Go tell it on the mountain
When I watched a film called
a while back, I discovered the incredible gospel singer Mahalia Jackson. She sung a song called 'Trouble of the World' in the heart wrenching scene from the 1959 film shown above.
It is not often that a raw voice alone can stir the deepest and darkest convictions inside of me. Mahalia Jackson has this utterance that comes fierce and unbroken from so deep inside that upon release it is a living, breathing entity separate from herself. This and the fact that she usually sings soul stirring songs about heaven next to Preachers and coffins in churches makes for a pretty convincing argument. I reckon if you want to really cry at a funeral, like they do on the news and in movies when they shake and contort with grief and collapse into the unmoving arms of a sunglassed stranger then one of the following songs would be appropriate. What makes these songs so sad, I think, is that through all of this, she just keeps singing - gaining strength and momentum as everyone around her loses it.
I don't want to make you all feel sad and morbid but these songs are just so beautiful I want you to have them!
http://www.mediafire.com/?4a66ax511d3ua
1. I Have A Friend - Mahalia Jackson
2. In My Home Over There - Mahalia Jackson
3. I Gave Up Everything To Follow Him - Mahalia Jackson
4. Go Tell It On The Mountain - Mahalia Jackson
5. A City Called Heaven - Mahalia Jackson
6. I'm Going To Tell God - Mahalia Jackson