From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Keep Your Lamp(s) Trimmed and Burning " is a traditional
gospel blues song. It alludes to the
Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins , found in the
Gospel of Matthew at
25:1-13 , and also to a verse in the
Gospel of Luke , at
12:35 .
The song has been attributed to
Blind Willie Johnson , who recorded it in 1928; to
Reverend Gary Davis , who recorded it in 1956; and to
Mississippi Fred McDowell , who recorded it in 1959.
The song has been included in several
hymnals .
[1]
Lyrics
The song is in
call-and-response format. As is common with traditional songs, lyrics vary between performers – in this instance, often very widely. A usual first verse is:
Keep your lamp(s) trimmed and burning,
The world (or "work") is nearly done (or "The time is drawing nigh")
"The world" and "the time" relate to the
apocalyptic
prophecies of the
New Testament . "The work" can do so also, but suggests that the song may derive from an African-American
work song .[
citation needed ]
Recordings
Blind Willie Johnson's 1928 recording of the song
Recordings by people with Wikipedia articles include:
1928 –
Blind Willie Johnson
[2]
1956 –
Reverend Gary Davis
[3]
1959 –
Mississippi Fred McDowell
[4]
1967 –
Skip James
[5]
1970 –
Hot Tuna , on the album
Hot Tuna
1970 –
Wizz Jones , on the album
The Legendary Me
1971 –
Hot Tuna , on the album
First Pull Up, Then Pull Down
[6]
1975 –
Pearly Brown , on the album
It's a Mean Old World to Try to Live In
1975 –
John Fahey and his Orchestra, on the album
Old Fashioned Love
1978 – Hot Tuna, on the album
Double Dose
1984 – Hot Tuna, on the album
Splashdown
1986 –
Hot Rize , on the album
Traditional Ties
1990 –
Kaiser /
Mansfield , on the 1990 album Trimmed & Burnin'
[7]
1993 – Wizz Jones, on the album
Late Nights and Long Days
1995 –
Corey Harris , on the album Between Midnight and Day
1996 – Hot Rize, on the 2002 album So Long of a Journey: Live at the Bouder Theater
[8]
2001 –
The Word , on the album
The Word
2002 –
Andrew Bird , on the album
Fingerlings
2008 –
The 77s , on the album
Holy Ghost Building
2008 –
Catfish Keith , on the album Live at the Half Moon
2011 – Catfish Keith, on the album A True Friend is Hard To Hard: A Gospel Retrospective
2013 –
Luke Winslow-King on the album The Coming Tide
2013 –
Marisa Anderson on the album Traditional and Public Domain Songs
2015 –
Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams, on the album Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams
2016 – Hugh and
Katy Moffatt , on the album Now and Then
2016 –
Derek Trucks and
Susan Tedeschi , on the album God Don't Never Change: The Songs Of Blind Willie Johnson
2016 –
Red Molly , on the album Love and Other Tragedies
2023 –
Nefesh Mountain
See also
References