The Gospel Train
"The Gospel Train" is a traditional African-American spiritual first published in 1872 as one of the songs of the Fisk Jubilee Singers. A standard Gospel song, it is found in the hymnals of many Protestant denominations and has been recorded by numerous artists.
The first verse, including the chorus is as follows:
- The gospel train is coming,
- I hear it just at hand,
- I hear the car wheels moving,
- And rumbling thro' the land.
- Get on board, children,
- Get on board, children,
- Get on board, children,
- For there's room for many a more.
Although "The Gospel Train" is usually cited as traditional, several sources credit a Baptist minister from New Hampshire, John Chamberlain, with writing it. Captain Asa W. Bartlett, historian for the New Hampshire Twelfth Regiment, reported Chamberlain as singing the song on April 26, 1863, during Sunday services for the regiment.
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