Last Sunday Kara Harman sang an emotionally moving solo of “In Bright Mansions Above,” a spiritual arranged by K Lee Scott.. The words and melody are uplifting for anyone who has experienced a personal loss or has lived with adversity over a period of time. The words also can easily be identified with African slavery which did not end until 147 years ago in our country.
In bright mansions above
Lord, I wan’ t’ live up yonder
In bright mansions aboveMy mother’s gone to glory
I wan’ t’ go there too
Lord, I wan’ t’ live up yonder
In bright mansions aboveMy father’s gone
My sister’s gone…
My brother’s gone …
My Savior’s gone…
In Bright Mansions Above
In contrast to a life in which one barely has enough to eat and where the slave quarters can hardly be described as richly adorned, this very beautiful spiritual encapsulates the aspirations of African captives, whose deep faith permitted them to picture a life very different from the one they experienced in bondage. And what a wonderful image it must have been, to picture oneself living in a manner befitting royalty, “In bright mansions above.”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6s1RnHBTQI]
More information about K Lee Scott can be found on Wikipedia.
by Henry Holland