TYWKIWDBI ("Tai-Wiki-Widbee"): "Sinnerman" (Nina Simone)

YouTube link.

While watching Hunt for the Wilderpeople a couple nights ago, I heard this song in the soundtrack, and remembered hearing it in The Thomas Crown Affair. Found more information at Wikipedia:

"Sinner Man" or "Sinnerman" is accepted as an African American traditional spiritual song that has been recorded by a number of performers and has been incorporated in many other of the media and arts. The lyrics describe a sinner attempting to hide from divine justice on Judgement Day. It was recorded in the 1950s by Les Baxter, the Swan Silvertones, the Weavers and others, before Nina Simone recorded an extended version in 1965...

Simone learned the lyrics of this English song in her childhood when it was used at revival meetings by her mother, a Methodist minister, to help people confess their sins. In the early days of her career during the early sixties, when she was heavily involved in the Greenwich Village scene, Simone often used the long piece to end her live performances.

Reposted from 2016 to add the lyrics;

Oh, sinnerman, where you gonna run to?
Sinnerman where you gonna run to?
Where you gonna run to?
All on that day
We got to run to the rock
Please hide me, I run to the rock
Please hide me, run to the rock
Please hide here
All on that day
But the rock cried out
I can't hide you, the rock cried out
I can't hide you, the rock cried out
I ain't gonna hide you there
All on that day
I said rock
What's the matter with you rock?
Don't you see I need you, rock?
Good Lord, Lord
All on that day
So I run to the river
It was bleedin', I run to the sea
It was bleedin', I run to the sea
It was bleedin', all on that day
So I run to the river
It was boilin', I run to the sea
It was boilin', I run to the sea
It was boilin', all on that day

So I run to the Lord
Please hide me, Lord
Don't you see me prayin'?
Don't you see me down here prayin'?
But the Lord said
Go to the Devil, the Lord said
Go to the Devil
He said go to the Devil
All on that day
So I ran to the Devil
He was waitin', I ran to the Devil
He was waitin', ran to the Devil
He was waitin', all on that day
I cried, power, power (power, Lord)
Power (power, Lord)
Power (power, Lord)
Power (power, Lord)
Power (power, Lord)
Power (power, Lord)
Power (power, Lord)
Kingdom (power, Lord)
Kingdom (power, Lord)
Kingdom (power, Lord)
Kingdom (power, Lord)
Power (power, Lord)
Power (power, Lord)
Power (power, Lord)
Power (power, Lord)
Power (power, Lord)
Power (power, Lord)
Power (power, Lord)
Power (power, Lord)
Power (power, Lord)
Power (power, Lord)
Power (power, Lord)
Power (power, Lord)

Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Well, I run to the river
It was boilin', I run to the sea
It was boilin', I run to the sea
It was boilin', all on that day
So I ran to the Lord
I said Lord, hide me
Please hide me
Please help me, all on that day
He said, hide?
Where were you?
When you oughta have been prayin'
I said Lord, Lord
Hear me prayin', Lord, Lord
Hear me prayin', Lord, Lord
Hear me prayin', all on that day
Sinnerman, you oughta be prayin'
Outghta be prayin', sinnerman
Oughta be prayin', all on that day

Up come power (power, Lord)

Power (power, Lord)
Power (power, Lord)
Power (power, Lord)
Power (power, Lord)
Power (power, Lord)
Power (power, Lord)
Power (power, Lord)
Power (power, Lord)
Power (power, Lord)
Power (power, Lord)
Power (power, Lord)
(Power, Lord)
Hold down (power, Lord)
Go down (power, Lord)
Kingdom (power, Lord)
Power (power, Lord)
Power (power, Lord)
Power (power, Lord)
Na-na-na, na-na-na-na
Na-na-na, na-na-na-na
Na-na-na, na-na-na-na

Woah, ho

Ha-ha-ha-ha
Ha-ha-ha-ha, oh Lord
Nu, nu, nu
No-no-no-no, ma-na-na-na-na, don't you know I need you Lord?
Don't you know that I need you?
Don't you know that I need you?

Oh, Lord
Wait
Oh, Lord
Oh, Lord, Lord

8 comments:

AnonymousDecember 1, 2016 at 11:12 AM
Thank you, once again for posting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mH5ZE3N8cxU

..and really of Montreaux 1976

AnonymousDecember 1, 2016 at 12:02 PM
The song is also used in Alvin Ailey's amazing Revelations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-OuqB1pgys
AnonymousDecember 1, 2016 at 6:24 PM
we used to sing that at scout camp. not as powerfully as nina; we did a more mournful version.

I-)
DutchMay 21, 2019 at 9:11 PM
I watched "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" a year or two ago. Excellent movie (turned me on to - what turned out to be - very excellent NZ television and movie productions.
DrabkikkerMay 22, 2019 at 1:09 PM
Yeah!

For those equally frustrated by the sudden cutoff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vDZsABHUbQ
OtiliaMay 23, 2019 at 9:45 PM
Yes, every once in a while, I play it at a significant volume and for a time become someone something somewhere else.
UnknownMay 25, 2019 at 5:27 PM
I imagine this was a source for some of the lyrics to the Reggae classic, "Johnny Too Bad."
Walking down the road
With your pistol in your waist,
Johnny you're too bad.
Walking down the road
With your ratchet in your waist,
Johnny you're too bad.
You're just robbing and you're stabbing and you're looting and you're shooting
Now you're too bad.
You're just robbing and you're stabbing and you're looting and you're shooting
Now you're too bad.
One of these days when you hear a voice say come
Where you gonna run to
One of these days when you hear a voice say come
Where you gonna run to
You're gonna run to the rock for rescue
There will be no rock
You're gonna run to the rock for rescue
There will be no rock...

21 May 2019

"Sinnerman" (Nina Simone)

8 comments: