Of all the versions of "Oh Mary Don't You Weep" that Tony discussed on his blog, Mississippi John Hurt's was my favorite. Hurt's voice combined, the background instrumentals, and the flow-like melody worked in concordance to create a beautiful, soothing rendition of the song that I really enjoyed.
I drew this picture while listening to Hurt's version. I wanted to make the figure anonymous because the song is intended to appeal to many. I tried to use gentle curves as opposed to sharp corners to parallel the lyrical style of the song. The actual image is of a female floating out of a dark hole or shadow - a reminder that good things will come.
A few other versions resonated with me, and I will briefly summarize why:
Swan Silvertones: I can't quite put into words why, but this version just didn't line up. I thought that the tune and meaning of the song did not work in harmony with the background snapping.
Leadbelly: This was the version that immediately felt "familiar" because of it's folk-song, sing-songy aesthetic. It was likely because of this familiarity that the other versions stood out more to me.
Pete Seeger: This was one of my least favorite renditions of the song. The background instrumentals felt a bit rushed and jumbled to me, and the way Seeger sang the song sounded almost forced - as if he cared about the way his voice sounded, but not the message behind the lyrics.
Max Romeo: I was surprised by how much I appreciated this version of the song. The reggae style made for a less lyrical, soothing version than Hurt's, but I thought that Romeo's voice combined with the other singers and background instruments worked to create a catchy, enjoyable song that somehow didn't make light of the powerful message behind the lyrics. I also found that the changes in wording were extremely powerful. The line "We Shall Overcome Someday", especially, stood out to me. I think that this is because of the inclusiveness in "we". When the lyrics (literally) only address Mary, this results in an almost pedantic aesthetic where the musician is telling the listener not to lose hope because God rewards good people. In contrast, the "we" in Romeo's version includes the musician, making him more relateable. It was also interesting how Romeo chose to say "We shall overcome someday" and "o children" as opposed to "O Mary don't you weep, don't you mourn" and "Pharoah's army got drownded". The two versions have similar messages, but Romeo's strays further from biblical references - perhaps to appeal to more people. He also sings about Daniel and Jonah, as opposed to Mary.
The Gomorrans: I really did not like this version - the singer's style just took away from the song and made it sound almost aggressive (and creepy - but that could just be a result of watching the video)
I find it interesting that most versions of "Oh Mary Don't You Weep" reference both the Old and New Testament. I think the effect of this is to tell listeners that their situations will improve, as shown in the past. The Old Testament thus serves as a source of wisdom; lessons can be learned through studying history.
Most likely, black people learned of these biblical passages orally through relatives and friends, or even by their white masters (if they were slaves). The specifics of the passages likely differed from person to person, but the overall meanings were the same.
This parallels all the different "Oh Mary Don't You Weep" songs and explains why it is so widespread and adaptable. No matter the wording, singer, instrument, time period, etc - the message stays the same: God rewards good; don't give up - be patient, good people will be rewarded.
Lyrics (Mississippi John Hurt):
Oh, Mary don't you weep, don't you mourn.
Pharoah's army got drownded,
Oh, Mary don't you weep.
If I could, I surely would,
Stand on the rock where Moses stood.
Pharoah's army got drownded,
Oh, Mary don't you weep.
Mary weep, Martha moaned,
All around God's holy strong.
Pharoah's army got drownded,
Oh, Mary don't you weep.
Well, God told Noah about the rainbow sound.
No more water but the God makes...
Pharoah's army got drownded,
Oh, Mary don't you weep.
Repeat first verse.
Sinners don't come by the ...
No need to come when the train done gone.
Pharoah's army got drownded,
Oh, Mary don't you weep.
Repeat first verse.
One of these days about 12 o'clock,
This 0l' world gonna reel and rock.
Pharoah's army got drownded,
Oh, Mary don't you weep.
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