"Keep Your Hand(s) On The Plow" (also known as "Hold On" and "Gospel Plow") is a traditional American folk song. It is listed in the Roud Folk Song Index, number 10075. The title is biblical, based on Luke 9:62.
It was transformed as far back as the 1940’s into a political song, and in the 1960's was used as the basis for the famous anthem "Keep Your Eyes on the Prize", which was often sung at civil rights rallies in the sixties.
The lyrics to this modern Civil Rights version of the song, "Keep Your Eyes on the Prize" are often attributed to Alice Wine from Johns Island, South Carolina. Mrs. Wine was a member of the Moving Star Hall and the Progressive Club on Johns Island.
It is doubtful that Mrs. Wine actually composed the lyrics herself. More likely she had heard the revised refrain and variations on the verses of the older song from the congregation at the praise hall.
The leading Paul and Silas-stanzas in the modern "Keep Your Eyes on the Prize" lyrics were already present in some versions of the older "Keep Your Hand on the Plow."
Mrs Wine is credited by Candie Carawan only with having passed onto Guy Carawan the revision of the title from "Keep Your Hand on the Plow" to "Keep Your Eyes on the Prize."
Our Singing Country shows these Paul and Silas stanzas were already in use in 1949 and before.
The earliest documented reference to the older song, "Gospel Plow," is in Alan Lomax's 1949 book "Our Singing Country" (page 44-45)
SEE: Our Singing Country
The book above references a 1937 recording by Elihu Trusty of Paintsville, Kentucky, which is in the Library of Congress (Ref No.1397 A1).
Lomax's references for Gospel Plow also cite two earlier works. The first is from Vol 2 of English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians published in 1932,
In this book by Cecil J. Sharp a version, which was "sung by girls at Oneida School, Ky., Aug. 18, 1917." is mentioned on page. 292; with music).
Notes (by Karpeles?) say "This ... is a 'Holiness' hymn. It is evidently influenced by negro spirituals." (page 396)
The second reference is to a 1928 book, American Negro Folk-Songs, which shows an African-American heritage for the original song.
Newman I. White recorded "Keep yo' hand on the gospel plow" in his American Negro Folk-Songs ((1928; reprint ed., [1964?], p. 115; no title is given; text only).
It was "reported from Durham, N.C., 1925, MS. of N.I. White. From Creedmore, N.C., as sung by Ed Lloyd, who says there are several stanzas."
Keep yo' hand on the gospel plow,
Wouldn't take nothin' for my journey now, Holy Ghost.
Chorus
Keep yo' hand on the gospel plow,
Hold on, hold on,
Keep yo' hand on the gospel plow,
Hold on.
Didn't come here for to stay always,
Just come here to fill my place.
I got a mother in the promised land,
Never shall rest till I shake her hand.
Also see the next links:
The first recording I could find:
(o) Hall Johnson Negro Choir (1930) (as "Keep Yo' Hand on the Plow, Hold On")
Recorded August 12, 1930 in New York
Released on Victor 36020
Listen here:
As I said above John and Alan Lomax's book Our Singing Country references a 1937 recording by Elihu Trusty of Paintsville, Kentucky.
On the next link you can listen to 2 parts of that 1937 recording
(c) Elihu Trusty (1937) (as "Keep Your Hands On That Plough (part 1)")
Recorded September 12, 1937 in Paintsville, KY
(c) Elihu Trusty (1937) (as "Keep Your Hands On That Plough (part 2)")
Recorded September 12, 1937 in Paintsville, KY
As I said above "Gospel Plow" was transformed in the 1940’s into a political song: "Hold On"
Around 1942, versions begin to appear with a new text, referring to the incipient United Nations, and the need for solidarity in the struggle against fascism. The message changed: from ‘keep the faith’, to ‘keep up the fight’, and "Keep Your Hands On The Plow" becomes "Keep Your Hand On That Gun". In the 1960s there was a similar re-texting — ‘Keep your hand on the plow’ becomes ‘Keep your eyes on the prize’, a rallying cry for civil rights.
(c) Union Boys (1944) (as "Hold On")
Members: Josh White, Burl Ives, Tom Glazer, Alan Lomax, Pete Seeger, Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry.
The Union Boys was a high powered group brought into the studio in March 1944 by Alan Lomax to record a number of labor-oriented songs. They never performed publicly as a group. Some of the songs were issued by Asch Records as Songs For Victory,
Recorded New York City, March 11, 1944
The album Songs For Victory (Music For Political action) was released on the Asch-label #346.
Listen here:
Or here:
(c) Laura Duncan, Ernie Lieberman,
Betty Sanders & Osborne Smith (1952) (as "Hold On")
Recorded January 31, 1952 in New York
Released on Hootenanny Records #105
Listen here:
Or here:
(c) Frank Warner (1952) (as "Keep Your Hand On The Plow")
Released on the album "American Folk Songs and Ballads" (Elektra-label EKLP 3)
Listen here:
(c) Folksmiths (1958) (as "Hold On (Keep Your Hand On The Plow)")
Released on the album "We've Got Some Singing To Do"
Listen here:
Or here:
(c) The Folk Singers (1958) (as "Keep Your Hands On That Plow")
(c) Gateway Singers (1958) (as "Hold On")
Listen here:
(c) Mahalia Jackson with the Duke Ellington Orchestra (as "Keep Your Hand on the Plow")
Recorded at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1958.
