Go Wash in the Beautiful Stream

DESCRIPTION: "Go wash in the beautiful stream, Go wash in the beautiful stream, Oh, Naaman, oh, Naaman, Go down and wash, Go wash in the beautiful stream."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1928 (Chappell)
KEYWORDS: religious Bible river
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Brown/Belden/Hudson-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore3 575, "Go Wash in the Beautiful Stream" (1 fragment)
Chappell-FolkSongsOfRoanokeAndTheAlbermarle 97, "O Naaman" (1 fragment, 1 tune)
Roud #7875
NOTES [119 words]: An allusion to 2 King 5. Naaman, a soldier of Damascus, comes to Israel seeking a cure for his leprosy. He is eventually referred to the prophet Elisha. Elisha tells him to wash himself in the Jordan. Naaman argues, asking why he can't wash in the rivers of Damascus, but eventually does as he's told and is cured.
Naaman did have something of a point: The Jordan valley is not "beautiful"; it is drab, dusty, and very, very hot.
Roud lumps this with "Go Wash in that Beautiful Pool," but I really don't see it. This is about Naaman the Syrian in the Hebrew Bible. The Beautiful Pool, if it refers to anything, is from the New Testament. The forms of the text are similar, but there is nothing unusual about that! - RBW
Last updated in version 4.0
File: Br3575

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