1. |
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Take me to the water
Take me to the water
Take me to the water
To be baptized
We gather here today to confess and be cleansed in the eyes of our creator
We gather here to be washed clean of the sins of humanity
We gather here to reject the greed of our forefathers
Here, where dead sea meets withered land
We see the jagged remnants of the old cities piercing the tops of the waves, and they pierce our hearts with the revelation:
Yours and the earth’s are all the glories that endure.
And for all our toil, in the end
We must submit to your judgment
As they did.
Chant: Judgment/Judgment Bar
For it is the fate of all humankind to be judged.
Our forefathers took without giving, took without need -- took things that they had neither desire nor use for, and threw them away.
They covered the face of the ancient planet in newborn desert.
They melted the ice at the ends of the earth, drowned the coast,
Emptied seas and forests of life,
Filled the very oceans with fire,
And were judged.
You see the verdict there, in yonder drowned city.
We, their children, are cursed to wander,
Deprived of land that can sustain us by our own ancestors.
But we keep the stories.
We remember what set man on the downward road
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2. |
The Downward Road
03:36
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Now look at our old wicked fathers,
Thought they were doin’ mighty well
But when they come to find out
They done made up a bed in hell
Now the downward road is
Crowded, crowded, crowded
Crowded, Lord, believe it’s so
Crowded, crowded, crowded
Crowded, Lord, believe it’s so
Gather round, gather round,
Lo, I’ve seen what the trickster hid!
Hear the sound of a king tryna get it
The water rising, surrounding everybody that’s in it
And little Silas wanna come home
All he got is a cot that he drum on
Whole family poor, he was taught not to run from it
When you come from it
And the king ain’t never alone,
A feeling Silas thought that he never would know
The king mean, said he homegrown
That his upbringing showed him it all, it’s nothing he don’t know
The water rose, but he a old soul
He feel like he seen everything
He been outside like a evergreen
As for Silas, he just want a chance
The king got the means to, but he don’t wanna ask
Silas got over and took over, the same king in the story
Still running from his past
Now look at my old grasping ruler,
Thought he was doin’ mighty well
But when he come to find out
He done made up a bed in hell
Well the downward road is
Crowded, crowded, crowded
Crowded, Lord, believe it’s so
Crowded, crowded, crowded
Crowded, Lord, believe it’s so
Gather round, gather round,
Lo, I’ve seen what the trickster hid
In a town where a means to a end would amount to a piece of the pie
Joe and Louie like peas in a pod, they wanna even the odds
They heard about the water rising
Made a plan to take advantage, had to enterprise it
Saw an opportunity, Louie was set, as soon as Joey said “it’s a bet.”
We can sell a boat, and can sell a boatload more for sure
If we never settle the debt, lo and behold and nevertheless,
The water rose
Probably shoulda known the quickest thing that would sink
The irony is, is probably a pot of gold
By the end the means made the man, the sin, the pain,
When it’s too late to do what you can
Ain’t no making amends, the king know
He bought one of them boats, too, the king though
Now look at us, my wicked brothers
We think we’re doing mighty well,
But when we come to find out
We done made up a bed in
Children, the downward road is
Crowded, crowded, crowded
Crowded, Lord, believe it’s so
Crowded, crowded, crowded
Crowded, Lord, believe it’s so
Crowded, crowded, crowded
Crowded, Lord, believe it’s so
Crowded, crowded, crowded
Crowded, Lord, believe it’s so
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3. |
Didn’t It Rain
03:05
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Didn't it rain, children
Oh yes, didn't it (Didn't it?)
You know it did (Didn't it?)
Didn't it, woah my lord
Didn't it rain
Well it rained forty days, it rained forty nights
Wasn't no land nowhere in sight
God sent the raven to spread the news
Hoist his wings and away he flew
To the east, to the west, north to the south
All day, all night, how it rained, how it rained
Tell me, didn't it rain, a-rain, a-rain, children
Rain, oh my lord
Didn't it (Didn't it?)
You know it did (Didn't it?)
Didn't it, woah my lord
Didn't it rain
Knock at the window, knock at the door
Cryin' brother, can't you take a couple more
Brother said, well, your wallet looks a little thin,
If you can't pay, you'd better learn to swim
Water risin' (In the mornin')
Water risin' (At noon)
Water risin' (In the evening)
Keep a-risin' all day long,
Keep a-risin' all night long
Tell me, didn't it rain, a-rain, a-rain, children
Rain, oh my lord
Didn't it (Didn't it?)
