Good Friday

There is one song that I always associate with Good Friday, and it's no wonder that many other people do, too. It's called "Were You There," and the lyrics vary a lot because it's a Negro Spiritual and has been resung many times over generations. I think it's profoundly sad and beautiful when done right: the perfect tone for this day.

I found a wonderful recording of it. You can ignore the video, but it really is worth listening to the song. It took me a long time to find a recording that sounded the way I remembered hearing it. Absolutely beautiful:

Guimiliau
Uploaded by daniela-lucie

My favorite arrangement of the lyrics is as follows:

Were You There

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble,
Tremble
Tremble
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there when they nailed him to the Tree?
Were you there when they nailed him to the Tree?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble,
Tremble
Tremble
Were you there when they nailed him to the Tree?

Were you there when they pierced Him in the side?
Were you there when they pierced Him in the side?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble,
Tremble
Tremble
Were you there when they pierced Him in the side?

Were you there when the Sun refused to shine?
Were you there when the Sun refused to shine?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble,
Tremble
Tremble
Were you there when the Sun refused to shine?

Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble,
Tremble
Tremble
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?