While the lyrics of his songs were usually religious, his music drew from both sacred and blues traditions. It is characterized by his slide guitar accompaniment and tenor voice, and his frequent use of a lower-register 'growl' or false bass voice.
According to his death certificate, Johnson was born in 1897 near Brenham, Texas. (Earlier, Temple, Texas had been suggested as his birthplace.) When he was five, he told his father he wanted to be a preacher and then made a cigar box guitar for himself. His mother died when he was young, and his father remarried soon after her death.
Johnson was not born blind. Although it is not certain how he lost his sight, his alleged widow Angeline Johnson told Samuel Charters that when Willie was seven his father beat his stepmother after catching her going out with another man; and that she in spite blinded young Willie by throwing lye in his face.
Johnson made 30 commercial recording studio record sides (29 songs) in five separate sessions for Columbia Records from 1927–1930. On some of these recordings Johnson uses a fast rhythmic picking style, while on others he plays slide guitar. According to a reputed one-time acquaintance, Blind Willie McTell (1898–1959), Johnson played with a brass ring; but the bluesman Tom Shaw, interviewed by Guido van Rijn in 1972, says that he used a knife. However, in enlargement, the only known photograph of Johnson seems to show that there is an actual bottleneck on the little finger of his left hand. While his other fingers are apparently fretting the strings, his little finger is extended straight—which also suggests there is a slide on it as well.
It is believed that Johnson married at least twice. He was married to Willie B. Harris. Her recollection of their initial meeting was recounted in the liner notes for Yazoo Records's album Praise God I'm Satisfied. He was later alleged to have been married to a woman named Angeline. Johnson was also said to be married to a sister of blues artist L. C. Robinson.[citation needed] No marriage certificates have yet been discovered. As Angeline Johnson often sang and performed with him,[citation needed] the first person to attempt to research his biography, Samuel Charters, made the mistake of assuming it was Angeline who had sung on several of Johnson's records. However, later research showed that it was Willie B. Harris.
Johnson remained poor until the end of his life, preaching and singing in the streets of several Texas cities including Beaumont. A city directory shows that in 1945, a Rev. W. J. Johnson, undoubtedly Blind Willie, operated the House of Prayer at 1440 Forrest Street, Beaumont, Texas. This is the same address listed on Johnson's death certificate. In 1945, his home burned to the ground. With nowhere else to go, Johnson lived in the burned ruins of his home, sleeping on a wet bed in the August/September Texas heat. He lived like this until he contracted malarial fever, and died on September 18, 1945. (The death certificate reports the cause of death as malarial fever, with syphilis and blindness as contributing factors.) In an interview, Angeline said that she tried to take him to a hospital, which refused to admit him because he was blind. Other sources report that the refusal was due to his being black.[citation needed]
According to his death certificate, he was buried in Blanchette Cemetery, Beaumont. The location of that cemetery had been forgotten until it was rediscovered in 2009. His exact gravesite remains unknown; but in 2010, the researchers who had identified the cemetery erected a monument there in his honor.
His father would often leave him on street corners to sing for money. Tradition has it that he was arrested for nearly starting a riot at a New Orleans courthouse with a powerful rendition of "If I Had My Way I'd Tear the Building Down", a song about Samson and Delilah. According to Samuel Charters, however, he was simply arrested while singing for tips in front of the Customs House by a police officer who misconstrued the title lyric and mistook it for incitement. Timothy Beal argued that the officer did not, in fact, misconstrue the meaning of the song, but that "the ancient story suddenly sounded dangerously contemporary" to him.
Several of Blind Willie Johnson's songs have been interpreted by other musicians, including "Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed", "It's Nobody's Fault but Mine", "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground", "John the Revelator", "You'll Need Somebody on Your Bond", "Motherless Children" and "Soul of a Man".
"Dark Was the Night" is one of the music tracks on the Voyager Golden Record, copies of which were placed in 1977 on both the unmanned Voyager Project space probes. It is the penultimate track, preceding only the Cavatina from Beethoven's String Quartet Op. 130: the blind musician and the deaf one side by side. The astronomer Timothy Ferris, who worked with Carl Sagan in selecting those tracks, has said:
"Johnson's song concerns a situation he faced many times, nightfall with no place to sleep. Since humans appeared on Earth, the shroud of night has yet to fall without touching a man or woman in the same plight."
In 2012, Voyager 1 left the solar system and entered interstellar space, the first manmade spacecraft so to do. Voyager 2 is expected to do the same around 2016.
