"Everybody Ought to Treat a Stranger Right" | |
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Single by Blind Willie Johnson | |
Released | c. 1930 |
Recorded | Atlanta, Georgia, April 20, 1930 |
Label | Columbia |
Songwriter(s) | Unknown |
"Everybody Ought to Treat a Stranger Right" is a gospel blues song recorded in 1930 by Blind Willie Johnson with backing vocals by Willie B. Harris, who may have been his first wife. [1] The song was released in 1930 on Columbia 14597 as B-side to " Go with Me to That Land". [2]
The chorus consists of the lines:
Everybody should treat a stranger right, long ways from home,
Everybody should treat a stranger right, a long way from home.
The verses comment on that idea, notably with reference to the Three Wise Men offering gifts to the Christ-child in the manger.[ citation needed]
In 2018, Ry Cooder recorded the song for his album The Prodigal Son. [3] He commented that it was "one of Blind Willie Johnson’s great songs – he’s the go to guy". [3]