Down To The River To Pray

Album: O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
Play Video
  • As I went down in the river to pray
    Studying about that good ol' way
    And who shall wear the starry crown
    Good Lord, show me the way

    O sisters, let's go down
    Let's go down, come on down
    O sisters, let's go down
    Down in the river to pray

    As I went down in the river to pray
    Studying about that good ol' way
    And who shall wear the robe and crown
    Good Lord, show me the way

    O brothers, let's go down
    Let's go down, come on down
    Come on, brothers, let's go down
    Down in the river to pray

    As I went down in the river to pray
    Studying about that good ol' way
    And who shall wear the starry crown
    Good Lord, show me the way

    O fathers, let's go down
    Let's go down, come on down
    O fathers, let's go down
    Down in the river to pray

    As I went down in the river to pray
    Studying about that good ol' way
    And who shall wear the robe and crown
    Good Lord, show me the way

    O mothers, let's go down
    Come on down, don't you wanna go down?
    Come on, mothers, let's go down
    Down in the river to pray

    As I went down in the river to pray
    Studying about that good ol' way
    And who shall wear the starry crown
    Good Lord, show me the way

    O sinners, let's go down
    Let's go down, come on down
    O sinners, let's go down
    Down in the river to pray

    As I went down in the river to pray
    Studying about that good ol' way
    And who shall wear the robe and crown
    Good Lord, show me the way Writer/s: Traditional
    Publisher: HAL LEONARD LLC, Unison Rights S.L.
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 3

  • Charles H. Penick from Martin Tn.mike from syracuse ny. maybe you just got a touch from the HOLY GHOST great huh
  • Mike from Syracuse, NyLest I forget to give props to the First Baptist Church of White House, TN, as well as such heavenly vocalists as Tim O'Brien, Maura O'Connell, Pat Enright, Sam Phillips and Gillian Welch, all of whom sing backup on this song. Of course, all of this without benefit of musical instruments of any type. This is sung a cappella, and the harmonies are wonderful.
  • Mike from Syracuse, NyI am going to include a quote here that comes from a review of an Alison Krauss CD on allmusic.com because the writer puts it much more eloquently than I ever could. I hope I'm not stepping on anyone's toes here. "The simple fact is that every time Krauss opens her mouth to sing, angels stop what they're doing and take notes. There may be no musical pleasure quite as pure and sweet as listening to Krauss sing "Baby, Now That I've Found You" or "When You Say Nothing at All." And when she starts in on the impossibly beautiful gospel tune "Down to the River to Pray," the effect is almost disturbingly moving."
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Oliver Leiber

Oliver LeiberSongwriter Interviews

Oliver Leiber talks about writing and producing hits for Paula Abdul, and explains his complicated relationship with his father, the songwriter Jerry Leiber.

Ian Gillan of Deep Purple

Ian Gillan of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan explains the "few red lights" in "Smoke On The Water" and talks about songs from their 2020 album Whoosh!

Gary Brooker of Procol Harum

Gary Brooker of Procol HarumSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer and pianist for Procol Harum, Gary talks about finding the musical ideas to match the words.

Glen Ballard

Glen BallardSongwriter Interviews

Glen Ballard talks about co-writing and producing Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill album, and his work with Dave Matthews, Aerosmith and Annie Lennox.

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney Princesses

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney PrincessesSong Writing

From "Some Day My Prince Will Come" to "Let It Go" - how Disney princess songs (and the women who sing them) have evolved.

Lip-Synch Rebels

Lip-Synch RebelsSong Writing

What happens when Kurt Cobain, Iron Maiden and Johnny Lydon are told to lip-synch? Some hilarious "performances."