All Night Long (I) - Folklorist

“All Night Long (I)”

Description

"Paul and Silas bound in jail, All night long, One for to sing and the other for to pray... Do, Lord, deliver me." "Straight up to heaven... tain't but the one train on this track." "Never seen the like... People keep comin' and the train done gone"

Supplemental text

All Night Long (I)
  Complete text(s)

          *** A ***

From Carl Sandburg, The American Songbag, pp. 448-449. From Rebecca
Taylor of South Carolina.

Paul and Silas, bound in jail,
All night long.
One foh to sing an' de othah foh to pray,
All night long,
One foh to sing an' de othah foh to pray,
All night long,
Do, Lawd, delibah po' me!

Straight up to heaven, straight right back,
All night long.
'Tain' but de one train on dis track,
All night long.
'Tain' but de one train on dis track,
All night long.
Do, Lawd, delibah po' me!

Nebah seen de like since I ben born,
All night long.
People keep comin' an' de train done gone,
All night long.
People keep comin' an' de train done gone,
All night long.
Do, Lawd, delibah po' me!

Notes

This has so many floating lines that I'm not even going to try to untangle them.

Paul and Silas's stay in prison is related in Acts 16:19-40. - RBW

Cross references

cf. "Baby, All Night Long" (words)
cf. "Mary Wore Three Links of Chain" (floating lyrics)

References