"O Mary Don't You Weep"

I took Tony's advice to abstract my projects and not be so literal. The result of that was interesting because I feel that this week's work has many, many different ways it can be interpreted other than how I intended at first, which I find successful. My original intention was to illustrate the waters moses split for the Hebrew children while standing on the "Red Sea shore" as described in the song. The waters are meant to resemble Mary's tears from her weeping. While still looking at it and listening to the song, I saw it in another perspective - the land in the middle of the waters could be a light leading up to the yellow at the top, which would be Heaven; "When I get to Heaven, gonna sing and shout, Nobody up there to put me out!" Then, a final thought I had was back to the line that sings, "No more water but fire next time," the water is flowing out and the red beach is following it for next time. 

Of the different versions of "O Mary Don't You Weep," my favorite was by  Mississippi John Hurt because of its smooth sound through the song. For the wild cards, Max Romeo might have changed the lyrics of the song to "Oh children, don't you weep, don't you moan ,We shall overcome some day" because maybe he is giving hope to the youth who have not experienced what their ancestors have. This does not necessarily change the meaning of the song because both versions work to liberate a group from what confines them. 

In the Gomorra's' version, the feeling is one that I can't put a word on but it sounds more underground, like a great traveling band. One of the singers says that someone (I could not make it out) drowned in the fire - rather than Pharoah's army... but even the "O Mary Don't You Weep"  version in the tan book doesn't specify if they drowned in the water or fire, I just assumed. The meaning is different from fire versus water in that fire would indicate burning, possibly in hell, while water would have been from Moses closing the sides in. In "O Mary Don't You Weep" it does say "No more water but fire next time" so perhaps that is it!

I did some exploring of Alan Lomax's notes for the Library of Congress Tony posted. I listened to the song "Run Old Jeremiah," which is s gospel ring-shout. The recording is so interesting and not what I envisioned from only reading the lyrics. Ring-shouts were a result of dancing being "taboo for church members" and not allowed (Lomax). I also found that the ring-shout was utilized also as an emotional release for the Blacks in the South and of course an activity that requires group participation. Ring-shouts seem to create an inclusive community and weave around the rules (such as not being aloud to dance) to produce a new form of music that is their own.

Run Old Jeremiah (click here)

In Souls of Black Folk, "Sorrow Songs," W.E.B DuBois expresses that the songs of the slaves are THE songs of America. At the end of this chapter he asked a question that got me thinking: "Would America have been America without her Negro people?" Maybe the question shouldn't be answered. But I will say one thing, that is, history sculpts a country and the sculptor of America has an enigmatic way of creating this country. 

According to DuBois, Black people in the South come to know these biblical passages by the songs being sung though generation after generation. Lomax told that music and religion were saved through this generational stream where these non-material entities "were almost impossible to eradicate" because of the strong legacy held by the African Americans (Lomax, 16). This inability of the White Western man to completely erase the history of the Blacks gives an idea of the strong cultural heritage they were able to hold on to. 

The passages on Mary and Martha from the New Testament merges closely with the verses from the Old Testament. The first passage for the Old and New Testament both give Mary approval to listen to the Lord rather than lose herself in trying to do chores, like Martha. The second passage follows a similar theme although in a new setting. Martha is again doing chores by serving dinner where she serves the Lord but also Lazarus since he is at the table as well. Mary decides to use a special oil to wipe the Lord's feet with her hair and spreading the smell of the oil through the house. Mary's action act to serve only the Lord (not Lazarus) but then the fragrance spreads through the house, which may be beneficial to the others, indirectly done by Mary.

Heures d'Étienne Chevalier by Jean Fouquet
1452-1460

These two Mary and Martha passages may have entered into the meanings of "Oh Mary Don't You Weep" because of the spiritual ties with Israel since both the Jewish and Black peoples have been two groups that have suffered greatly. My idea of another more specific relation could be that the discrimination of the slaves merged with the character of Mary in the song. "Mary wore three links of chain, Every link was Freedom's name" - here Mary could be a slave who is a strong figure that knows what is right or what should be done, just like the Mary in the verses from the Old and New Testaments. Mary is weeping in the song maybe because too many people have taken actions like Martha and fail to seem what is in front of them, which is the Lord. It can imply that taking care of the Lord will aid in taking care of one's own life. 

I had to do a bit of outside research since I am not familiar with biblical characters; I found out that Moses was the leader of the Jewish people after they were freed from slavery in Egypt. I also found on MudCat a discussion on "O Mary Don't You Weep" and one commenter said that Moses is a figure of liberation in Black tradition. I came across an article on Martin Luther King Jr. It said that MLK and Moses both saw "the promised land;" I have heard of this connection before but never gave it much thought until now and the connection is very appropriate. 

The verses from the Old and New Testament merge to tell the same story with the New Testament building on the principles of the Old Testament but makes some aspects slightly different in the way their meaning can be unfolded. In the last lines the Old Testament describes the smell of the oil Mary uses on Jesus' feet as the "odor of the ointment" while the New Testament says "fragrance of the oil." The New Testament makes a more positive statement about it compared to the New Testament. Overall the verses merge fluidly together. This merging might be related to the lives of Black people in the American South in the time of slavery because pieces of their lives were kept through the songs they sang to preserve their meanings for the next generations. Over time, some of the songs of the slaves in the South would show "signs of development" (DuBois, 180) but still brought the same lessons and spiritual upbringing they were intended when created. This is similar to the Old and New Testament since they are different versions carrying the same message. 

The passage on Pharoah's Army at the Red Sea connects to "O Mary Don't You Weep" because the Black gospel singers could probably see themselves as the Hebrew children from the passage and then referenced to in the song. In "O Mary Don't You Weep," the final lines say "one of these day in the middle of the night, People gonna rise and set things right," which I am certain refers back to the first lines of Pharoah's Army at the Red Sea where it was "a cloud and darkness" between the camps of the Egyptians and Israelis. The gospel song is hoping  that one day the Blacks can also have things set right for them as did the Hebrew children. 

I found this image after I made my project and see a lot of similarities, especially if I squint my eyes.

After watching the videos, I want to say that times have changed, but in the context of African Americans' battle with discrimination, it is difficult for me say yes or no since I am an outsider looking in on those battles. Comparatively to the past, yes times have changed because in the present we have laws that prohibit discrimination by race. But then looking through the laws in place it is apparent that law cannot change peoples' old ways of thinking. In the video "James Baldwin: the Price of the Ticket," there is an interview with Baldwin and he explains his impoverished childhood, and in an excerpt read from his writings he said he was aware that he was black and hoped he could just his intelligence for something in the world. Then in the "James Baldwin vs. William F. Buckley" video he points out again that African Americans were taught to believe they had no history, implying the difficulty to establish themselves. Today, African Americans have succeed beyond what Baldwin is implying in that particular writing - that African Americans can use what they have to achieve their goals. In that respect, times have changed.