Keys To The Kingdom – traditional spiritual, South Georgia Islands
Sung and recorded by Abigail Washburn. Recorded by The Quiet American. Original recording from the Alan Lomax collection (Deep River of Song: South Carolina: Got the Keys to the Kingdom) sung by Lillie Knox at Murrells Inlet. “John Lomax, Alan Lomax, and Ruby Lomax made numerous aluminum and acetate disc recordings in the Gullah enclave of South Carolina's Murrells Inlet between 1934 and 1939, where a distinct tradition of unaccompanied spirituals and work songs was still predominant. The fragments collected weren't gospel, but real spirituals, and they frequently sound not only measured but also gently mournful, resigned as much as they are cautiously invested in the prospect of a better world beyond this one.” Review by Steve Leggett

Chorus:
I've got the keys to the kingdom,
The world can't do me no harm.
I've got the keys to the kingdom,
The world can't do me no harm.

Go Gabrielle get the trumpet,
Move on down to the sea.
Don't you sound that trumpet,
Til you hear from me.

Take ol' John on the Island,
Place him in a kettle of oil,
Then the angels came from heaven down,
Told him that the oil wouldn't boil.

Take ol' Paul and Silas,
Place 'em in jail below,
Then the angels came from heaven down
And unlocked that prison house door.

I've got the key in my bosom,
I carry it everywhere I go.
I've got the key in my bosom,
The world can't do me no harm.

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