This post provides lyrics and two videos of the civil rights song "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around" (Also given as "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'Round".)
The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
EDITOR'S NOTE ABOUT ADDING COMMENTS ON THIS BLOG
With considerable regret, I have disabled the comment feature on this blog (and on my other blogs except for https://pancocojams.blogspot.com, because of the large number of spam comments that I received on those blogs.
Comments for those blogs can be sent to my email address azizip17 dot com at yahoo dot com for possible inclusion in a specific post on those blogs.
****
LYRICS: AIN'T GONNA LET NOBODY TURN ME 'ROUND
Aint gonna let nobody
Turn me 'round
Turn me 'round
Aint gonna let nobody
Turn me round
I'm gonna keep on walkin'
Keep on talkin
Marchin into freedom land
[Follow the above pattern for other verses such as:
Aint gonna let (add the name a prominent segregationist or a racist public figure).
Aint gonna let no jailhouse
Aint gonna let no policeman
-snip-
*Notice that the end of the first line allows for improvisation.
****
THE SOURCE OF THIS CIVIL RIGHTS SONG
Latest revision -September 19, 2024
The African American civil rights song "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'Round" is based on an African American Spiritual or early Gospel song* entitled "Don't Let Nobody Turn Me Round". A version of that song was included in the 1940 book Negro Folk Songs (proofs from American Negro Songs and Spirituals) edited by John W. Work.
Here's the lyrics to that version:
DON'T YOU LET NOBODY TURN YOU AROUND
Traditional (African American) Spiritual
CHO:
Don't you let nobody turn you aroun',
Turn you aroun', turn you aroun',
Don't you let nobody turn you aroun',
Keep the straight an' the narrow way.
VERSES:
I was at the river of Jordan,
Baptism was begun,
b
John baptized the multitude,
But he sprinkled nary a one.
The baptis' they go by water,
The methodes' go by lan',
But when they get to heaven
They'll shake each other's han'.
You may be a good baptis'
An' a good methodes' as well,
But if you ain't the pure in heart
Yo' soul is boun' for hell.
SOURCE:
American Negro Songs, John W. Work, Dover Publications.
Like other civil rights songs, the words to "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me "Round" aren't fixed. However, that civil rights song was sung in unison which means that those singing it knew in advance which verses were to be sung, and in which order the verses were sung. In contrast, the earliest renditions of the Gospel song probably were sung using a call & response pattern.
-snip-
* I follow what I think is the general rule that any song that was composed after the end of the 19th century isn't a Spiritual even if its structure is the same as or similar to the structure of Spirituals. Instead of categorizing them as Spirituals, those post 19th centuryBlack American religious songs are considered to be "early Gospel" songs".
Most Gospel songs, including early Gospel songs, usually have a known composer/s. I've not found any information about the composer/s of "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn You Round". However, whether "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'Round" is a Spiritual or an early Gospel song doesn't change the fact that most versions of it are probably in the public domain.
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/06/aint-gonna-let-nobody-turn-me-round.html for two videos of Gospel versions of "Don't Let Nobody Turn You Round" - one by The Fairfield Four from the 1980s and one sung by Albertina Walker. The Fairfield Four first recorded this song in 1947. I'm not sure about the recording date for that Albertina Walker video. But I think it was in the early 2000s.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS
These videos are presented in chronological order based on their posting date on YouTube with the oldest dated video given first.
Example #1: Joan Baez -Marching up to freedom land
Mata Pöze, Uploaded on Aug 4, 2006
Joan baez singing acapella
****
Example #2: Selma lord Selma-ain't gonna let nobody turn me around
0bigcat, Published on Mar 9, 2012
-snip-
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selma,_Lord,_Selma
"Selma, Lord, Selma is a 1999 American film based on true events that happened in March 1965, known as Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama. The film tells the story through the eyes of an 11-year-old African American girl named Sheyann Webb (Jurnee Smollett). It premiered as a television movie on ABC on January 17, 1999.
****
Example #3: The Freedom Singers Perform at the White House
infomisa, Published on Sep 16, 2012
****
Example #4: Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around
Justiciarodante, Sweet Honey In The Rock, Published on Apr 24, 2014
Music : "Ain' Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'Round" by Sweet Honey In The Rock, James Horner
****
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/06/aint-gonna-let-nobody-turn-me-round.html for additional videos of the civil rights song "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around".
****
Thanks for visiting this Civil Rights Songs blog.
Viewer comments are welcome.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.