![]() ![]() Luckily, itâs not hard to find other, higher quality, early recordings of that spiritual. The quality of those recordings ( take 1, take 2) is low, but they do provide solid context. Paul Oliver, in his 1984 Songsters and Saints: Vocal Traditions on Race Records, wrote of an early 20th century printed âballetâ broadside version called â Samson Tore The Building Down ⦠reminiscent in some respects of Wasnât That a Witness For My Lord â¦â While he doesnât provide the text of that broadside, Oliver cites a 1923 recording âunder a similar titleâ by the Paramount Jubilee Singers as being related. John Wesley Work published what could be described as a snippet of âSamsonâ in his 1915 Folk Song of the American Negro, as part of the lyrics to the spiritual âWitnessâ or âMy Soul is a Witness.â Unfortunately, Work provided no citation regarding his source. I havenât done a truly thorough search of other academic sources, but a cursory look reveals a few more clues in helping to understand the roots of âSamson.â Thereâs certainly more research to be done. ![]() Itâs only cataloged in the Roud Folksong index as #6700, with very few citations. Relative to many of the songs we consider here, surprisingly little in print exists concerning âSampson and Delilahâ or âIf I Had My Way.â (Iâll refer to the song generally as âSamsonâ from here on out.) Our standard sources for traditional folk music are sketchy at best on this one. << ![]()
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