Blending Folk, Jazz, and Gospel Influences in a Fresh Take on the Beloved Spiritual “Go Tell It on the Mountain”

“Go Tell It on the Mountain” was the first song I ever saw someone sing and play on guitar. I remember sitting in an elementary school classroom when our teacher brought out his old acoustic and began strumming, inviting us all to join in.

Only later did I learn the song had deep roots. It was first published by John Wesley Work, Jr.—a musicologist, composer, and choir director—who, with his brother Frederick Jerome Work, helped preserve African American spirituals. They included “Go Tell It on the Mountain” in New Jubilee Songs as Sung by the Fisk Jubilee Singers, a collection tied to the groundbreaking choir that toured from Nashville to New York and eventually Europe, sharing these songs with audiences worldwide.

Over time, the song has taken on new layers of meaning. It’s often sung as a Christmas carol because of its nativity references, but its message of hope and revelation resonates well beyond the season. During the civil rights movement, activist Fannie Lou Hamer even blended it with “Go Down Moses,” adding the refrain “Let my people go.”

This arrangement draws on both the joy of my early classroom memory and the song’s evolution into a broader message of renewal. The opening chorus (measures 1–8) leans into a sing-along feel, using open-position G and C chords with just melody and bass. The light texture is meant to evoke a room full of voices more than a solo performance.

In the verse (measures 9–16), the bass line becomes more active. A progression like F6–Em7 (bar 10) adds warmth, while the descending chord sequence in the next measure creates motion and return. Chromatic voice-leading in bars 13–14 (G–B♭6–G/B–Cmaj7–C♯dim) briefly lifts the harmony, evoking a choral texture. These gestures nod to the Fisk Singers, Hamer’s field recordings, and the folk harmonies of Peter, Paul and Mary.

The final chorus (beginning in measure 17) brings the melody up an octave, opening space for richer reharmonization. Chords like A♭maj7♯11 and F♯dim7 add unexpected color, while Gmaj7 and C♯m7♭5 introduce a moment of instability before resolving to D7 and G. The last phrase (measure 25) picks up slightly in tempo, using sliding tones and open strings to end with clarity and lift.

If some of the chord shapes in the tab feel unfamiliar, try thinking in terms of intervals beneath the melody. For example, when it comes to the A♭maj7♯11 in bar 18, you might see a major second and raised fourth under the note D. This approach can help clarify the intent even when the fingerings are unconventional, by letting the melody lead and the harmony follow where it needs to.

There are two ways to access the musical notation and tab for this song: Join our community at Patreon.com/acousticguitarplus OR purchase the September/October 2025 issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine (you can find the notation on page 56).

This article originally appeared in the September/October 2025 issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine.