I'm Gwine Home on de Mornin' Train - North Carolina Digital History

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Lyrics

I’m goin’ home on the morning train
Well I’m goin’ home on the morning train
I’m goin’ home on the morning train
If you don’t see me you can hear me singing
All of my sins been taken away, taken away

Sister Mary wore three lengths of chain
Sister Mary she wore three lengths of chain
Sister Mary she wore three lengths of chain
Every length was Jesus’ name
All of my sins been taken away, taken away

The tallest tree in paradise
Tallest tree in paradise
Tallest tree in paradise
The Christians call it the tree of life,
All of my sins been taken away, taken away

Jordan deep, and Jordan wide
Jordan deep, and Jordan wide
Jordan deep, and Jordan wide
Chill my body but not my soul
All of my sins been taken away, taken away

Next: Long Way to Travel

Contents: Antebellum North Carolina

Chapter 6: Music and the arts

Next: Long Way to Travel
Previous: The Gospel Train

As you read

“I’m Gwine Home on de Mornin’ Train” is an African American spiritual from the John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip collection at the Library of Congress.

John Lomax was a folklorist and musicologist (person who studies music) who traveled throughout the U.S. making field recordings of American folk music. In 1939, he and his wife, Ruby Lomax, made a trip through the southern states and recorded more than 300 performers, representing a diverse array of traditional musical styles, including ballads, blues, children’s songs, cowboy songs, fiddle tunes, field hollers, lullabies, play-party songs, religious dramas, spirituals, and work songs.

“I’m Gwine Home on de Mornin’ Train” is a folk spiritual, part of an African American song tradition that arose during slavery. Spirituals were created by slaves using elements of African music such as clapping, drumming, repetition of lyrics, and call-and-response to express their religion and their experiences as slaves.

Questions to consider

We know that many of these songs were sung by people as they worked. Think about the tempo and the tone of this song. How might this song have encouraged people to continue working even though they were tired or discouraged?
These spirituals contained references to Christianity, but also to slavery. In what ways could the lyrics have referred to experiences of slavery?