[Music]
Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore,
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, love and pow'r.
_Chorus_
I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in his arms,
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O there are ten thousand charms.
Let not conscience make you linger,
Nor of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness he requireth
Is to feel your need of him.
_Chorus_
Agonizing in the garden,
Lo, your Master prostrate lies;
On the bloody tree behold him,
Hear him cry before he dies.
_Chorus_
Lo, th'incarnate God ascended,
Pleads the merit of his blood;
Venture on him, venture wholely,
Let no other trust intrude.
_Chorus_
I recorded this song from the singing of Donald Davidson, Vanderbilt
University, June, 1935. Joseph Hart published this poem in 1759. The
refrain text is probably of camp-meeting origin. The tune has been
immensely popular for certainly more than a hundred years in the
South. Found also SOH 5, HH 217, WP 25, PB 342, OSH 312 (tune with
other words), OSH 81 (words with another tune).
The tune is typical of a traditional trend. Many other songs show
either close relationship throughout or use single phrases of this
melody. The tunes in this collection which are close to the 'I Will
Arise' type (mentioned in the Introduction, p. 14) are 'Humble
Penitent', and 'Be Gone Unbelief'. Others making use of the second
phrase only, marked _a_, are 'Bozrah' and 'New Orleans'. A secular
tune in the 'I Will Arise' form is 'The Bird Song', Sharp, ii., 304;
and among the secular tunes employing phrase _a_ as their tune
beginnings are 'Oh Love It is a Killing Thing' and 'When I first Left
Old Ireland', Petrie, Nos. 469 and 863; and 'The Cruel Mother', Cox,
p. 522. Thomas gives the beginning of a lullaby which doubtlessly
belongs to this tune group, see _Devil's Ditties_, p. 17.
No. 240
I WANT A SEAT IN PARADISE or NORTH PORT, OSH 324