Hold on (Keep Your Hand on the Plow)
Pete Seeger| as sung by the trio "DEM" in their YouTube video, March 11, 2012... | |
| Hold On (Keep Your Eyes on the Prize) - 1965 PETE [Speaking] It was the clearest example to me of how folk music is made up that I could possibly ask for. I've heard arguments between professors on "how do you suppose the old ballads were composed, or cowboy songs, or sailor songs?" But, I feel I've seen it happen now. What it is, one person gets an idea for a song, usually borrowing an old tune, changing around the words, and then if it's a good idea, it'll be picked up by others, and new verses added to it. Until after a while, you naturally can't say who composed the song. Right, square in front of me I could see people making up verses, I'd go around afterward and saying: "What are the verses to this song 'Oh, Wallace' you're singin'?" And they'd look me kind of perplexed, and they'd say: "The verses? There are no verses, you just make 'em up!" What they meant is that I should've asked for some verses, soon as I did that I got dozens of verses from 'em. 'Hold On' is a typical example. It used to be: [Singing] I got my hand on the gospel plow, I wouldn't take nothin' for my journey now! Keep your hand on the plow, Hold on, hold on. [Speaking] I don't know exactly who it was, I think I was told it was a woman in Georgia who first thought of changing: [Singing] Keep your eyes on the prize, Hold on, hold on. [Speaking] But since the few years ago when this version got goin' around, why, there have been dozens, maybe hundreds of verses. [Speaking] The only thing that ah-we did wrong Was stayin' in the wilderness too long. Keep your eyes on the prize, Hold on, hold on. Hold on... hold on! Keep your eyes on the prize, Hold on, hold on. The only thing that we did right Was the day we begun to fight! Keep your eyes on the prize, Hold on, hold on. Hold on... hold on! [Speaking] And so on. You can see, it's an easy form, you only need to think of two short lines that rhyme with each other. And you got a, uh, the whole crowd joinin' on this chorus. CHORUS - Hold on, hold on. Keep your eyes on the prize, . Hold on... hold on! | HOLD ON Noah, Noah let me come in. Doors all fastened and the windows pinned. Keep your hand on that plow. Hold on. Noah said: "You done lost your track. Can't plow straight and keep a-lookin back". Keep your hand on that plow and hold on. [Refrain] Hold on. (Hold on.) Hold on. (Hold on.) Keep your hand on that plow and hold on. Hold on. (Hold on.) Ho-o-o-old on. (Hold on.) Keep your hand on that plow and hold on. Mary had a golden chain, every link spelt with Jesus name. Keep your hand on that plow and hold on. All that chain had never been tied, every round goes higher and higher. Keep your hand on that plow and hold on. [Refrain] woo woo If you wanna get to Heaven, now I'll tell you how. Keep your hand on the Gospel plow. Keep your hand on that plow. Just hold on. All that chain had never tied. Every round goes higher and higher. Keep your hand on that plow and hold on. [Refrain] Hold on. (Hold on.) Hold on. (Hold on.) Keep your hand on that plow . Just hold on. Hold on. (Hold On.) Ho-o-o-old on. (Hold on.) Keep your hand on that plow. Keep your hand on that plow. Keep your hand on that plow. And hold on. |
