Sit Down, Servant, and Rest A Little While

DESCRIPTION: See notes for format. Verses "Sit down servant," "I know you're tired," "I know you've been talked about," "I know you've been lied on," "You've come a mighty long way"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1926 (recording, Rev. J. M. Gates)
KEYWORDS: nonballad religious worksong
FOUND IN: US(SE)
Roud #12096
RECORDINGS:
Rev. J. M. Gates, "Sit Down, Servant, and Rest A Little While" (OKeh 8398, 1926)
Rev. Timothy Hayes and Group, "Sit Down Servant" (on VaWork)
NOTES [69 words]: VaWork is an oyster shucking work song. In this case the song is call-and-response. That is: a verse is a one-line call and the response is "sit down"; that is repeated three times, followed by the line "Why don't you sit down and rest a little while" where at least "sit down and rest a little while" is sung by all the workers. Singers work to their own rhythm rather than working to the rhythm of the singing. - BS
Last updated in version 4.2
File: RcOK8398

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