8 lift every voice and sing 7:31 words © 1899 james weldon johnson; music © 1905 john rosamond johnson; arrangement, © 2015 blood drum spirit

lift every voice and sing was publicly performed first as a poem as part of a celebration of abraham lincoln's birthday on february 12, 1900, by 500 school children at the segregated stanton school in jacksonville, florida. its principal, james weldon johnson (1871-1938), wrote the words to introduce its honored guest, booker t. washington. the poem was set to music soon after by johnson's brother john (1873-1954) in 1905. in 1919, the national association for the advancement of colored people (naacp) dubbed it ‘the negro national anthem’ for its power in voicing the cry for liberation and affirmation for african-americans. the late dr. horace clarence boyer, my friend, master artist, and a world authority on african american spiritual music, showed me the meaning of this composition through his life and music. its words speak of the long history of trials and suffering of african peoples and the power to overcome and transcend. in our rendition, we honor the african american heritage of perseverance and triumph, past, present, and future.

our arrangement is dedicated to william edward burghardt dubois, pan-african visionary and inspiration to all freedom-seeking people. he was born in great barrington, massachusetts, on 23 february, 1868, and died in accra, ghana, west africa, on 27 august, 1963, the day before the landmark march on washington in the u. s.

blood drum spirit’s first video recording in ghana for our we are one film included music based on randy weston’s high fly with kpanlogo drumming (see below). It took place at the w. e. b. dubois memorial centre for pan-african culture and gravesite in cantonments, accra, his home between 1961 and his death.

lift every voice and sing
till earth and heaven ring,
ring with the harmonies of liberty;
let our rejoicing rise,
high as the list'ning skies,
let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us,
facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
let us march on till victory is won.

stony the road we trod,
bitter the chastening rod,
felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
yet with a steady beat,
have not our weary feet
come to the place for which our fathers sighed
we have come over a way that with tears has been watered,
we have come treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,
out from the gloomy past, till now we stand at last
where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.

god of our weary years,
god of our silent tears,
thou who hast brought us thus far on the way;
thou who has by thy might
led us into the light,
keep us forever in the path, we pray.
lest, our feet stray from the places, our god, where we met thee,
lest, our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget thee,
shadowed beneath thy hand, may we forever stand,
true to our god, true to our native land.

our arrangement begins with the middle section of the song in a twelve-eight time feel based on the gaŋkogui bell timeline from the agbadza social dance drumming of the eʋe people of ghana and togo, west africa. it moves to a rubato (without time) piano interlude followed by a bowed contrabass statement of the entire song. a piano-saxophone interlude leads to the saxophone solo, first rubato, then in the agbadza time feel over a repeating harmonic pattern. the piece concludes with a return to the second theme and rubato ending theme.

this people, this tradition, this music, that has helped me believe in myself. that has given me a home i will love forever.