Lift every voice and sing - James W. Johnson & John R. Johnson

Translated into ASL by David Bar-Tzur

Created 21 March 2006, links updated monthly with the help of LinkAlarm.

EXPLANATION OF THE GLOSSING SYSTEM
(to understand how I describe the signs in this translation).

1. YOUR VOICE UP-UP-UP. SING UNTIL (<) EARTH, (>) HEAVEN,
LOUD SHOW"all" LIBERTY SWEET.
WHEN WE CELEBRATE, SOUND RISE-TO-Heaven.
HEAVEN LOOK-DOWN, OH-I-SEE. STRONG LIKE SEA.
SING SHOW"all" FAITH WE LEARN-LESSON IMPROVE.
SING SHOW"all" WE FEEL HOPE NOW.
SUNRISE MEAN DAY NEW.
COME-ON MARCH UNTIL WE CONQUER.

2. OUR ROAD ROUGH WITH STONE. SOMETIMES WE SUFFER.
OUR HOPE DISSOLVE.
BUT WE PATIENT TRY++
UNTIL FINALLY WE SUCCEED WHAT OUR ANCESTORS REALLY-WANT.
WE TRAVEL WAY WET WITH OUR TEARS.
SOME US DIE WHILE WE TRAVEL.
OUR SADNESS SET-SIDE.
WE MANY-LOOK-UP SEE STAR BRIGHT.

3. ALL-ALONG GOD HELP-us WHILE WE CRY EXHAUSTED.
HE CARRY-us US UNTIL WE ARRIVE.
YOUR STRENGTH LEAD US TO LIGHT.
SUPPORT US CONTINUE FOLLOW RIGHT WAY.
WE DON'T-WANT STRAY-FROM-PATH YOURS.
WORLD TEMPT US JOIN, OUR HEART CONFUSED.
REALLY-WANT YOU PROTECT US.
STAND TRUE FOR GOD, STAND TRUE FOR THIS OUR LAND.


Notes: UP-UP-UP - (2h)[B], POs up, FOs away, hands nod upwards 3x at wrists as if batting a ball upwards as they rise.

LOUD - Touch ear with index finger then (2h)[S], PO down, FO away, move antisymmetrically from side to side while mouthing "pow". For a QuickTime movie of this sign, see ASL browser - thunder.

RISE-TO-Heaven - (2h)[5], POs down, FOs away, rise with wg.

LEARN-LESSON - FT of [O^] touch forhead, and then hand opens to [B] and touches forehead with the palm.

MARCH - (2h)[4] bend at wrist and straighten out hands as if marching forward. For a QuickTime file of this sign, see ASL Pro: March.

UNTIL - TO.

ANCESTORS - PARENTS + (2h)[5], POs ><, FOs up, move in a vertical circle while moving back over shoulder.

REALLY-WANT - WANT but shaken back and forth to show intensity.

SET-ASIDE - (2h)[B], POs > DS, with DH higher, palms are pressed against imaginary wall that is pushed to one side.

MANY-LOOK-UP - (2h)[4] move FT as if many eyes were looking towards.

ALL-ALONG - (2h)[1], POs down, FOs away, fingers run up the chest on DS until POs are > signer, and FOs are up.

EXHAUSTED - TIRED + [V], PO up, FO > NDS, is drawn with effort across the palm of [B], PO up, FO away.

HE - Underlined words are honorific indices ("indexes"), using the FT of the upturned palm to indicate who is being honored.

STRAY-FROM-PATH - Like the sign OFF-THE-POINT but the DH flicks index finger to one side and then to the other side; it's another way to sign the concept "sin".

TEMPT - (2h)[A^] hold imaginary pitchfork and poke at the person being tempted. Don't confuse this with TEMPTED, which is FT of [X] taps elbow.

Lyrics:

1. Lift every voice and sing, till earth and Heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise, high as the listening skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on till victory is won.

2. Stony the road we trod, bitter the chastening rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat, have not our weary feet,
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered,
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered;
Out from the gloomy past, till now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.

3. God of our weary years, God of our silent tears,
Thou Who hast brought us thus far on the way;
Thou Who hast by Thy might, led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee.
Lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee.
Shadowed beneath Thy hand, may we forever stand,
True to our God, true to our native land.

treble clef as a symbol for musicTo hear the music (without words), go to Lift every voice and sing.

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