Day 119, Song 139

Odetta

Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child

Odetta was a singer and civil rights activist.

'Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child,' performed here by Odetta, is a traditional Negro spiritual that dates back to slavery. Numerous artists have recorded versions of the song, including Blind Willie Johnson, Louis Armstrong, and Fats Waller. It expresses the despair of a child that has been separated from his or her mother because of the slave trade.

Lyrics

Sometimes I feel like a motherless child Sometimes I feel like a motherless child Sometimes I feel like a motherless child A long way from home, a long way from home Sometimes I feel like I'm almost done Sometimes I feel like I'm almost done Sometimes I feel like I'm almost done And a long, long way from home, a long way from home True believer True believer A long, long way from home A long, long way from home