Monday, May 11, 2009

Rocka my soul

On the Radio 4 Daily Service one day last week presenter John Forrest referred to a children’s rhyme which went “Too high, you can’t get over it …”

I was flummoxed for a moment

Surely it was what we once used to call a Negro Spiritual, but would probably these days call Gospel?

There was quite a lot of communal singing in my childhood, often unaccompanied. We used to do a lot of it in the car, with my parents, who I think particularly learned the habit during wartime army service

And then there were Brownies & Guides. Singing round the campfire (literally) or at the close of every meeting. Spirituals were a particularly popular part of the repertoire



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