Lord, I Want to Be a Christian

DESCRIPTION: "Lord, I want to be a Christian (more loving, more holy, like Jesus) in my heart (x2)" (repeat), "Lord, I want to be a Christian (more loving, more holy, like Jesus) in my heart"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1909 (Dett/Fenner/Rathbun/Cleveland-ReligiousFolkSongsOfTheNegro-HamptonInstitute)
KEYWORDS: nonballad religious Jesus
FOUND IN: US(Ap,SE)
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Gainer-FolkSongsFromTheWestVirginiaHills, pp. 218-219, "Lord, I Want to Be a Christian" (1 text, 1 tune)
Dett/Fenner/Rathbun/Cleveland-ReligiousFolkSongsOfTheNegro-HamptonInstitute, pp. 50-51, "Lord, I Want to Be a Christian" (1 text, 1 tune; p. 156 in the 1909 edition)
Work-FolkSongOfTheAmericanNegro, p. 131, "Lord, I Want to be a Christian" (1 text, 1 tune)
Harbin-Parodology, #346, p. 90, "Lord, I Want to Be a Christian" (1 text, 1 tune)
Rodeheaver-SociabilitySongs, p. 54, "Lord, I Want to Be a Christian" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #11966
NOTES [45 words]: According to LindaJo H. McKim, Presbyterian Hymnal Companion, Westminster/John Knox Press, 1993, p. 372, "The origin of this African-American spiritual has been traced to a 'Presbyterian environment' in Virginia during the ministry of Samuel Davies (1748-1759)." - RBW
Last updated in version 6.3
File: Dett050

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