Paul And Pap - Keeping The Music Alive - Romans 6:23

If you been reading the Blind Pig & the Acorn for any length of time then you already know Pap and Paul love singing the old songs and keeping them alive for the next generation…most specifically the next generation of our family. But sometimes I get a first-hand look at how their efforts reach a much wider audience.

There’s no rhyme or reason to the songs we video during our weekly picking and grinning sessions. Sometimes we video a song someone asked us too; most of the time we video songs we’re currently performing out and about; and of course we try and video Pap’s original songs as a way of documenting them.

After we video songs we upload them to the Blind Pig & The Acorn’s youtube channel. Our first video was uploaded in March of 2008, since then we’ve uploaded over 200 videos. There are a few clogging and contra dancing videos mixed in and a few videos related to the blog, but all the rest are songs.

The videos sit on Youtube and get watched by folks who have subscribed to our channel, by people who are searching for the song, or by people who stumble upon them while looking for something else. And once a week, I share the videos here on the Blind Pig & the Acorn and write a post about them.

Typically when I share a video with you I try to find out the history of the song-how old it is, who wrote it, etc.

Often a search will result in pages of information related to the song, but every once in a while when I search for song information Paul and Pap’s video shows up right at the very top of the page. This occurrence always makes me smile…and it lets me know there isn’t much about that particular song on the internet. More importantly it lets me know that other folks who are searching for the song can at least watch the video and listen/learn the words.

Even rarer are the times I do a search and can’t find anything about the song. No history, no information, not even Paul and Pap’s video shows up. That’s exactly what happened when I did a search for the song Romans 6:23.

Pap learned the song from The Blue Sky Boys-but it wasn’t one of their biggest hits. The song was written by Karl Davis and Harty Taylor.

Romans 6:23

Lost on a raft men at sea
Drifting along for days
Men who were tough
Their work was rough
Didn’t take time to pray

One had a book
And they looked
At Romans 6:23
Then they did pray
And found that day
God on a raft at sea

Lost on a raft far from sight
Death every nigh it seemed
Long weary days sleepless nights
Passed like frightful dreams
Hope came anew words so true
In Romans 6:23
Through Christ the Lord and faith in his word
Saved on a raft at sea

Lost on the great sea of life
Many we find today
Drifting along doing the wrong
Sinning their lives away
They have no book don’t care to look
At Romans 6:23
How sad that day when its too late
Lost for Eternity

A quick youtube search shows Pap and Paul’s video is one of a very few-if not the only-video of the song recorded by The Blue Sky Boys so many years ago. There are lots of religious type videos about Romans 6:23, but it seems only Pap and Paul are keeping The Blue Sky Boys, Karl Davis, and Harty Taylor alive with this song.

Tipper

 

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17 Comments

  1. Don-a few months back the playlist started interfering with peoples visits to the Blind Pig so I had to remove it. Ive been working hard to get it back though! And hope to have a test run this week-so be on the lookout for more information. Thank you for the comment-and I hope you have a great week!
    Tipper
    Blind Pig The Acorn
    Celebrating and Preserving the
    Culture of Appalachia
    http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com

  2. When I first read the words to Romans 6:23, I thought I hadn’t heard it before but when Pap and Paul began to sing, it began to sound like I had known it all my life. Maybe I have heard it before or maybe it’s because just about anything you all perform makes me feel like I am home.

  3. On this “spring forward” an hour time-change day, I didn’t get time to access Blind Pig before I went to Sunday School and Church this morning, but this afternoon, I read and listened to today’s Blind Pig, “Romans 6:23.” I had never heard it before, but love the way Pap and Paul sing it–and such a message in the words. Their harmony is superb throughout the song. I can’t thank them or you enough for all you do to preserve these wonderful songs!

  4. Tipper,
    That’s a wonderful song and Paul
    and Pap and the Gang do a nice job
    keeping Appalachian Tradition
    alive…Ken

  5. Tipper that is wonderful, When the Wilson Brothers were in the area we would go and tune in on the radio program. That was so much entertainment for us all.You daughters are also chips off the old block they are great.I notice you tipper played and sang with them at the festival last year, Did you play with them this year?
    god has stuffed you full of talent along with your girls and Wilson family. God Bless and keep the music ringing in these old hill of the great Appalachian mountains and never give up your Webb site of info and enjoyment. there is hardly a post I can’t relate too and enjoy.

  6. Wow! Another great performance and a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon listening to some fine music. Thanks for sharing and documenting such an important part of Appalachian culture.

  7. I’ve watched nearly all the videos posted of Paul and Pap singing and don’t remember ever seeing a music stand in front of them with the lyrics. How in the world do they memorize the lyrics of so many songs well enough to sing them so smoothly? It takes me weeks to learn a song well enough to sing without referring to the words on paper.

  8. Thanks for the great music. We really enjoyed Romans 6:23.
    Have a great day!
    Thanks – Bob & Inez Jones

  9. I like when you publish the words, it helps me to understand clearly what is being sung. I can pay attention to the rhythm and the music. I hope you are keeping collection of all recordings. Such a beautiful family history. Great for a Sunday morning, too!

  10. Speaking of music, what happened to the playlist that use to be on the right side of the page? Did I miss something somewhere?

  11. I’ve never heard of The Blue Sky Boys or the song, but loved every word of it. The last verse is so true! Karl and Harty would have been proud of the way Pap and Paul has kept them and their song alive.

  12. Hey Tipper: The words of Roman 6:23 reminded me of that amazing MOVIE “Unbroken” which we saw a few weeks ago. BUT our sound is off on this computer so I will have to use another computer. THANKS VERY MUCH! Eva Nell

  13. We need a cd of all Pap’s original music also any other original music from your family.
    Would be great to have it all on one cd so we don’t have to go hunting for them.
    Love Corie”s new song too.

  14. Pap and Paul certainly do a beautiful job of that song! You all do a beautiful job of preserving our music for the world and for the future, but Tipper, you do more than that. You document and preserve all the Appalachian Mountain tradition for the world and the future.
    Thank you!

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