Listen here:
Just now I realize how much the Duke's "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing" is indebted to "Keep Your Hands On The Plow"
(c) Pete Seeger (with audience) (1959) (as "United Nations Make A Chain")
Recorded September 1959 at Carnegie Hall, NY
Listen here:
Or here:
(c) Odetta (1960) (as "Hold On")
Recorded live in concert at Carnegie Hall on April 8, 1960
featured support from Bill Lee on string bass. ( Bill Lee ==> father of Spike Lee)
Listen here:
(c) The Montgomery Gospel Trio, The Nashville Quartet, and Guy Carawan (1961) (as "Hold On")
Recorded in 1961 and released on Folkways Records FH 5591
Listen here:
Or here:
(c) Pete Seeger with Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon (1962) (as "Hold On")
Recorded in 1960 Live at the Village Gate
Released in 1962 on Folkways FA 2451
Listen here:
(c) Pete Seeger 1961 (as "Hold On")
Released August 1961 on the album Sing Out With Pete! (Folkways 2455)
Listen here:
In November 1961 Bob Dylan also recorded this song for his first album.
(c) Bob Dylan (1962) (as "Gospel Plow")
Recorded November 22, 1961 in the Columbia Recording Studios in New York
Listen here:
Or here:
It was around 1960 that the traditional "Keep Your Hand On The Plow" was transformed into the Civil Rights Protest song "Keep Your Eyes On The Prize".
Guy Carawan was music director on Highlander School, a training center for activists in Tennessee,
He established classes in adult literacy on Johns Island. He spent the winters on Johns Island and often brought his guitar to class. On one occasion, he was playing “Hold On” a spiritual common to both black and white church singing, when Alice Wine, a farmer's wife from Charleston on Johns Island, SC, approached him. “I know a different echo to that,” she said, and proceeded to sing a version of “Hold On,” delivered without accompaniment, in hushed intonations, the refrain “keep your hand on the plow, hold on” replaced, after one verse, by words that are not found in any transcriptions of the song previously cataloged by folklorists: “keep your eyes on the prize, hold on.”
In 1960 Carawan also made a field recording of Alice Wine singing the song:
Listen after 10 minutes in the soundfile on the next link:
In April of 1960, Carawan introduced these lyrics to the activists who gathered at Shaw University in Raleigh to form the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Soon, the words were heard across the South, at mass meetings and protests, and in jails, though for a while there was some confusion about who had authored the phrase "Eyes on the Prize". Eventually the story would get sorted out, and Alice Wine duly credited; today her name appears on the copyright.
Pete Seeger, after a few traditional versions, recorded "Keep Your Eyes On The Prize" live with the SNCC Freedom Singers at his 1963 Carnegie Hall concert.
(c) Pete Seeger and the SNCC Freedom Singers (1963) (as "Keep Your Eyes On The Prize")
Recorded June 8, 1963 live at Carnegie Hall, NY
Listen here:
On August 28, 1963 "Keep Your Eyes On The Prize" was one of a few songs sung by both crowd and artists at the March on Washington
Here's footage of the crowd singing "Keep Your Eyes On The Prize"
The artists Len Chandler, Joan Baez, Stuart Scharf and Bob Dylan also sang "Keep Your Eyes On The Prize" at the 1963 March on Washington.
(c) Len Chandler (Guitar & vocal), Joan Baez (Backing Vocal), Stuart Scharf (Guitar & Backing Vocal), Bob Dylan (Guitar, Unenthusiastic Backing Vocal)
(as "Keep Your Eyes On The Prize (Hold On)")
Recorded August 28, 1963 at National Mall/Lincoln Memorial
Washington, DC
Watch it here (at 16 min and 14 sec in the YT below:
The song is also at 19 min and 48 sec in the next clip Civil-Rights-March-Washington.mp3
Comes from this radioshow, broadcast in early 1964
On March 16, 1965, 9 days after Bloody Sunday, James Orange, a S C L C worker, directed a group gathered at Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church (Selma, Alabama) to sing this song.
(c) James Orange and Protestors (1965) ("medley Which Side Are You On / Keep Your Eye On The Prize")
Listen here (at 1 min and 28 sec in the YT below)
Or here:
(c) Peggy Lee (1968) (as "Hand On The Plow")
Listen here:
(c) Screaming Trees (1996) (as "Gospel Plow")
Listen here:
(c) Sweet Honey In The Rock (2000) (as "Eyes On The Prize (Hold On)")
Performed on the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack "Freedom Song"
Listen here:
(c) Bruce Springsteen (2006) (as "Eyes On The Prize")
Recorded on January 21, 2006 at the third of the three Seeger Sessions.
Listen here:
(c) Mavis Staples (2007) (as "Eyes On The Prize")
Listen here:
(c) Joss Stone (2009) (as "Eyes On The Prize")
Performed on the Original Soundtrack of the movie "Soundtrack For A Revolution".
Listen here:
More versions
Songs called “Paul and Silas” were recorded in 1928 by the South Carolina Quartette, in 1932 by Snowball and Sunshine (unissued), and in 1933 by the Diamond Four, but these songs are not part of the songcluster in this post.
And another song called "Paul and Silas" recorded by Josh White in 1935 and the Stanley Brothers a.o. is also not part of this songcluster.
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