Zaccheus Climbed the Sycamore Tree
DESCRIPTION: "Zaccheus climbed the sycamo' tree, Few days, few days! Zaccheus climbed the sycamo' tree, Few days, get along home. Oh, he's way up yondeh...." "Zaccheus climbed his lord fo' to see."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1925 (Scarborough)
KEYWORDS: Jesus religious
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Scarborough-OnTheTrailOfNegroFolkSongs, p. 200, "Zaccheus Climbed the Sycamo' Tree" (1 text); cf. p. 286, "(Zaccheus)" (1 short text)
Finger-FrontierBallads, p. 165, "(no title)" (1 short text)
Roud #8871
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Few Days" (lyrics)
NOTES [80 words]: Zaccheus (more properly transliterated Zakchaios; in most modern translations, Zacchaeus) is mentioned in Luke 19:1-10; he was a short tax collector who climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus. Jesus went on to have dinner with him and declare him saved due to his charity -- a particularly noteworthy statement, given how reviled tax collectors were at the time.
This is doubtless inspired at least in part by "Few Days," but it has been adapted enough to list as a separate song. - RBW
Last updated in version 4.0
File: ScNF200A
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