Ry Cooder's slide guitar title song and soundtrack music of the Wim Wenders film Paris, Texas (1984) was based on "Dark Was the Night".
"Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground" was played in the TV series The West Wing (season 5) episode 13, The Warfare of Genghis Khan. "It's Nobody's Fault but Mine" was played in the TV series The Walking Dead (season 5) episode 4 Slabtown.
Let Your Light Shine On Me
Blind Willie Johnson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, let Your light from the lighthouse shine on
Let it shine on me, let it shine on me
Oh, let Your light from the lighthouse shine on
My Lord, he's done just what he said
Let Your light from the lighthouse shine on me
Heal the sick and rise the dead
Oh, let it shine on well, let it shine on
Let Your light from the lighthouse shine on me
Shine on oh, let it shine on
Let Your light from the lighthouse shine on me
I know I've got religion and I ain't ashamed
Let Your light from the lighthouse shine on me
Angels in Heaven, done wrote my name
Let Your light from the lighthouse shine on me
Oh, let it shine on well, let it shine on
Let Your light from the lighthouse shine on me
Shine on well, let it shine on
Let Your light from the lighthouse shine on me
Oh, let it shine on oh, let it shine on
Let Your light from the lighthouse shine on me
Shine on well, let shine on
Let Your light from the lighthouse shine on me
Shine on oh, let it shine on
Let Your light from the lighthouse shine on me
Shine on oh, let it shine on
Let Your light shine on me
Blind Willie Johnson's song Let Your Light Shine On Me is a religious and uplifting song that encourages people to embrace their faith and to ask God to shine his light on them. It begins with the repeated phrase "Let it shine on me, let it shine on me," which indicates a desire for the light of God to be present in the singer's life. The refrain of "Let your light from the lighthouse shine on me" is a metaphor for God's guidance and protection. The use of "lighthouse" is significant because it signifies a beacon of hope and safety for those lost at sea.
The lyrics also refer to the healing power of God and his ability to raise the dead. This is likely a reference to the Biblical story of Jesus healing the sick and raising Lazarus from the dead. In this way, the song is a call to faith and an acknowledgment of the power of God. The final verses of the song express the singer's pride in his faith, as he declares he has religion and is not ashamed. He also believes that his name is known among the angels of Heaven, indicating his belief in an afterlife and his desire to be included among the saved.
Overall, Let Your Light Shine On Me is a powerful and faith-based song that encourages listeners to embrace their spirituality and seek God's guidance in their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Let it shine on me, let it shine on me
I pray that Your light will shine its goodness and blessings onto me.
Oh, let Your light from the lighthouse shine on
I seek Your guidance and enlightenment to guide me through life's challenges.
My Lord, he's done just what he said
I know that my God has fulfilled His promises to me and everyone around me.
Heal the sick and rise the dead
You have the power to cure the sick and bring the dead back to life.
I know I've got religion and I ain't ashamed
I am proud of my faith and the comfort it brings me in difficult times.
Angels in Heaven, done wrote my name
I am confident that I have a place in Heaven and my soul is secure in God's promise.
Oh, let it shine on well, let it shine on
I pray that Your light continues to bless me and guide me to do good.
Shine on oh, let it shine on
I know that Your light will never dim and will always shine on me.
Shine on oh, let it shine on
I know that Your love and grace will never diminish and will always shine on me.
Shine on well, let shine on
I pray that Your light will bless not only me, but also the people around me.
Let Your light shine on me
I surrender myself to Your divine love and guidance, and I trust that You will always shine Your light on me.
Lyrics © ALPHA MUSIC, INC.
Written by: WILLIE JOHNSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
4those about2 r0ck
Let it shine on me, let it shine on me
Oh, let Your light from the lighthouse shine on
Let it shine on me, let it shine on me
Oh, let Your light from the lighthouse shine on
My Lord, he's done just what he said
Let Your light from the lighthouse shine on me
Heal the sick and rise the dead
Let Your light from the lighthouse shine on me
Oh, let it shine on well, let it shine on
Let Your light from the lighthouse shine on me
Shine on oh, let it shine on
Let Your light from the lighthouse shine on me
I know I've got religion and I ain't ashamed
Let Your light from the lighthouse shine on me
Angels in Heaven, done wrote my name
Let Your light from the lighthouse shine on me
Oh, let it shine on well, let it shine on
Let Your light from the lighthouse shine on me
Shine on well, let it shine on
Let Your light from the lighthouse shine on me
Oh, let it shine on oh, let it shine on
Let Your light from the lighthouse shine on me
Shine on well, let shine on
Let Your light from the lighthouse shine on me
Shine on oh, let it shine on
Let Your light from the lighthouse shine on me
Shine on oh, let it shine on
Let Your light shine on me
Flynn Rider
When I get to Heaven, I want to see Willie Johnson, seeing perfectly, and still playing and singing.
cs7
Fren, confess with your mouth that you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and believe that God raised Him from the dead. Repent and turn from your sin, and keep the Lord's commandments. If you can do this, you can secure your place in Heaven. Acknowledge and confess and repent of your sin and turn from it. Try to live your life as Jesus lived His.
