Go Tell It on the Mountain | John W. Work, Evan A. Grant | A Cappella/SATB Hymn

Lyricist: John W. Work, altered by Evan A. Grant (2023)
Composer: Traditional, arrangement by Evan A. Grant (2023)
The first known appearance of this hymn in any form was in Religious Folk Songs of the Negro (1909). In this printing, it had two verses in unison (except the last measure) and a chorus in harmony. The circumstances behind the song are unclear. This collection was “arranged by the musical directors of The Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute” (Hampton University, Virginia).
The song also has a history at Fisk University, although its presence there is more ambiguous. In spite of the song’s reported favor on campus, it did not appear in a Fisk collection until it was included in American Negro Songs and Spirituals (1940), and in that case, the verses had been rewritten by John W. Work II (1872-1925) because the original ones “could not be found.” These three new verses are the ones typically printed in hymnals and song books.
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~Lyrics~
[CHORUS]
Go tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and all across the land;
Go tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is Lord.
1. As shepherds all were watching
While in the night’s embrace,
A light came down from heaven
And filled the skies with grace.
(So we will)
[CHORUS]
2. The shepherds stood in wonder
As angel voices told
The birth of our dear Savior,
Whose name we now behold.
(So we will)
[CHORUS]
3. The wise men ran to meet Him
With hearts that were aflame;
At last, when they saw Jesus
They praised His holy name.
(So we will)
[CHORUS 2X]
That Jesus Christ is Lord.
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