Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord) | Traditional Lenten Spiritual Hymn | Choir w/ Lyrics

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Description

"Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord)" is an African-American spiritual that was first printed in 1899 and normally sung during the Lenten Season and during Good Friday Services.

The series of questions that forms the basis of the song is obviously not meant to be taken literally; none of us were physically present at the passion of Christ. Rather, the questions are meant to function as a form of anamnesis. From the Greek, anamnesis literally means to remember. Yet, it is much more than simple mental recall of an event. It calls the community to remember the past to the present, to bring these historic events to bear on the now and make them part of our story. “Were You There” is a song that is meant to bring the past events of Christ’s suffering and death into the present and transform us in its light. (From https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-were-you-there)

Recorded live by the Sunday 7pm Choir and the SFDS Combined Choir at St. Francis de Sales Parish in Ajax, Ontario, Canada. Thank you for listening and God bless! 🙏

Lyrics:

1. 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?

2. 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?

3. 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?

4. 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?

5. 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?

6. Were you there when he rose up from the grave?
Were you there when he rose up from the grave?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when he rose up from the grave?

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#jesus
#lent
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#ashwednesday
#holythursday
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Thank you for listening to Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord) | Traditional Lenten Spiritual Hymn | Choir w/ Lyrics