“I Hope I'll Join the Band (Soon in the Morning)”
Description
Sundry verses about the pleasures of heaven ("Goin' to see my Jesus," "Meet our fathers there," "Lookin' over Jordan," etc.). Usual internal refrain is "Soon in the morning"; final chorus, "And I hope I'll join the band."
Supplemental text
I Hope I'll Join the Band (Soon in the Morning)
Partial text(s)
*** A ***
(no title)
From Dorothy Scarborough, On the Trail of Negro Folk-Songs,
pp. 16-17. From a janitor apparently named "Parsons" in
Natchitoches, Louisiana
Gwine to lay me on a cooling board one of dese mornings,
Gwine to lay me on a cooling board one of dese mornings,
Gwine to lay me on a cooling board one of dese mornings,
Hope I'll jine de band.
Chorus:
Oh, my sister, oh, my sister, oh, my sister,
Won't you come and go?
(2 additional stanzas and a distinct final chorus)
*** B ***
Chatter With the Angels
From Vance Randolph, Ozark Folksongs, Volume II, #266C, p. 341.
From Doney Hammontree, Farmington, Arkansas, February 8, 1941.
Chatter with de angels, soon in de mornin',
Chatter with de angels, soon in de mornin',
Chatter with de angels, soon in de mornin',
Hope I jine de band, band, band,
An' I hope I jine de band!
(4 additional stanzas)
Notes
This is one of those songs with extreme variations, especially between the Brown and Randolph versions (Brown's text has stanzas without repeats and doesn't use the "Soon in the morning" refrain). But the similarities are too great to split them. - RBW
Cross references
- cf. "I'm Going to Ride in Pharaoh's Chariot" (lyrics, theme)
References
- Randolph 266, "I Hope I'll J'ine the Band" (3 texts, 1 tune)
- Randolph/Cohen, pp. 227-228, "I Hope I'll J'ine the Band" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 266A)
- BrownIII 598, "I Wanter Jine de Ban'" (1 text)
- Scarborough-NegroFS, pp. 16-17, (no title) (1 text); also. p. 198, "Bullfrog" (1 text, 1 tune, with the chorus from here though the verses are about the frog)
- ST R266 (Partial)
- Roud #7816
- BI, R266