You know it did (Didn't it?)
Didn't it, woah my lord
Didn't it rain
Tell me, didn't it rain, a-rain, a-rain, children
Rain, oh my lord
Didn't it (Didn't it?)
You know it did (Didn't it?)
Didn't it, woah my lord
Didn't it rain
Tell me, didn't it rain, a-rain, a-rain, children
Rain, oh my lord
Didn't it (Didn't it?)
You know it did (Didn't it?)
Didn't it, woah my lord
Didn't it rain
Tell me, didn't it rain, a-rain, a-rain, children
Rain, oh my lord
Didn't it (Didn't it?)
You know it did (Yes!)
Didn't it, woah my lord,
Didn't it rain
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4. |
Tangle Eye Blues
03:51
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Lord, I wonder will I ever, get back home
Lord, I left my love and the baby in the wreckage, cryin’
Daddy, please don't go
Lord, it must have been the devil that pulled me here
Lord, I’m all down and out
Lord, if I ever get back home,
I’ll never do wrong
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5. |
Parable
02:20
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After humanity’s debt to the planet came due, our ancestors crawled from the wreckage of their sunken cities, and out of the deserts where once they had grown food enough for millions. Chance brought 30 survivors together, hundreds of miles to the south of here. Worn down by storms and starvation, they set their sights northward, and followed the coast to find a new home.
In the first days of their journey, they encountered three storms, and had no protection. The first storm killed four. The second took two. The survivors had warning of the third, for by then they knew what weather-signs to look for.
In their haste to find shelter, they unknowingly entered the ruins of the old capitol. The storm trapped them there, and they fell victim to lingering poisons in the air and water. Their minds became clouded. Many were stricken with fever and flux. Twelve died. The survivors continued northward, and when they came upon more ruins, they kept walking.
As they drew closer to the island on which we now dwell, they encountered more survivors fleeing to the north. As the roads grew crowded with desperate refugees, so too they became rife with thievery and killing, and three were lost to bandits on the road. Six others were falsely accused of banditry, and were lynched by other travelers. The survivors kept to themselves after that.
Our ancestors were judged for their role in despoiling the earth, along with the rest of their generation. Their penalty was decimation.
When they arrived on this island, only three of the original thirty remained.
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6. |
Death Have Mercy
02:59
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Woah, Death, have mercy
Hah, Death, have mercy
Oh, Death, have mercy
Spare me over another year
If I was a flower in my bloom and
Make Death cut me down so soon
Oh, Death, have mercy
Hah, Death, have mercy
Oh, Death, have mercy
Spare me over another year
Fallen in you like I resolve something new
Like I belong in dispute
Proof in the pudding, balance in my footin
I stood where I could, now I’m fallin for you
Coulda sawed me in two pieces
Heart on my sleeve, and the blood coulda drew leeches
You a fantasy, and one I plan to keep
Drawing lines in the sand that’ll reach between two beaches
I’m sure of it, walking hand in hand
Makin’ a plan to go and get to the core of it
My heart’s iron-solid, you make ore of it
My entire mind and body for sure toughened
You gotta love it
Have mercy on me, I don’t know more’s coming
I can't force it, you lord above it
Praise you, I of course covet
Implore you to bring another morning, I’m mourning
Those who never knew you, nor them
Still wishing you’d ignore them,
Hoping I’d be more important
Your love I need more than portions, blood coursin’
I feel it morph, and I’m wonderin’
Oh, what is this that I can’t see,
Cold icy hands all over me
Oh, Death, have mercy
Hah, Death, have mercy
Oh, Death, have mercy
Spare me over another year
Could I live for you, till your list gets ‘spanded
I’m again born new, could I begin adorned, too
I know many get lost, I feel I’m torn, too
I know you pull strings, I feel I’m more in tune
Now that it’s my turn
This is between us, feel like my life’s curse
Feelings come out in the dark, limited spark
I know that light work
Wool over eyes, pull it apart
Tell me where the infinite start,
End in a split second
Mercy on my soul, no I can’t catch it
Though it’s for sure definite
And you voicing your name is the most deafening
Oh, this is the way that death begins, it
Close your eyes and stretch your limbs
Oh, Death, have mercy
Hah, Death, have mercy
Oh, Death, have mercy
Spare me over another year
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7. |
City Called Heaven
04:52
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I am a poor pilgrim of sorrow
Tossed in this wild world alone
I have no hope for tomorrow
I’m tryin’ to make heaven my home
Sometimes our boat’s tossed and driven
Sometimes I know not where to roam
I’ve heard of a city called heaven
I’ve started to make it my home
My mother has received bright glory
My fathers did walkin’ in sin
My brothers and sisters won’t own me
Because I am tryin’ to get in
Sometimes our boat’s tossed and driven
Sometimes I know not where to roam
I’ve heard of a city called heaven
I’ve started to make it my home
Hark, what is that calling
