VocalEssence Chorus, VocalEssence Ensemble Singers, Moira Smiley, G. Phillip Shoultz, III (read pledges)

Written by Blind Willie Johnson (1897 - 1945).
Recorded with Willie B. Harris (April 20, 1930, Atlanta, GA)
This adaptation is rooted in Sidney Hemphill Carter rendition, which changed Johnson’s melody but kept the essential text. Hemphill-Carter sang a melody similar to the soprano part notated.
She gave weight and depth to this perfect expression of our innate reliance upon and responsibility to each other.

Chorus: Everybody ought to treat a
stranger right.
When they’re a long way from home.
Be mindful how you’re speaking.
Be careful how you go along.
You must always treat a stranger right.
Don’t insult them in your home. Chorus
Well all of us are strangers,
And we don’t always know what’s home.
You must never hurt your brother or sister
And cause them to pull their own. Chorus
—Blind Willie Johnson