Which one is your favorite? - XLVIII -

This week I chose an old traditional tune from the 19th century. It is a song that depicts the anguish of slaves torn from their families, their homeland, and even their own identities. An early performance of the song dates back to the 1870s by the Fisk Jubilee Singers. Commonly heard during the Civil rights movement in the United States, it has many variations and has been recorded widely.


Here is the song for this week;

"Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child"

The song is an expression of pain and despair as the singer compares their hopelessness to that of a child who has been torn from her or his parents. Under one interpretation, the repetition of the word "sometimes" offers a measure of hope, as it suggests that at least "sometimes" the singer does not feel like a motherless child.

The legendary Fisk Jubilee Singers of the 1870s who toured to raise money for Fisk College in Nashville, TN -- is a wonderful example of the rarer blues spiritual in both feeling and structure.

One of the most haunting African-American spirituals, “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child,” was likely borne out of heart-wrenching tragedy: the forcible separation of parent from child.

As Harriet Jacobs, an escaped slave, wrote: “On one of those sale days, I saw a mother lead seven children to the auction block. She knew that some of them would be taken from her; but they took all.


The children were sold to a slave-trader, and their mother was bought by a man in her own town. Before night her children were all far away. She begged the trader to tell her where he intended to take them; this he refused to do.”

The somber melody, the slowly processing, minor chords, convey a noble bleakness and mourning.

Why is “Motherless Child” so powerful?  Perhaps because the music and words acknowledge utter pain. And this truthful acknowledgment can help us transcend suffering.


Here are the 6 versions I picked for you;

• Odetta - "Motherless Child"

• Paul Robeson - "Motherless Child"

• Portishead & Tom Jones - "Motherless Child"

• Van Morrison - "Motherless Child"

• Martin Gore - "Motherless Child"

• Michael Kiwanuka - "Motherless Child"

Now the floor is yours, go ahead and make your comments (here, Instagram, Facebook wherever you feel like...).

nb. Please note that I intentionally do not include the original versions of the songs as it would be a little unfair to the artists covering the songs, and I am sure that sometimes you will be surprised to see that the songs you thought were the originals are just covers.