No. 91 Cross of Christ, Gos 504
Heptatonic aeolian, mode 2 A + b (I II 3 IV V 6 7)
Did Christ the great example lead
For all his humble train,
In washing the disciples’ feet
And wiping them again?
And did my Lord and Master say:
“If I have wash’d your feet,
Ye also ought to watch and pray
And wash each other’s feet.”
O blessed Jesus, at thy board
I have thy children met;
The bread I’ve broke, the wine I’ve poured,
We’ve washed each other’s feet.
In imitation of my Lord
Whose blood for me did sweat,
I yield unto his sacred word
And wash the pilgrims’ feet.
Yea, blessed Jesus, I, like thee,
Would Christians often meet;
The least of all the flock would be,
And wash his children’s feet.
For this let men reproach, defame,
And call me what they will;
I still would follow Christ the Lamb,
And be his servant still.
The loving labor I repeat,
Obedient to his word,
And wash his dear disciples’ feet
And wait upon the Lord.
Shall I, a worm, refuse to stoop?
My fellow worm disdain?
I give my vain distinctions up,
Since Christ did wait on man.
The words were quite evidently made to go with the celebration of the footwashing rite still observed by the Primitive Baptists, from whose hymn book the song is taken. The tune is ascribed to L. P. Breedlove of Georgia. I find it to be a close variant of ‘James Harris’ (or ‘Daemon Lover’ or ‘House Carpenter’) turned around; that is, with the second part of the above tune coming first in the secular ballad tune. For versions of the ‘James Harris’ tune see Thomas 172, Davis 592-594, Cox 524, and Sharp, i., 244-258. The oldest variant tune known to me is that in Motherwell associated with ‘Blue Flowers and Yellow’ (Appendix, Musick, No. 17.) After comparing the above tune with its worldly relatives, it becomes evident that the GOS signature of b-flat should be changed to that of f-natural, raising the sixth and restoring what was evidently a dorian tune.