"I Am Born to Preach the Gospel" | ||||
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Single by Washington Phillips | ||||
B-side | "Train Your Child" | |||
Format | 10" 78rpm single | |||
Recorded | December 4, 1928; Dallas, TX | |||
Genre | Gospel blues | |||
Length | 3:03 | |||
Label | Columbia 14448-D | |||
Songwriter(s) | Washington Phillips - see text | |||
Producer(s) | Frank B. Walker | |||
Washington Phillips singles chronology | ||||
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"I Am Born to Preach the Gospel" is a gospel song recorded in 1928 by Washington Phillips (1880–1954; vocals and zither) in gospel blues style. His recording is included in the soundtrack of the 2009 movie My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?.
In some other recordings, the song is titled "I Was Born to Sing the Gospel". The words "I Am" or "I Was" are sometimes omitted from those titles.
The song is likely to have been written by Phillips: it is concerned with a similar subject to his 1927 song Denomination Blues, and has lyrical resemblances to it, including the striking phrase "educated fool". The singer compares his own experience:
I am born to preach the Gospel,
And I sure do love my job.
...
I have never been to no college,
And I didn't get a chance in school,
But when Jesus Christ anointed me to preach the gospel,
He sure didn't leave me no fool.
with that of educated preachers; and with that of Nicodemus, who according to the Gospel of John at was a ruler of the Jews who visited Jesus by night to learn from Him.