Key to the Kingdom
First recording and first release by Bessie Johnson's Sanctified Singers (March 21, 1929 / October 1929)
- Written by
- [Traditional]
- Language
- English
- Comments
-
Traditional African-American gospel spiritual. There are many songs with similar titles and some with the same refrain as this one but considerably different lyrics beyond that. This is the Bessie Johnson version recorded March 1929. For example, Josh White recorded a 1935 song called "Got a Key to the Kingdom" (Melotone 5 11 60) with the identical refrain but different from there. Washington Phillips recorded his song in December 1929, 'I've Got the Key to the Kingdom" (Columbia 14511) that also shares the same refrain (except he says "The Devil can't do me no harm"), but his lyrics are completely different thereafter.
[Opening verse and chorus]
I've got the keys to the kingdom,
The world can't do me no harm.
(repeat)
Go Gabriel, get the trumpet,
Move on down to the sea,
Don't you sound that trumpet,
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