Were You There?

words and music unknown

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

Were you there when he rose up from the dead?
Were you there when he rose up from the dead?
Sometimes I feel like shouting ‘Glory, glory, glory!’
Were you there when he rose up from the dead?

Were You There? was first published in William Eleazar Barton’s 1899 Old Plantation Hymns.

This six verse version, is taken from Presbyterian Book of Praise 1997, Hymn # 233. Other Versions exist.

The Paul Robeson recording, see link below, is of verses one and five, and is my favourite recording, and extra memorable as we saw him live playing Othello in April 1959 at The Shakespeare Theatre, in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. peterw