"All My Trials" was a folk song during the social
protest movements of the 1950s and 1960s. It is based on a Bahamian lullaby that
tells the story of a mother on her death bed, comforting her children,
Hush
little baby, don't you cry./You know your mama's bound to die, because, as she
explains, All my trials, Lord,/Soon be over.
This spiritual-lullaby probably originated in the antebellum South, from where it was transported to the West Indies. It appears to have died out in this country, only to be discovered in the Bahamas. From there it was reintroduced to us, eventually becoming one of the standards of the popular folk song movement.
Here are the lyrics of the first recorded version of "All My Trials" by Bob Gibson (1956)
Hush little baby, don't you cry
You know your mama is bound to die
All my trials, Lord, soon be over
Too late, my brothers
Too late, but never mind
All my trials, Lord, soon be over
The Jordan river is chilly and cold
It chills the body, but it warms the soul
All my trials, Lord, soon be over
The tallest tree in Paradise
The Christians call it the Tree of Life
All my trials, Lord, soon be over
Too late, my brothers
Too late, but never mind
All my trials, Lord, soon be over
If religion was a thing that money could buy
Then the rich would live and the poor would die
All my trials, Lord, soon be over
Too late, my brothers
Too late, but never mind
All my trials, Lord, soon be over
The first 2 lines are from song #580: "Hush, Little Baby", published in 1952 on page 629 of the Frank C. Brown Collection Volume 3. Collected ca 1927-1928 by Julian P. Boyd from Catherine Bennett, a pupil of the school of Alliance, Pamlico County, NC
Another verse The tallest tree in Paradise, The Christians call it the Tree of Life is also from a song published in the Frank C. Brown Collection Volume 3.
It's the song #644 "Tree In Paradise", especially the B-version on page 677 of this collection.
Collected ca 1927-1928 by Julian P. Boyd from B.D. Banks, a pupil of the school of Alliance, Pamlico County, NC
And then the verse: If religion was a thing that money could buy, then the rich would live and the poor would die
Lawrence Levine offers a transcription of a turn-of-the-century spiritual in Black Culture and Black Consciousness.
Ef salvation was a thing money could buy,
Den de rich would live and de po' would die.
But Ah'm so glad God fix it so,
Dat de rich mus' die jes' as well as de po'!
In the same book Levine presented a 1916 version by Alabama blacks with an even more contemparary twist.
If-a 'ligion wuz er thing that money could buy,
The rich would live and the po' would die.
I'm so glad things je' like dis,
Dere's 'nother good chance for the po' coon yet.
And the verse Jordan river is chilly and cold. It will chill-a my body but not my soul
appeared before in 2 spirituals "Stand Still Jordan" and "Every Time I feel The Spirit"
The message, that no matter how
bleak the situation seemed, the struggle would "soon be over", propelled the
song to the status of an anthem in the 1950's and 1960's, recorded by many of the leading artists of the
era.
(o) Bob Gibson (1956) (as "Bahamian Lullaby")
The first one in a row seems to be Bob Gibson, who recorded this
traditional tune in April 1956 for his album "Offbeat Folksongs" (Riverside
Records RLP 12-802).
He didn't use the familiar title "All My Trials" yet, his was titled "Bahamian Lullaby".
In the
Linernotes he says he "learned the arrangement from the singing of Erik Darling
of New York".
SEE BACKSLEEVE HERE: img (800×796)
Listen here: -Bahamian-Lullabye.mp3
Or here:
(c) Cynthia Gooding (1957) (as "All My Trials")
Cynthia Gooding was the
first one to use the more familiar title "All My Trials", in 1957 on her album
"Faithful Lovers and other Phenomena" (Elektra 107).
In the liner-notes Cynthia says:
"ALL MY TRIALS is supposed to be a white spiritual, that went to the British West Indies and returned with the lovely rhythm of the Islands to enhance its simple sentiments. There is a certain banality to the words which the music overcomes. I learned it from Erik Darling who is enchanted by it as are most singers, because of its rhythm, and in this case, because there is a chord he was always longing to use and which fits pefectly."
SEE LINERNOTES on the back of this album
Listen here:
(c) Glenn Yarbrough (1957) (as "All My Sorrows")
Glenn Yarbrough was the first one to give the song a love-song interpretation and re-titled it
"All My Sorrows".
Listen here:
(c) Billy Faier (1958) (as "Bahaman Lullaby")
According to his own site he
recorded "Bahaman Lullaby" in 1958 on the album: "Travelin' Man" (Riverside RLP
12-657).
In the liner-notes Billy says:
"I heard Erik Darling sing Bahaman Lullaby three or four times in the Spring of 1954. Two years later I thought of the song and spent the best of a month trying to remember it. The final result was quite different from Erik's version."
