Oh, Yes!

Spiritual

arr. Carol Barnett (b. 1949)

Oh yes! Oh, yes, Lord!

Oh, wait till I put on my robe.

I tell you, brethren, a mortal fact

If you want to go to heav’n,

don’t never look back.

I want to know before I go

Whether you love the Lord or no.

Ever since I have been newly born

I love for to see-a God’s word go on.

I was in the church and prayin’ loud

And on my knees to my Jesus bowed.

Ol’ Satan told me to my face

“I’ll get you when you leave-a this place!”

Oh, brother, that scared me to my heart.

I was afraid to walk when it was dark.

I started home but I did pray,

And I met ol’ Satan on the way.

Il’ Stana mad-a one grab at me

But he missed my soul and I went free.

My sins went lumb’rin’ down to hell,

And my soul went a-leapin’ up Zion’s hill.

If ever I land on the other short

I’ll never come here for to sing no more.

All ‘round my waist a golden band,

And the palms of vict’ry in my hand,

And the golden slippers on my feet.

Gonna walk up and down

that golden street.

— anon. Spiritual

“Oh, Yes!” was performed by the Houston Chamber Choir at Yale University during its 2012 tour of the Northeast.