Hymns of My Youth #101: Let us Break Bread Together

This week in my series Then Sings My Soul: The Hymns of My Youth I am adding an older selection than the ones I’ve featured over the past few weeks, but not one of the old “theological” hymns. African-American spirituals evolved during the revivalism between 1740 and the 1800s. The earliest spirituals were inspired by African music even if the tunes were not far from those of hymns. Some of them, called “shouts,” were accompanied with dancing, hand clapping, and foot tapping. The image at right is a book of sheet music from 1937, published by Belmont Music Company of Chicago, containing 21 or 22 songs.

“Let Us Break Bread Together” is a well-known one among these spirituals, and has been called “one of the most moving of eleven Afro-American spirituals and Jewish liturgical songs that share common themes such as community, fellowship, redemption and ideals that a community must strive to attain and maintain to survive, themes that are strongly shared between the Afro-American and Jewish communities and their cultures.” This particular spiritual can probably be placed into the context of Acts 2:42 where the disciples held everything in common and shared community life together. Considering the mix of Jewish and gentile believers at that time shows the power of the Gospel to cross racial and ethnic barriers to create genuine community. In this light, the words of this spiritual in the context of its origins might almost be seen as a prayer which took years to begin to be answered.

From my youth, this was not a hymn I recall particularly from church services, but from music that would have been played from records and tapes in our home. Still, it takes me back, and I can resonate even now with its cry for God-centric community.

Let us Break Bread Together

Let us break bread together on our knees, (on our knees)
Let us break bread together on our knees. (on our knees)
When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun,
O Lord, have mercy on me.

Let us drink wine together on our knees, (on our knees)
Let us drink wine together on our knees. (on our knees)
When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun,
O Lord, have mercy on me.

Let us praise God together on our knees, (on our knees)
Let us praise God together on our knees. (on our knees)
When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun,
O Lord, have mercy on me.