I'm not sure where you're at with the Lord, but if this information is new to you, then you probably want to repent and come to Christ.
"But I tell you, no; unless you repent you shall all likewise perish" - Luke 13:3.
Come to Christ fren, and receive the free gift of salvation in Christ Jesus. Have a great day!
Dan
@cs7 What happens if you don't believe in Christ or his story, but still live a life helping others and such?
Do you get a look-in? Or is belief in the whole christ thing a fundamental requirement?
cs7
@Dan Ok, so belief in Christ is fundamental. To be have salvation, means to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and accept Him as your Lord and Savior. This is fundamentally why Jesus came: to save sinners. And you shouldn't really think of it as a requirement, but more like a friendship with the Son of God. Don't think of it like Jesus is a medieval king and us peasants must bow down and worship Him. That's not how it really is. Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords, however He is humble in spirit, and He is really more like a shephard. We are the sheep, and we go astray and get lost sometimes, but no matter what, the shephard always looks for his sheep. And that's how it is with Jesus. Jesus is like the best friend you've never had. He is supreme in His nature, but He is humble and comes down to our level and loves us. So even if you try to help people and be a good person everyday, you must consider, are you actually a good person? And the best way to test this is with the Ten Commandments.
The Ten Commandments are the moral law, God's law. We broke God's law, and the Bible says the wages of sin is death. Which means the punishment for breaking God's law is death, eternal death. But God loves us so much because we are His creation. He created us in His image and He loves us and what's us to participate in Him. But that's not possible when we're sinners. So you must ask yourself, have you ever committed adultery? (If you look at a woman with lust, you've committed adultery with her in your heart) Have you ever used God's name in vain? Have you ever had sex before marriage? Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever stolen something? If your answer to these questions are yes, you've broken four of the Ten Commandments. If God were to judge you by the Ten Commandments on Judgement Day, would you go to Heaven or hell? If this frightens you, don't afraid because God did something wonderful, so that people like you and me who've broken those commandments, could still go to Heaven and have eternal life. God sent His Son Jesus Christ to be crucified on a cross and take our place and pay the debt of our sin, which is death. And Jesus rose from the dead and conquered the grave. And if you trust in Jesus and believe in Him, and repent of your sin, you will be saved and have salvation. This is the Gospel. This is what the Gospel is.
Don't listen to how other denominations of Christianity say it is. All organization religion is a scam. And the catholics are probably the worst because they actually indulge in idolatry, yet they are deceived and believe that there's nothing wrong with bowing down and kissing statues and making idols. They even changed the Ten Commandments. They took out the 2nd commandment against graven images and idols, and split the 9th and 10th commandment up. So don't believe in man made traditions or organization religion. Believe in Jesus. Pray to Him and only Him. God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. I hope I was able to explain this good for you, I hope this helps you. And if you're wanting to find Jesus and get closer to God, all you have to do is just pray. Kneel by your bed and talk to Jesus as if He was kneeling right with you. Ask Him for comfort and assurance to help you get through what you're going through. And read the Bible, start with Matthew and just read the New Testament. Hopefully this helps you friend!
Tamara Jatti
He’s a musical hero of mine, but he’s also a blind hero of mine. I’m a blind woman who plays guitar, and I absolutely love this man.
MonikerDeNada
Blind Willie Johnson will always be one of the most amazing musicians ever. I had the chance of going by the location of where his house used to be. I'd have to say, I felt his spirit still there, still belting out the songs he loved to sing. There's a church there now, maybe that was best to commemorate his spirit.
SoilaSøila
MonikerDeNada Wow. That's amazing!
Clint Westwood
Cool info about the church man, that's very Blues and a little Rock n Roll..
Ryan
This is beyond beautiful, I don't think I have EVER heard a song performed with such emotion and passion.
jenny_jenny_nc
Praise be to God. 🙏🌹He never fails to lift us with song. And our Lord never fails to lift us with his live.