Let Us Break Bread Together

DESCRIPTION: "Let us break bread together on our knees (x2), When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun, O Lord have mercy on me." "Let us drink win together on our knees...." "Let us praise God together on our knees."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1926 (see NOTES)
KEYWORDS: religious nonballad
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Averill-CampSongsFolkSongs, p. 383, "Let Us Break Bread Together" (notes only)
SongsOfManyNations, "Let Us Break Bread Together" (1 text, 1 tune) (12th edition, p. 60)
Roud #16667
ALTERNATE TITLES:
When I Fall On My Knees
NOTES [356 words]: I checked three different hymnal references, all of which agreed that this was a Black spiritual, probably dating back to the nineteenth century -- possibly earlier. All suspected that the current third verse, "Let us praise God together on our knees," was probably originally the first verse, and the current first and second verses were added later to convert it to a communion song. Despite their hypotheses, none of the books seem able to trace it back prior to a reference in 1953. Neither does hymnary.org appear to have any versions from before c. 1950, even though (as of December 2021) it lists it as found in 101 hymnals. There does seem to be an earlier version, from Johnson and Johnson's 1926 Second Book of Negro Spirituals, but it's still a pretty thin paper trail.
Theologically there is much that is suspect here. There are instances of kneeling in the New Testament, usually in supplication to Jesus (e.g. a leper kneels before Jesus to ask for healing in Mark 1:40; the mother of James and John kneels before Jesus to ask preference for her sons in Matthew 20:20); also, Romans 14:11 implies that people will kneel before God when they are judged. But it is no Biblical demand that people kneel in worship or any other ritual (although some denominations include it in their ritual). There is no hint whatsoever that kneeling is required for the eucharist, although a lot of denominations seem to design their churches to facilitate kneeling. But all the hymnal companions denied that it is required.
Despite all those peculiar problems, this seems to have become one of the most popular communion hymns. Nonetheless I was surprised to find Averill citing it; it's not one of the easier hymns (usually being played slowly, and with a range of an octave and a third), and I've never thought the tune very memorable. Also, camps generally weren't in a good position to serve communion; while many Scout-type organizations were explicitly, even blatantly, Christian, communion practices are one of the strongest distinctions drawn between sects, so it would be hard to serve communion at a non-denominational camp. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.3
File: ACSF383L

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