SEE LINERNOTES on the back of this album
SEE LINERNOTES on the back of this album
For
More Info See http://billyfaier.com/travman.htm
Listen here: billyfaier.com/travman320/04_Bahaman_Lullaby.mp3
Erik Darling, who, according to Bob Gibson, Cythia Gooding and Billy Faier, introduced the song in the US, also recorded a version with his group, the Tarriers.
The Tarriers' version (as "All My Trials") was recorded in 1956 or 1957, but not released at the time.
It was finally released in 2001, as an extra track on a re-recording of the first album of The Tarriers.
Listen here:
(c) Harry Belafonte (1958) (as "All My Trials")
Recorded in 1958 in New York and Hollywood.
Released in March 1959 on the next album
See ALSO: Albums 49-59
Listen here:
Kingston Trio's Bob
Shane and Nick Reynolds first came across "All My Trials" in a Los Angeles coffee house.
Later they heard Glenn Yarbrough, who would become lead singer of The Limeliters, give it a love-song
interpretation ("All My Sorrows"), and they kept that approach for their own adaptation in
1959.
(c) Kingston Trio (1959) (as "All My Sorrows")
Recorded February 17, 1959 in Capitol Recording Studio in New York City.
Released in April 1959 on the B-side of "M.T.A."
Listen here:
Not long after Dave Guard of
the Kingston Trio was claimed by cancer, Lindsey Buckingham did a cover version
of "All My Sorrows" for his 1992 album "Out Of The Cradle". Acknowledged as one of
the geniuses of modern Rock, the former Fleetwood Mac member learned many a
guitar lick from Kingston Trio records, and he considered Dave a good friend, as
well as a mentor. Said Lindsey "I thought that would just be something nice for
him."
(c) Lindsey Buckingham (1992) (as "All My Sorrows")
Listen here:
(c) Art and Paul (1960) (as "All My Trials")
Released February 1960 on the next album.
Listen here:
(c) Joan Baez (1960) (as "All My Trials")
Recorded July 1960 in New York City
Released on her debut albom
Here's a quote from that Joan Baez abum
This
spiritual-lullaby probably originated in the antebellum South, from where it was
transported to the West Indies. It appears to have died out in this country,
only to be discovered in the Bahamas. From there it was reintroduced to us,
eventually becoming one of the standards of the popular folk song
movement.
Listen here:
(c) Pete Seeger (1961) (as "All My Trials")
Released in 1961 on the album American Favorite Ballads vol 4.
Listen here:
The Shadows recorded the
song in 1961 (vocals by Jet Harris).
They literally followed the Kingston Trio's
version.
(c) Shadows (1961) (as "All My Sorows")
Listen here:
(c) Anita Carter (1963) (as "All My Trials")
Recorded October 22, 1962 in Columbia Recording Studio in Nashville, TN
Listen here:
(c) Peter, Paul & Mary (1963) (as "All My Trials")
Released October 1963
Listen here:
(c) Odetta (1963) (as "All My
Trials")
Released September 1063
Listen here:
In February 1964, Dick and Dee Dee's "All My Trials" debuted at No. 89 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for three weeks.
(c) Dick and Dee Dee (1963) (as "All My Trials")
Listen here:
In August 1971, Ray Stevens' "All My Trials" stayed on the Hot 100 for six weeks, peaking at No. 70 and stayed on the Easy Listening charts for eight weeks, peaking at No. 6
(c) Ray Stevens (1971) (as "All My Trials")
Listen here:
In the 1960's Nick Drake (together
with his sister Gabrielle) made a home recording of "All My Trials", which was released a few
decades later on the album Family Tree.
Listen here:
In 1971 Mickey Newbury
interpolated "All My Trials" in "An American Trilogy", which is in fact a medley of "Dixie", "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and "All My
Trials".
Newbury first recorded "An American Trilogy" for his 1971 album Frisco Mabel Joy.
The single taken from the album, reached No. 26 on the charts in 1972, and No. 9 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart.
(c) Mickey Newbury (1971) (as "An American Trilogy")
Recorded ca June 1971 in Nashville, TN
Listen here:
Presley began singing "An American Trilogy" in concert in January 1972; a live recording made the following month was released as a single by RCA Records.
Elvis's version didn't equal the US chart success of Newbury's single, reaching No. 66 late in 1972 and peaking at No. 31 on the Easy Listening chart. Elvis's recording was more successful in the UK, where it reached No. 8.
(c) Elvis Presley (1972) (as "An American Trilogy")
Recorded February 16, 1972 live in Las Vegas Hilton.
Listen here:
In December 1990, Paul McCartney's live version of "All My Trials" debuted at No. 35 and spent six weeks on the UK Singles Chart.
(c) Paul McCartney (1990) (as "All My Trials")
Also included on the British "Highlights" version of the Tripping the Live Fantastic live album.
Listen here:
More versions here:
Not to be confused with another traditional lullaby titled "Hush Little Baby" / "Mockingbird"
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