“Welcome Table (Streets of Glory, God's Going to Set This World on Fire)”

Description

"God's going to set this world on fire... One o' these days." "I'm going to walk and talk with Jesus... "I'm going to climb up Jacob's ladder." "All you sinners gonna turn up missing." "God don't want no coward soldiers... Some of these days."

Notes

This song carries several titles; I chose the one by which it's most commonly known among revival singers. While the song seems to have originated in African-American tradition, it has spread to Anglo singers as well. - PJS

Reported by Sandburg to be the favorite verse of the IWW, but evidently not of their composition.

I had originally split this song up under several titles, because the versions don't really relate much (Sandburg's and that in the Digital Tradition, for instance, appear to have no words in common whatsoever). But Paul Stamler thinks they're the same, and certainly there is continuous variation, so here they lump. - RBW

Same tune

• "I'm Gonna Sit at the Freedom Table" (civil rights movement song)

Cross references

• cf. "When I'm Gone (I)" (floating verses)
• cf. "I'm Going to Ride in Pharaoh's Chariot" (form)

Recordings

• Emmett Brand, "I'm Going to Cross the Rivers of Jordan, Some of These Days" (on MuSouth06)
• Carter Family, "River of Jordan" (Victor 21434, 1928; Montgomery Ward M-4430, 1934; on Babylon)
• Jaybird Coleman, "I'm Gonna Cross the River of Jordan - Some o' These Days" (Silvertone 5172, 1927; on Babylon)
• Florida Normal Quartet, "The Welcome Table" (OKeh 40079, 1924; rec. 1922)
• West Virginia Night Owls, "I'm Goin' to Walk on the Streets of Glory" (Victor 21533, 1928)
• Charles Owens w. Isabel Owens, "The Welcome Table" (on NovaScotia1)
• West Virginia Snake Hunters [John & Emery McClung], "Walk the Streets of Glory" (Brunswick 119, 1928, rec. 1927)
• Alice Wine, "I'm Gonna Sit at the Welcome Table" (on BeenStorm1)

References

1. BrownIII 517, "Some of These Days" (2 texts); 536, "Jacob's Ladder" (3 texts, of which the third is apparently this)
2. Creighton/Senior, pp. 280, "Welcome Table" (1 text, 1 tune)
3. Creighton-Maritime, p. 173, "The Welcome Table" (1 text, 1 tune)
4. Sandburg, pp. 478-479, "God's Goin' to Set This World on Fire" (1 text plus a fragment, 1 tune)
5. Silber-FSWB, p. 354, "Streets of Glory" (1 text)
6. DT, STGLORY
7. Roud #11812
8. BI, San478