Harman Patil (Editor)

Lord I Just Can't Keep From Crying

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Released
  
June 29, 1929

Genre
  
Gospel blues

Format
  
10" 78rpm single

Length
  
3:04

B-side
  
"Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning"

Recorded
  
December 5, 1928; Dallas, TX

"Lord I Just Can't Keep From Crying" is a traditional gospel blues song recorded in 1928 by Blind Willie Johnson (vocals and guitar) and Willie B. Harris (vocals), who is thought to have been his first wife. Some versions of the song recorded by other artists have slightly different titles: for example, a comma after "Lord"; or, "Cryin'" instead of "Crying"; or, an appended "Sometime" or "Sometimes".

"The King's Highway" in the song might refer to one or more of:

  • the ancient trade route between Egypt and Mesopotamia, mentioned in the Bible
  • the British idea of the King's Highway – public roads, where an offence against another person is not merely a civil offence but a crime against the king's majesty under common law
  • the pathway to Heaven, the King being God

    • Recordings

  • 1926–27 – Rev. H. R. Tomlin
  • 1928 – Blind Willie Johnson
  • 1967 – Brother Joe May, on the album Thank You Lord for One More Day
  • 1994 or before – Laura Henton
  • 1997 or before – Golden Gate Quartet
  • 1998 – Phoebe Snow, on the album I Can't Complain
  • 2004 or before – Bessie Johnson Sanctified Singers, on the compilation album Goodbye, Babylon
  • 2011 – The Barr Brothers, on the album The Barr Brothers
  • 2011 – Colin Stetson, on the album New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges
  • 2011 – Dave "Snaker" Ray, on the album My Blue Heaven

    • References

    Lord I Just Can't Keep From Crying Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA