Children, Go Where I Send Thee

Children, Go Where I Send Thee
Children, Go Where I Send Thee
Genre	spiritual, gospel
Language	English
Recording
	Performed by the Singing Sergeants of the United States Air Force Band file; help;

"Children, Go Where I Send Thee" (alternatively "Children, Go Where I Send You" or variations thereof, also known as "The Holy Baby", "Little Bitty Baby", or "Born in Bethlehem") is a traditional

biblical reference. Today, many Americans know it as a Christmas carol.^[2]

Lyrics

1. Children, go where I send thee
How shall I send thee?
    I'm gonna send thee one by one:
    One for the little bitty baby.[a]
Born, born
Born in Bethlehem.

2. Children, go where I send thee
How shall I send thee?
    I'm gonna send thee two by two:
    Two for Paul and Silas,
    One for the little bitty baby.
Born, born
Born in Bethlehem.

3. Children, go where I send thee
How shall I send thee?
    I'm gonna send thee three by three:
    Three for the Hebrew children,
    Two for Paul and Silas,
    One for the little bitty baby.
Born, born
Born in Bethlehem.

4. Four for the four that stood at the door...^[b]
5. Five for the gospel preachers...^[c]
6. Six for the six that never got fixed...^[d]
7. Seven for the seven that never got to heaven...^[e]
8. Eight for the eight that stood at the gate...
9. Nine for the nine all dressed so fine...
10. Ten for the ten commandments...
11. Eleven for the eleven deriders...
12. Twelve for the twelve Apostles...^[f]

^[3]^[4]

Origins

The song's origins are uncertain; however, its nearest known relative is the English folk song "

Passover song "Echad Mi Yodea," which was first documented in the 16th century.^[2]

In 1908 in

American South.^[6]

In 1934, folklorists

heterophonic texture of the performance contrast from the homophonic versions captured by Grainger and Sharp. The lyrics also show a trend toward those more commonly associated with "Children, Go Where I Send Thee." For instance, the line "Two, two, the lily-white boys clothed all in green" in Grainger's recording has become "One was the little white babe all dressed in blue" in the Bellwood Prison Camp recording.^[7]^[2]

"Children, Go Where I Send Thee" became further distanced from its English ancestor with

RCA Victor's Bluebird label.^[8] This recording features further lyrical and stylistic developments worth noting. The lines for the numbers three and two are: "Three was the Hebrew children; two was Paul and Silas." As with many spirituals, these references to imprisoned biblical figures are analogues for the enslavement of African Americans. Coupled with the recording's rhythmically driven jubilee quartet style, these features make the song a distinctly American folk tune.^[2]

While the Golden Gate Quartet were largely responsible for popularizing the song, theirs was only one of many contemporary versions. The Golden Gate Quartet themselves learned the song from another jubilee quartet, the Heavenly Gospel Singers.^[2]

Recordings and adaptations

Blues duo Dennis Crampton & Robert Summers recorded the earliest known commercial recording of the song in 1936.^[2]
The Weavers recorded the song in 1951.
songbook, American Folksongs for Christmas, helped establish the song as a Christmas carol nationwide.^[2]

Nina Simone recorded a version on her 1959 album The Amazing Nina Simone for the Colpix Records label.^[9]
Langston Hughes chose the song to be the closing number in the original 1961 production of Black Nativity: A Gospel Song-Play.^[10]
The Carter Family, The Statler Brothers, and Carl Perkins.^[11]

Ralph Stanley recorded a version on his 1975 album Let Me Rest On A Peaceful Mountain.^[12]
The Fairfield Four has recorded multiple versions of the song on various releases.^[2]
Woody Guthrie rewrote the lyrics to the song in 1949 and adapted the song to become “Come When I Call You.” Written about the ravages of war in the aftermath of World War II, the song would go unpublished until the late 90s. The Klezmatics recorded Guthrie’s version of the song on their 2006 album Wonderwheel.^[2]
Kenny Rogers recorded a version with Home Free on his 2015 album Once Again It’s Christmas.

Other artist to record the song include

Sister Thea Bowman, and Clara Ward

.

Notes

^ Sometimes followed by "Was born by the Virgin Mary,
Was wrapped in the hollow of a clawhorn,
Was laid in the hollow a manger"
^ Or "that come knockin' at the door"
^ Or "the gospel writers"
^ Or "that couldn't get fixed"
^ Or "that came down from heaven"
^ Or "the twelve Disciples"

References

Lyrics and MIDI: Children go where I send thee Archived 2008-05-11 at the Wayback Machine

ISBN 1560249749
.

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Winne, Peter. "Making an American Folk Song: Children, Go Where I Send Thee". PRX. Retrieved 4 March 2021.

^ "Children, Go Where I Send Thee". Hymns And Carols of Christmas. Retrieved 4 March 2021.

ISBN 0385048440
.

^ "Lily-white boys (2 performances?, last 2 vss)". Library of Congress. Retrieved 4 March 2021.

hdl:2027/mdp.39015032322979
.

^ "The twelve disciples". Library of Congress. Retrieved 4 March 2021.

ISBN 0826414362
.

^ "Nina Simone - The Amazing Nina Simone". Discogs. Retrieved 4 March 2021.

ISBN 1880216191
.

^ "Children Go Where I Send Thee (with The Carter Family, The Statler Brothers & Carl Perkins) [Live]". Johnny Cash. Retrieved 4 March 2021.

^ "Ralph Stanley – Let Me Rest On A Peaceful Mountain (Hills Of Home) (1975, Vinyl)". Discogs. 1975. Retrieved 4 March 2021.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Children,_Go_Where_I_Send_Thee&oldid=1188774178"

[3] Sometimes followed by "Was born by the Virgin Mary,
Was wrapped in the hollow of a clawhorn,
Was laid in the hollow a manger"

[4] Or "that come knockin' at the door"

[5] Or "the gospel writers"

[6] Or "that couldn't get fixed"

[7] Or "that came down from heaven"

[8] Or "the twelve Disciples"

[studwell-1] ISBN 1560249749
.

[winne-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Winne, Peter. "Making an American Folk Song: Children, Go Where I Send Thee". PRX. Retrieved 4 March 2021.

[hacoc-9] "Children, Go Where I Send Thee". Hymns And Carols of Christmas. Retrieved 4 March 2021.

[lomax-10] ISBN 0385048440
.

[11] "Lily-white boys (2 performances?, last 2 vss)". Library of Congress. Retrieved 4 March 2021.

[12] :2027/mdp.39015032322979
.

[13] "The twelve disciples". Library of Congress. Retrieved 4 March 2021.

[14] ISBN 0826414362
.

[15] "Nina Simone - The Amazing Nina Simone". Discogs. Retrieved 4 March 2021.

[16] ISBN 1880216191
.

[17] "Children Go Where I Send Thee (with The Carter Family, The Statler Brothers & Carl Perkins) [Live]". Johnny Cash. Retrieved 4 March 2021.

[18] "Ralph Stanley – Let Me Rest On A Peaceful Mountain (Hills Of Home) (1975, Vinyl)". Discogs. 1975. Retrieved 4 March 2021.

[2]

[b]

[c]

[d]

[e]

[f]

[3]

[4]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

Lyrics

Origins

Recordings and adaptations

See also

Notes

References