Rock-A My Soul in the Bosom of Charlottesville

Last week I played a a Mission home in town. It was my second time there and since I saw last time that the best participants were African American, I came prepared to sing some Gospel & Spirituals with them. Wow was that fun! I found that some of them brought back memories from my early childhood in inner city Chicago.  It was a great feeling to belt out, "Rock My Soul (in the Bosom of Abraham)," "Oh Happy Day," "Take this Hammer," "Oh Mary Don't You Weep."

There were two women up front who sang the most heartily with me-Ms. Rosalyn and Lucretta. I asked them where they were living during the civil rights movement and told them about my life in Chicago. Then we sang, "Oh Freedom" and "Sometimes I feel Like a Motherless Child". I could see Lucretta felt those songs deeply, she would close her eyes and nod her head while we sang as if in a trance.

It's been a long time since I've sung some of those songs and it was great to be able to  connect with them with music. One of the activity assistants was also present and she said she hadn't heard those songs since she was a child.

Do you remember this:

"Rock a my soul in the bosom of Abraham
Rock a my soul in the bosom of Abraham
Rock a my soul in the bosom of Abraham , oh rock my soul

So high you can't get over it
So low can't get under it
So wide can't get through it
oh rock my soul. "