WERE YOU THERE?

Tracing African-American spirituals back to their original authors is virtually impossible.  It was most likely composed by enslaved Africans and not from the pen of any one individual.  Many in fact were unable to write.  The slaves used music with its unique beat to help keep the work they were doing at a good pace.  It also provided a testimony of the hope and faith that transcended their current and sometimes inhumane treatment.

The first published iteration of WERE YOU THERE came in 1899 when William Barton included it in the section called “Recent Negro Melodies,” printed in his publication, “Old Plantation Songs.” It is not surprising that an inspiration for the African-American Association to the Cross of Christ was because Jesus suffered just like they did, and He knew their pain and bondage. 

One day, like the Son of God, they too would be resurrected to a life of rest and freedom with Christ.  Not sure it happened like this, but you can imagine a group of them working in a field, and when they started, “Were you there when… “, at which one of them would ask the rest of the question.  Each time, someone else would complete the question.  Just saying…it could have been like that!

WERE YOU THERE, has become one of the most prominent and popular spirituals of them all, and has now been included in almost every major hymnal.