Go Tell It on the Mountain (song)
Encyclopedia
"Go Tell It on the Mountain" is an African-American spiritual
song, compiled by John Wesley Work, Jr.
, 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 of Jesus
: "Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere; go tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born."
Refrain
Go, tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere
Go, tell it on the mountain,
That Jesus Christ is born.
While shepherds kept their watching
o’er silent flocks by night,
Behold, throughout the heavens
There shone a holy light
Refrain
The shepherds feared and trembled,
When lo! above the earth,
Rang out the angels chorus
That hailed our Savior's birth.
Refrain
Down in a lowly manger
The humble Christ was born
And God sent us salvation
That blessed Christmas morn.
Refrain
, Noel "Paul" Stookey
, and Mary Travers
), along with their musical director, Milt Okun
, adapted and rewrote "Go Tell It on the Mountain" as "Tell It on the Mountain", their lyrics referring specifically to Exodus and using the phrase "Let my people go," but referring implicitly to the Civil Rights
struggle of the early 1960s. The song was recorded by Yarrow, Stookey and Travers
on their Peter, Paul and Mary
album In the Wind
and was also a moderately successful single for them. (US #33 pop, 1964). A version by Little Big Town
reached the Top 40 on the Hot Country Songs
charts, reaching #35.
Other artists who have recorded the song (chiefly on either Christmas-themed music albums or collections of spirituals or folk songs) include:
's version of the song won a Dove Award for Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year at the 42nd GMA Dove Awards
.
Spiritual (music)
Spirituals are religious songs which were created by enslaved African people in America.-Terminology and origin:...
song, compiled by John Wesley Work, Jr.
John Wesley Work, Jr.
John Wesley Work, Jr. was the first African-American collector of folk songs and spirituals, and also a choral director, educationalist and songwriter...
, dating back to at least 1865, that has been sung and recorded by many gospel and secular performers. It is considered a Christmas carol
Christmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas.-History:...
because its original lyric celebrates the Nativity of Jesus
Nativity of Jesus
The Nativity of Jesus, or simply The Nativity, refers to the accounts of the birth of Jesus in two of the Canonical gospels and in various apocryphal texts....
: "Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere; go tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born."
Traditional lyrics
Go, tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere
Go, tell it on the mountain,
That Jesus Christ is born.
While shepherds kept their watching
o’er silent flocks by night,
Behold, throughout the heavens
There shone a holy light
Refrain
The shepherds feared and trembled,
When lo! above the earth,
Rang out the angels chorus
That hailed our Savior's birth.
Refrain
Down in a lowly manger
The humble Christ was born
And God sent us salvation
That blessed Christmas morn.
Refrain
Recording Artists
In 1963, the musical team Peter, Paul And Mary (Peter YarrowPeter Yarrow
Peter Yarrow is an American singer who found fame with the 1960s folk music trio Peter, Paul and Mary. Yarrow co-wrote one of the group's most famous songs, "Puff, the Magic Dragon"...
, Noel "Paul" Stookey
Noel Stookey
Noel Paul Stookey is a singer-songwriter best known as "Paul" in the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary. He took the stage name "Paul" as part of the trio Peter, Paul and Mary, but he has been known as Noel otherwise, throughout his life...
, and Mary Travers
Mary Travers (singer)
Mary Allin Travers was an American singer-songwriter and member of the folk music group Peter, Paul and Mary, along with Peter Yarrow and Noel Stookey...
), along with their musical director, Milt Okun
Milt Okun
Milton "Milt" Okun is an American arranger and record producer and founder of Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc. Okun transformed the careers of a dozen or more major U.S. artists who under Okun's tutelage became some of the most successful musical acts of the 1950s, '60s, and '70s...
, adapted and rewrote "Go Tell It on the Mountain" as "Tell It on the Mountain", their lyrics referring specifically to Exodus and using the phrase "Let my people go," but referring implicitly to the Civil Rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
struggle of the early 1960s. The song was recorded by Yarrow, Stookey and Travers
Peter, Paul and Mary
Peter, Paul and Mary were an American folk-singing trio whose nearly 50-year career began with their rise to become a paradigm for 1960s folk music. The trio was composed of Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey and Mary Travers...
on their Peter, Paul and Mary
Peter, Paul and Mary
Peter, Paul and Mary were an American folk-singing trio whose nearly 50-year career began with their rise to become a paradigm for 1960s folk music. The trio was composed of Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey and Mary Travers...
album In the Wind
In the Wind
In the Wind is the third album by the American folk music trio Peter, Paul & Mary, released in 1963 . It was reissued on audio CD in 1990. In the Wind was so successful that when it hit #1 on the Billboard album charts, it caused their two previous albums to re-enter the Top 10 as well...
and was also a moderately successful single for them. (US #33 pop, 1964). A version by Little Big Town
Little Big Town
Little Big Town is an American country music vocal group. Founded in 1998, the group has comprised the same four members since its inception: Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook, and Phillip Sweet. The quartet's musical style relies heavily on four-part vocal harmonies, with all...
reached the Top 40 on the Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
charts, reaching #35.
Other artists who have recorded the song (chiefly on either Christmas-themed music albums or collections of spirituals or folk songs) include:
- The New Christy Minstrels
- Simon & Garfunkel
- The Wailers
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Awards
In 2011, Jason CrabbJason Crabb
Jason Crabb is the oldest of the Crabb sons and the lead male vocalist for the group The Crabb Family. His debut solo album, Jason Crabb, won a 2010 Grammy...
's version of the song won a Dove Award for Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year at the 42nd GMA Dove Awards
42nd GMA Dove Awards
The 42nd Annual GMA Dove Awards were held on April 20, 2011 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. The show will be broadcast on gmc on April 24, 2011. It will be hosted by Sherri Shepherd from The Newlywed Game....
.