements. | Helped bring African American spirituals to audiences beyond their original communities. |
| Mid-20th century (1930–1960) | Expansion of gospel and choral performances. | More elaborate harmonies, instrumental arrangements, and gospel interpretations. | Strengthened the song's position in the Christmas music repertoire. |
| Late 20th century (1960–2000) | International popularization of African American spirituals. | Gospel, folk, classical, and contemporary arrangements. | Established Go Tell It on the Mountain as an internationally recognized Christmas spiritual. |
| 21st century (2000–present) | Continued performances in churches, schools, recordings, and Christmas concerts. | Traditional spiritual arrangements alongside contemporary gospel interpretations. | Preserves the song's African American religious heritage for new generations. |
Comparison of the historical development of two carols:
| Historical feature | The First Noel | Go Tell It on the Mountain |
|---|---|---|
| Cultural origin | English West Country | African American |
| Geographical association | Cornwall, England | United States |
| Traditional origins | Fifteenth-century oral tradition, according to traditional attribution | Nineteenth-century African American spiritual tradition |
| Religious environment | Medieval English Christianity | African American Christianity during and after slavery |
| Transmission | Oral carol singing and regional folk traditions | Oral spiritual singing and communal worship |
| Musical structure | Narrative folk carol with recurring refrain | Repetitive spiritual structure suitable for communal singing |
| Biblical emphasis | Shepherds, angels, star, and Wise Men | Proclamation of the birth of Jesus |
| Eighteenth-century evidence | Proposed Cornish broadside tradition, requiring archival verification | No securely established eighteenth-century printed witness |
| Important preservation figures | Davies Gilbert and William Sandys | John Wesley Work Jr. and the Fisk Jubilee Singers |
| Major documentary milestone | Davies Gilbert's 1823 publication | Early twentieth-century collection and publication of African American spirituals |
| 1833 publication | Included in the wider antiquarian preservation movement associated with Sandys | Not applicable |
| Historical development | Regional English folk carol became an international Christmas standard | African American spiritual became an international Christmas standard |
| Central message | Recounts the events surrounding Christ's birth | Calls believers to proclaim Christ's birth |