My blood runs so chilly, and so slow
The ones who have gone before me
Gon’ pilot me through as I go
Sometimes our boat’s tossed and driven
Sometimes I know not where to roam
I’ve heard of a city called heaven
I’ve started to make it my home
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8. |
They Are Waiting for Me
04:27
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They are waiting for me
Oh they are waiting for me
Oh what a glad meeting
That’s going to be
Oh, waiting for me
They are waiting for me
I got loved ones
They are waiting
And watching for me
If ever I cross over this dark rolling tide
Oh, what a glad meeting that’s going to be
And then when I step into those beautiful pearly white gates
My loved ones, they are waiting
There for me
Yeah, they are waiting and watching for me
They are waiting and watching for me
Oh, what a glad meeting that’s going to be
They are waiting and a-watching for me
Lord, they are waiting and watching for me
I got loved ones, they are waiting
And watching for me
My dear loving, loving mother awaits on that shore
To clasp me again to her breast
And she left this old world shouting the praises of my god
And by the angels she was carried
On to rest
And they are waiting and watching for me
And they are waiting and watching for me
Oh what a glad meeting that’s going to be
They are waiting and a-watchin’ for me
They are waiting and watching for me
I got loved ones, they are waiting
And watching for me
Oh, dear father and brother
And kindreds, they are gone
To dwell in that country so fair
And while I still linger on time’s silver shore
My loved ones, they are waiting
Up there
They are waiting and watching for me
They are waiting for me
Oh, what a glad meeting that’s going to be
Oh, waiting for me
They are waiting for me
I got loved ones, they are waiting
And a-watchin’ for me
They are waiting and watching for me
Oh, they’re waiting and watching for me
Oh what a glad meeting that’s going to be
They are waiting and watching for me
They are waiting and a-watching for me
I got loved ones, they are waiting
And watching for me
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9. |
Psalms
02:54
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In the depths of their shared destitution, and the hardship of their northward exodus, our ancestors found new wisdom. As more refugees joined the three survivors on this island, and children started to be born, they turned their minds to the preservation of that wisdom, that their progeny might survive and know the truths of the world.
Attend the Psalms of the Sentinel.
The seeds of avarice germinate, in time, within every generation, every man and every nation. Such execrable growths must be taken up by the roots. What shall we do with the snake in the garden?
Cut off its head!
A ship lost in violent seas has but two hopes: strong hands on the helm, and sharp eyes on the compass. What aid do the heavens provide when death walks among us?
Two feet to flee upon!
The path from cradle to grave is tortuous. A wise traveler will keep their companions close. What is crueler than wandering?
To wander alone!
Attend the Psalms of the Gravedigger.
At the first and the last, and on all the dark days in between, all humanity prays the same prayer to the same immortal. From this original prayer comes every other. What is the first prayer?
Spare me, O Death.
Many thousands have gone; only a small remnant survives. Ever shall the part grieve the loss of the whole. Where are the lost ones?
Gone, and no returning; but we remember them.
Where can one know love without grief?
On a distant shore.
Attend the Psalms of the Teacher.
Every life has an ending. Every human being will have a final day. How shall we endeavor to meet ours?
Knowing that we have done what is right.
Trouble not with worldly possessions, for all that is made must one day be unmade. Who can hold the things of this earth forever?
Death, and death alone.
Remember the ultimate destiny of all things that walk. What is the course of civilization’s march?
From dark, to light, to dark again.
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10. |
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Just as well to get ready, you got to die
Just as well to get ready, you got to die
It may be tomorrow,
Can’t tell the minute nor the hour
Just as well to get ready, you got to die
Just as well to live in union, you got to die
Just as well to live in union, you got to die
It may be tomorrow, lord
You can’t tell the minute or the hour,
Just as well to live in union, you got to die
Just as well to love your enemies, you got to die
Just as well to love your enemies, you got to die
It may be tomorrow,
Can’t tell the minute nor the hour,
Just as well to love your enemies, you got to die
Oh, when that roll is called up yonder
High on a mountaintop
Oh there’s gonna be separation
Bid farewell to every nation, when the roll
And I’ll be
Just as well to get ready, you got to die
Just as well to get ready, you got to die
It may be tomorrow,
Can’t tell the minute nor the hour
Just as well to get ready, you got to die
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11. |
Give Up the World
04:09
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The sun give a light in the heaven all around,
The sun give a light in the heaven all around,
The sun give a light in the heaven all around,
Why won't you give up the world?
