Can't Cross Jordan

DESCRIPTION: Can't cross Jordan and you can't go around," with chorus "They've taken my Lord away, away... Oh, tell me where they've laid him." Also floating verses: "What kind of shoes does a Christian wear?" "As I went down in the valley to pray." Etc.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1922 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: religious nonballad floatingverses Jesus
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Brown/Belden/Hudson-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore3 558, "Can't Cross Jordan" (1 text plus a fragment)
Brown/Schinhan-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore5 558, "Can't Cross Jordan" (1 tune plus a text excerpt)
Roud #11879
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Christ Was Born in Bethlehem" (floating verses)
cf. "Down in the Valley to Pray" (floating verses)
cf. "What Kind of Crowns Do the Angels Wear?" (floating verses)
NOTES [114 words]: From the looks of this, the Brown text has swallowed up lyrics from almost everywhere. The chorus, "They've taken my Lord away, Tell me where they've laid him" is an allusion to John 20:13, 15.
The reference to Ezekiel walking into heaven defeats me; while Ezekiel probably holds the record for strange visions, there is no report of him going directly to heaven; that description fits only Enoch (Gen. 5:24), Elijah (2 Kings 2:11), and Jesus himself (Acts 1:9).
The rest of the song -- about 75% of the whole, in the Brown text -- is floating material. Some of it is fairly characteristic of particular songs (see the cross-references), but much is too generic even to classify. - RBW
Last updated in version 4.1
File: Br3558

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