Dorothy Love Coates & the Original Gospel Harmonettes - Get Away Jordan

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases a sound file of & song lyrics for Dorothy Love Coates & The Original Gospel Harmonettes' rendition of "Get Away Jordon". Brief information and links to information about this Gospel singer and Gospel group are also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for historical, religious, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

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INFORMATION & COMMENTS ABOUT THE GOSPEL SONG "GET AWAY JORDAN"
"Get Away Jordan" as sung by Dorothy Love Coates & the Original Gospel Harmonettes is a gospelized Spiritual, meaning that the song's tune & some of its lyrics are based on the traditional African American Spiritual of that name. Given that the Gospel versions of "Get Away Jordan" date from the 1950s, this song would be considered "real old school Gospel". In this context and in most contexts, "old school" isn't the same as "old fashioned" since it doesn't have the same negative connotations as "old fashioned". My sense is that "real old school Gospel" is African American Gospel music from the 1950s (and before that) and the 1960s while "old school Gospel" is African American Gospel music from the 1960s to the 1990s. That said, some might even categorize Gospel music from the 1990s as "old school".

In my opinion, gospelized versions of "Get Away Jordan" is much more familiar to African Americans than traditional Spiritual versions. However, regrettably, it seems to me that many even church going African Americans are no longer very familiar with old school Gospel songs such as "Get Away Jordan".

Click http://www.negrospirituals.com/news-song/get_away_jordan.htm for a version of the traditional lyrics to the Spiritual "Get Away Jordan".

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INFORMATION ABOUT DOROTHY LOVE COATES & THE ORIGINAL GOSPEL HARMONETTES
Click for information about Dorothy Love Coates (January 30, 1928 –April 9, 2002). According to that article, this group's rendition of "Get Away Jordan" was recorded in 1951.

Also, click
http://books.google.com/books?id=tDYftTBTFyEC&pg=PA92&lpg=PA92&dq=who+wrote+get+away+jordan&source=bl&ots=eWZx9z5Da3&sig=mvRjbWmvx3q6e35U0VvbEURBauQ&hl=en&sa=X&ei=hMYgUdroOOnC0QHFpYCADg&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=who%20wrote%20get%20away%20jordan&f=false Uncloudy Days: The Gospel Music Encyclopedia By Bill Carpenter for information about Dorothy Love Coates.

This entry in this Gospel encyclopedia indicates that Dorothy Love Coates & the Original Gospel Harmonettes sung a cover of Roberta Martin's "Get Away Jordan", with an additional verse written by Dorothy Love Coates. This song was a hit, but Dorothy received no credit for that added verse. "As the song took off, making money for the label, the songwriter, and everyone involved with it but her, Coates decided to write her own songs.
-snip-
Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXmMI-uYY_s for a video iploaded by ArtistIncorporated that is entitled "Dorothy Love Coates - Short History".

FEATURED SOUND FILE
Dorothy Love Coates & The Original Gospel Harmonettes Get Away Jordon



Cutepreacher, Uploaded on Apr 1, 2008

Dorothy Love Coates and the Original Gospel Harmonettes Give us some Birmingham flavor. HTe audience goes crazy!!

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LYRICS - GET AWAY JORDAN (as performed in the sound file by Dorothy Love Coates & The Original Gospel Harmonettes)
Spoken Introduction:
Leader talking while the rest of the group hums & sings softly in the background:
When I get there, I know He’ll be standing there and saying
“Well done, my good and faithful servant.
He said “Come unto Me and rest.”
Then I’m gonna take off this cross that I worne down through the years and stick my sword in the sand of time and study war no more.
I’m gonna look around me, but I won’t have to look for Jesus ‘cause I know that He’s gonna be there.
Then I’m just gonna stand and put one foot on the chilly banks of Jordan and say “Get away, Jordan, now, I wanna cross over to see my Lord.

(Leader) Get Away
Get Away Jordan
(Leader) Get Away
Get Away Old Chilly Jordan
(Leader) Oh! Get Away
Get Away Jordan
I wanna cross over to see my Lord

(((((((Repeat))))))

(Leader) You know I promised the Lord if He would set me free
Yes I wanna cross over to see my Lord
(Leader) I'll go on and find out what the end might be
Yes I wanna cross over to see my Lord

(Leader)One day, one day as I was walking along
Yes, I wanna cross over to see my Lord
(Leader)Yea, you know I heard a voice but I saw no one
Yes, I wanna cross over to see my Lord
(Leader)You know the voice I heard sounded so sweet chile
Yes, I wanna cross over to see my Lord
(Leader) It came down from my head to the sole of my feet
Yes, I wanna cross over to see my Lord

(Leader) Get Away
Get Away Jordan
(Leader) Get Away
Get Away, Old Chilly Jordan
(Leader) Oh! Get Back
Get back Jordan
Yes, I wanna cross over to see my Lord

(Leader)You know one of these mornings it won't be long
Yes, I wanna cross over to see my Lord
(Leader) You gonna look for me, chile, and I'll be gone
Yes, I wanna cross over to see my Lord
(Leader) But a few more risings and settings of the sun
Yes, I wanna cross over to see my Lord
(Leader)This old battle be fought and the victory won
Yes, I wanna cross over to see my Lord

(Leader) You know the friends that I used to love so dear
Yes, I wanna cross over to see my Lord
(Leader) They've gone on to Glory and left me here
Yes, I wanna cross over to see my Lord

(Leader) When my feet gets cold, my eyes are shut, my body's been chilled by the hand of death.
Tongue glued to the roof of my mouth, my hands lay folded across my breast, You don't have to worry about the I felt, God Almighty done told me he'll be right there. Pick me up o'er His wings of love, and carry my soul to the Heaven up above. They tell that Jordan is deep and wide, but I promise Mother I'll see her on the other side.

(Leader) Get Away
Get Away Jordan
(Leader) Get Away
Get Away, Old Chilly Jordan
(Leader) Oh! Get Back
Get back Jordan
Yes, I wanna cross over to see my Lord

(((((((Repeat))))))

Lyrics from http://www.music-lyrics-gospel.com/gospel_music_lyrics/get_away_jordan_12575.asp
with the addition of the word "Yes" to the line "I wanna cross over to see my Lord", and the capitolization of the word "he" for Jesus. I also transcribed the introduction to this song. Corrections & additions are welcome.

RELATED LINK
Click http://www.amazon.com/Uncloudy-Days-Gospel-Music-Encyclopedia/dp/B004JZWRVW for information about the book Uncloudy Days: The Gospel Music Encyclopedia by Bill Carpenter.

Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qmUE4orjHw for a sound file of Mahalia Jackson singing a different version of the Gospel song "Get Away Jordan".

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to the composers of this song. My thanks to Dorothy Love Coates & the Original Gospel Harmonettes for their musical legacy. My thanks also to the quoted transcriber of this song, and the uploader of this featured sound file.

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