Just out of curiosity...

[rivka]

[Poll #234993]

Comments

[wcg.livejournal.com]

OK, having checked, I know the first verse as I thought I did. Here's the Peter, Paul, and Mary version that I remember. Also, digging around a bit more found this more complete version.

Deep in my heart, I do believe . . .

[kiya]

I consider this another sign that I'm a bit of a cultural throwback, honestly.

(Betcha if you'd added a '/When/ did you grow up' I'd be one of the few who'd have a childhood in the eighties who can do it.)

[mamatiger.livejournal.com]

I know the refrain -- I think. *checks* No, I don't. I only knew it up to "we shall overcome some day" and didn't know the "deep in my heart" line.

Re: Deep in my heart, I do believe . . .

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Meee toooo. :-)

[riarambles.livejournal.com]

My ability to sing it is directly related to the fact that we sang it in church this morning.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

So did we. The reason for the poll is that our ministers said they figured we could sing it without the hymnal (they called out the first line of each of the later verses). I didn't need the hymnal, but curiousangel did. It surprised me, because I think of "We Shall Overcome" as one of those standard American songs that everyone knows. It seems, however, that I was misguided to think so.

[nolly.livejournal.com]

Looking at the links, I don't think I've even heard it, though I could be wrong about that.

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

I cannot remember ever having sung it in church or elsewhere. Growing up Catholic might have something to do with that. Catholicism is about guilt and resignation to one's fate, not about overcoming things.

[rmjwell.livejournal.com]

I lack the knowledge of it because I wasn't old enough when it was a mainstay of the civil rights movement, I'm not a big folk fan, and my church involvement stopped at the age of 9 (plus what I recall of my church we didn't have that as part of the repetoire).

[rivka.livejournal.com]

I suppose it's possible. But if you've ever seen, for example, a documentary or movie about the Civil Rights movement, the marchers were probably singing "We Shall Overcome."

[nolly.livejournal.com]

It's likely that I've heard it, then, but everytime I try to come up with a memory of it, I get "We Shall Not Be Moved".

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Ooh! I like that one too.

We shall not, we shall not be moved
We shall not, we shall not be moved
Just like a tree that stands by the water
We shall not be moved...

"We Shall Overcome" is slower and more hymn-like.

[marykaykare.livejournal.com]

That is most emphatically something that would never have been sung in a church in my neck of the woods. Well, not a white church anyhow. Northeastern Oklahoma in the 50s and 60s was not a really good place, ya know?

MKK