Down to the Mire

DESCRIPTION: Each of the ring-shouters in turn is addressed by name and told "you must come down to the mire." "Jesus been down to the mire." "Lower, lower, to the mire"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1942 (Parrish-SlaveSongsOfTheGeorgiaSeaIslands)
KEYWORDS: nonballad religious Jesus
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Parrish-SlaveSongsOfTheGeorgiaSeaIslands 10, pp. 71-73, "Down To de Mire" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES [70 words]: Parrish-SlaveSongsOfTheGeorgiaSeaIslands: "In the center of the ring, one member gets down on his knees and, with head touching the floor, rotates with the group as it moves around the circle. The different shouters, as they pass, push the head 'down to the mire.'" Parish recognizes that "shout" in this context is "a semi-religious survival of African dancing - not a vocal performance as the name implies" (p. 13). - BS
Last updated in version 4.1
File: Parr010

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