The sun give a light in the heaven all around,
The sun give a light in the heaven all around,
The sun give a light in the heaven all around,
Why won't you give up the world?
My brother (Don't you give up the world!)
My brother (Don't you give up the world!)
My brother (Don't you give up the world!)
We must leave this world behind
My brother (Don't you give up the world!)
My brother (Don't you give up the world!)
My brother (Don't you give up the world!)
We must leave this world behind
Don't you give up the world, don't you believe
You have more than enough to learn, you too young to leave
You and I were in similar places
Couldn't consider the intricacy of simple life, now I'm just a fan of the basics
We live in a matrix
Limitless angles depending on your imagination
Fathom the pattern of Fibonacci,
Babblin' monkeys who battle over malarkey, it's funny, innit
How could you be fully yourself if your tummy isn't
You eating yourself alive, dog
But you mean well
But you gotta understand that you're way too human to get the details
Relax, look up
One thing God gon' do is stay on the cook-up, leave the enemy shook up
Everything is everything, it ain't a thing to us
Just feel the energy of what our mamas sang to us
The moon give a light in the heaven all around,
The moon give a light in the heaven all around,
The moon give a light in the heaven all around,
Why won't you give up the world?
The moon give a light in the heaven all around,
The moon give a light in the heaven all around,
The moon give a light in the heaven all around,
Why won't you give up the world?
My brother (Don't you give up the world!)
My brother (Don't you give up the world!)
My brother (Don't you give up the world!)
We must leave this world behind
My brother (Don't you give up the world!)
My brother (Don't you give up the world!)
My brother (Don't you give up the world!)
We must leave this world behind
If you gon give up the world, then what's the world?
What's the word on it?
Is that really that thing with the grass and birds on it?
And all the animals?
You tryna tell me that everything out here is tangible?
What about love and gravity?
What about humanity not defined by anatomy?
What about the feeling on the back of your neck when you leave a room?
Or the fact that your mama can always see through you?
You wanna give up the world, then what's the world, bro?
Write it down carefully, be sure to be thorough
The moon and the light, the mood of the night, the food hittin' right
The fool in the pool, whatever you write, you gon' do it twice
Cuz it ain't the world, it's what you know about it
If you gon' give up something,
Give up whatever you wouldn't take were you to go around it
Give up the only world you know about
And I bet that you gon' work it out
The star give a light in the heaven all around,
The star give a light in the heaven all around,
The star give a light in the heaven all around,
Why won't you give up the world?
The star give a light in the heaven all around,
The star give a light in the heaven all around,
The star give a light in the heaven all around,
Why won't you give up the world?
My brother (Don't you give up the world!)
My brother (Don't you give up the world!)
My brother (Don't you give up the world!)
We must leave this world behind
My brother (Don't you give up the world!)
My brother (Don't you give up the world!)
My brother (Don't you give up the world!)
We must leave this world behind
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12. |
Once There Was No Sun
04:21
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Once there was no sun
Lordy, once there was no sun
Oh, once there was no sun
I heard the angels singin’
Do lord go down
Do lord go down,
Do lord go down
Lordy I heard the angels singin’
Oh, once there was no moon
Lordy once there was no moon
Once there was no moon
I heard the angels singin’
Do lord go down
Do lord go down,
Do lord go down
I hear the angels singin’
Oh, once there was no light
Once there was no light
Once there was no light
I hear the angels singin’
Do lord go down
Do lord go down,
Do lord go down
I hear the angels singing
Oh, this dark old world
This dark old world
This dark old world
I hear the angels singin’
Do lord go down,
Do lord go down,
Do lord go down,
I hear the angels singing
Oh I am so glad
I am so glad
I am so glad
I hear the angels singin’
Do lord go down,
Do lord go down,
Do lord go down,
I heard the angels singing
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Jake Blount Providence, Rhode Island
Jake Blount is an award-winning banjoist, fiddler, singer and scholar. He has studied with modern masters of old-time music, including Bruce Molsky, Judy Hyman (of the Horse Flies), and Rhiannon Giddens and Hubby Jenkins (of the GRAMMY-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops). Although he is proficient in multiple old-time styles, he specializes in the music of Black and Native American communities. ... more
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