Go And Dig My Grave

DESCRIPTION: "Go and dig my grave both long and narrow, Make my coffin neat and strong... Two, two to my head, two, two to my feet, Two to carry me, Lord,when I die." "My soul's gonna shine lie a star... I'm bound for heaven when I die."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1893 (Edwards-BahamaSongsAndStories)
KEYWORDS: religious nonballad
FOUND IN: West Indies(Bahamas)
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Edwards-BahamaSongsAndStories 18, "Dig My Grave Long and Narrow" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax/Lomax-OurSingingCountry, pp. 90-93, "Dig My Grave" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber/Silber-FolksingersWordbook, p. 350, "Dig My Grave" (1 text)
DT, GO&DIG
Roud #15633
RECORDINGS:
Unidentified men from Andros Island, "Dig My Grave" (AAFS 502 B1, 1935; on LomaxCD1822-2)
David Pryor, Henry Lundy et al, "Dig My Grave" (AFS, 1935; on LC05)
John Roberts & group, "Dig My Grave Both Long and Narrow" (on MuBahamas2)
Pete Seeger, "Dig My Grave" (on PeteSeeger04)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Little Beggar Boy" (floating verses)
NOTES [60 words]: Fred W. Allsopp, in Folklore of Romantic Arkansas, Volume II, p. 159, reports an item in Harper's Magazine in 1878 with the chorus
Soul shall shine lak a star in de mornin',
Soul shall shine lak a star in de mornin';
Oh, my little soul's gwine to rise an' shine,
Oh, my little soul's gwine to rise an' shine.
Whether that is related to this I do not know. - RBW
Last updated in version 4.2
File: FSWB350B

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