Come By Here
Come By Here
Kyle Pederson (2020)
Voicing: SATB
Accompaniment: piano
Music and Text:
Adaptation of the music and text of Kumbaya/Come By Here
Notes:
Though the origin of this song is not entirely settled, with various people claiming authorship, most recent scholarship and unearthed recordings clearly point to Come By Here as an African American spiritual. I grew up singing Kumbaya around the fire at every church camp and retreat--the ubiquity and simplicity of this tune perhaps numbing me to its extraordinary power. Early manuscripts and recordings indicate the original lyrics likely included "somebody needs you, Lord...somebody's sick, Lord....somebody's in trouble, Lord....somebody's dyin' Lord...come by here." What a powerful plea--all the more impactful and heartbreaking as it was first voiced by those forced into bondage and held in slavery their entire lives.
In my own arrangement, I want to honor those original voices--which continue to speak to us in our own circumstances and allow us to give voice to our own heartbreak and yearning for God's spirit to come near. And in every arrangement I craft, I seek ways to perhaps allow the piece to speak in a new way. In this adaptation of Come By Here, there are two particular ways I seek to expand the meaning: first, the piano accompaniment is improvisatory in nature--intended to symbolize the creative movement of God's spirit. Second, though I love the invitational nature of the lyric ("come by here, Lord")...I also believe that God's spirit already is with us in all of our circumstances. In our joy, grief, rising, falling, living, dying--God is there with us, working toward wholeness and healing. So the lyric morphs into a more declamatory statement of "You are here" as the piece reaches its climax. And those words are the final words the listener hears, as well.
For the best exploration of the history of Come By Here, including old recordings, please visit this link from the Library of Congress.
