"There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified." Luke 2:8-9
Words: John Wesley Work, Jr., Folk Songs of the American Negro (Nashville, Tennessee: 1907).
Music: African-American spiritual
 Play MIDI | Link to obtain musical score info |
Refrain
Go, tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere
Go, tell it on the mountain,
That Jesus Christ is born.
While shepherds kept their watching
Over silent flocks by night
Behold throughout the heavens
There shone a holy light.
Refrain
The shepherds feared and trembled,
When lo! above the earth,
Rang out the angels chorus
That hailed the Savior's birth.
Refrain
Down in a lowly manger
The humble Christ was born
And God sent us salvation
That blessèd Christmas morn.
Refrain
