"Lift Him Up That's All"
Single by Washington Phillips
RecordedDallas, Texas, December 2, 1927
GenreGospel blues
Length3:31
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Unknown
Producer(s)Frank B. Walker[1]

"Lift Him Up That's All" is a gospel blues song recorded in 1927 by Washington Phillips. It is a solo performance, with Phillips' vocals and zither.[2]

Description

The verses tell the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well, found in the Gospel of John at 4:4-30.

The refrain draws from the Gospel of John at 12:32, often interpreted as a prophecy of the Crucifixion and/or the Resurrection of Jesus:

And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

and runs as follows:[3]

Oh, lift Him up, that's all,
Lift Him up in His word,
If you'll tell the name of Jesus everywhere,
If you'll keep His name a-ringin' everywhere that you go,
He will draw men unto Him.

The song seems to have fallen into obscurity until revived in 2002 by the bluegrass musician Ralph Stanley.

Recordings

  • 1927 – Washington Phillips, Columbia Records single [4][5][6]
  • c. 1928 – Blind Benny Paris and Wife,[7] Victor Records(?)[8] single
  • 2002 – Ralph Stanley, "Lift Him Up, That's All" [9][10] on the album Ralph Stanley
  • 2011 – Ralph Stanley, "Lift Him Up, That's All" [9] on the album A Mother's Prayer [11]

Other songs

The refrain has some resemblances to that of the 1903 hymn "Lift Him Up" by Johnson Oatman, Jr., but the music and verses are different.[12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Corcoran, Michael (December 29, 2002). "Exhuming the Legend of Washington Phillips". Austin Statesman. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Washington Phillips discography". wirz.de. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Washington Phillips Lift Him Up That's All Lyrics". Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  4. ↑ George Washington Phillips: Lift Him Up That's All at AllMusic. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  5. ↑ A.C. Forehand / Blind Mamie Forehand / George Washington Phillips: Lift Him up That's All at AllMusic. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  6. ↑ Lift Him Up That's All at AllMusic. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  7. ↑ Blind Benny Paris and Wife: Lift Him Up That's All at AllMusic. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Blind Benny Paris and Wife (Vocal group)". ucsb.edu. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  9. 1 2 Ralph Stanley: Lift Him Up, That's All, Composed by Washington Phillips at AllMusic. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  10. ↑ Ralph Stanley: Lift Him Up That's All at AllMusic. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  11. ↑ Deming, Mark. Ralph Stanley: A Mother's Prayer at AllMusic. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Lift Him Up (Oatman)". nethymnal.org. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.