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I Had a Good Father and Mother
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Wikipedia article
"'I Had a Good Father and Mother'" is a 1929 gospel blues song by Washington Phillips (18801954, vocals and zither). The song has sometimes been covered as "'I Had a Good Mother and Father'"; or with, in both cases, "Real" inserted before "Good".
Unusually, the song does not have a conventional refrain; instead, the verses are separated by a wordless vocalise.
The final verse reflects a concept mentioned several times in the Gospel of John:
*A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.John 13:34
*As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.John 15:9
*This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.John 15:12
The recording history suggests that the song was composed by Phillips himself: there seems to be no earlier or contemporary version, nor any cover version until 64 years after his recording of the song.
Recordings
* 1929Washington Phillips, 10" 78rpm single Columbia 14566-D
* 1993Palace Brothers on the album 'There Is No-One What Will Take Care of You'
* 1994Kate Wolf on the album 'Looking Back at You'
* 2003Gillian Welch on the album 'Soul Journey'
* 2004Paul Rishell and Annie Raines on the album 'Goin' Home'
* 2016The Lower Lights on the album 'A Hymn Revival, Vol. 3'
References
Category:Blues songs
Category:Gospel songs
Category:Washington Phillips songs
Category:1929 songs
Category:Columbia Records singles
Category:Songs about fathers
Category:Songs about mothers
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