Alternate Title:
Treat a Stranger Right
First Line:
Everybody ought to treat a stranger right
Artist & Tune
Composed by:
Version by Blind Willie Johnson
Performed by:
Version by Fisk Jubilee Singers
Performed by:
Version by Ry Cooder
Performed by:
Version by Moira Smiley
Performed by:
Version by Tonality
Performed by:
Version by Hans Theessink
Performed by:
Version by Paul Biktor Börjesson
Performed by:
About the Song
Written by Blind Willie Johnson (1897 - 1945) and originally recorded with Willie B. Harris (April 20, 1930, Atlanta, GA). The original Johnson (public domain) lyrics are:
Everybody ought to treat a stranger right
Long ways from home
Everybody ought to treat a stranger right
A long ways from home
Be careful how you treat a stranger
By belying you turn him away
But the fear that he might endanger
Will drive him from your gate
Be mindful of your speaking
Careful how you go along
You must always treat a poor stranger right
And accept him in your home
All of us down here are strangers
None of us have no home
Don't ever hurt your brother
And cause him to feel alone
Well, Christ came down as a stranger
He didn't have no home
Well, he was cradled in the manger
And oxen kept him warm
Well the Wise Men found the stranger
Well the child was one day old
They careful in all their treatments
Well they offered him gifts of gold
Moira Smiley adapted Johnson's song and called it "Treat a Stranger Right". The adaptation is rooted in Sidney Hemphill Carter rendition, which changed Johnson’s melody but kept the essential text. Hemphill-Carter sang a melody similar to the soprano part in Smiley's arrangement. Hemphill-Carter gave weight & depth to this expression of our innate reliance upon & responsibility to each other.
There is an interview by Alan Lomax with Sidney Hemphill Carter about this song in the University of Mississippi Library.lyricscredi
Everybody ought to treat a stranger right
Long ways from home
Everybody ought to treat a stranger right
A long ways from home
Be careful how you treat a stranger
By belying you turn him away
But the fear that he might endanger
Will drive him from your gate
Be mindful of your speaking
Careful how you go along
You must always treat a poor stranger right
And accept him in your home
All of us down here are strangers
None of us have no home
Don't ever hurt your brother
And cause him to feel alone
Well, Christ came down as a stranger
He didn't have no home
Well, he was cradled in the manger
And oxen kept him warm
Well the Wise Men found the stranger
Well the child was one day old
They careful in all their treatments
Well they offered him gifts of gold
Moira Smiley adapted Johnson's song and called it "Treat a Stranger Right". The adaptation is rooted in Sidney Hemphill Carter rendition, which changed Johnson’s melody but kept the essential text. Hemphill-Carter sang a melody similar to the soprano part in Smiley's arrangement. Hemphill-Carter gave weight & depth to this expression of our innate reliance upon & responsibility to each other.
There is an interview by Alan Lomax with Sidney Hemphill Carter about this song in the University of Mississippi Library.lyricscredi
Alt Lyrics
lyrics in Moira Smiley adaptation:
Ev'rybody oughta treat a stranger right (x3)
when they're a long way from home (x2)
When they're a long way, a long way from home.
Be mindful how you're speaking
Be careful how you go along
You must always treat a stranger right, don't insult him in your home,
don't insult him in your home.
Well all of us are strangers,
and we don't always know what's home.
You must never hurt your brother or sister
and cause them to pull their own.