"I sing God's music because it makes me feel free," Jackson once said about her choice of gospel, adding, "It gives me hope. With the blues, when you finish, you still have the blues."
Jackson grew up in the "Black Pearl" section of the Carrollton neighbourhood of uptown New Orleans, Louisiana, and began singing in a Baptist church. In 1927 she moved to Chicago, Illinois, where she sang with The Johnson Brothers, one of the earliest professional gospel groups.
The Johnson Brothers broke up in the mid-1930s, and Jackson began her solo career, recording for Decca in 1937. The result, "God's Gonna Separate the Wheat from the Tares", was only a moderate success, but Jackson became a popular concert draw. She didn't record again untill 1946, when she signed with Apollo Records, releasing several singles that are now highly regarded, though sales were sluggish at the time. "Move On up a Little Higher" (1948) became a huge success, however, and stores could not stock enough of it to meet demand. Jackson rocketed to fame in the U.S. and soon afterwards in Europe. "I Can Put My Trust in Jesus" won a prize from the French Academy, and "Silent Night" was one of the best-selling singles in the history of Norway. She began a radio series on CBS and signed to Columbia Records in 1954. With her mainstream success came an inevitable backlash from gospel purists who felt she had watered down her sound for popular accessibility.
Jackson's career in the late 1950s and early 1960s continued to rise when she recorded with Percy Faith, and performed at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival and the inauguration of John F. Kennedy. She also sang at the funeral of her friend Martin Luther King, Jr. The late 1960s saw a downturn in her popular success. She ended her career with a concert in Germany in 1971; when she returned, she made one of her final television appearances on The Flip Wilson Show.
Jackson died in Chicago on 27th January 1972 of heart failure and diabetes at the age of sixty. She was buried in Providence Memorial Park in Metairie, Louisiana. She was posthumously inducted into the Gospel Music Association's Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1978.
City Called Heaven
Mahalia Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'm left in this whole wide world
I'm left in this world alone
I have no hope for tomorrow, Lord
But I'm trying to make heaven, Lord, my home, my home
Well, sometimes, I am gonna fall, Lord
I don't know which way I can run, yes I can run
But I've heard of a city called heaven
And I'm striving to make heaven my home
The lyrics of Mahalia Jackson’s song, A City Called Heaven, relate to the struggle of a person who is left alone in this world without any hope for tomorrow. Despite these circumstances, the person is trying their best to make heaven their home. The song is about the search for belonging, and the longing for a better life.
The lyrics of the song suggest that the singer is struggling with the challenges of life, but they are committed to working hard and striving to make heaven their ultimate home. The singer acknowledges that they may fall at times, but their resolve to make it to heaven is steadfast. The lyrics imply that the singer has faced a great deal of hardship in their life, but they are still trying to find meaning and purpose.
Mahalia Jackson’s beautiful voice adds a powerful sense of emotion to the lyrics. The song is a testament to the human spirit's unyielding resolve to push through adversity and strive for something better.
Line by Line Meaning
I am a poor pilgrim of sorrow
I am a destitute traveler, living in misery and grief.
And I'm left in this whole wide world
I am abandoned and alone in this vast world.
I'm left in this world alone
I am left by myself in this world.
I have no hope for tomorrow, Lord
I am overwhelmed with despair and have no expectations for the future.
But I'm trying to make heaven, Lord, my home, my home
I am endeavoring to make heaven my permanent dwelling place.
Well, sometimes, I am gonna fall, Lord
Occasionally, I will stumble and make mistakes, oh Lord.
And I'm driven, sometimes, I'm your child
I am motivated and guided, but as your child, I also make errors.
I don't know which way I can run, yes I can run
I am uncertain about my direction but acknowledge that I have the ability to move forward.
But I've heard of a city called heaven
I have learned about a place known as heaven.
And I'm striving to make heaven my home
I am exerting myself to ensure heaven becomes my permanent abode.
Contributed by Camilla W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@RafaelSantos-wu3iy
Eu sou um pobre peregrino de tristeza
E eu sou deixado neste mundo inteiro
Eu sou deixado neste mundo sozinho
Não tenho esperança para amanhã, Senhor
Mas estou tentando fazer o céu, Senhor, meu lar, meu lar
Bem, às vezes eu vou cair, Senhor
E eu sou movido, às vezes, sou seu filho
Não sei para que lado posso correr, sim, posso correr
Mas eu ouvi falar de uma cidade chamada céu
E estou me esforçando para tornar o céu minha casa
@siahsmith7965
I am on a pilgrim journey of sorrow.
I'm left in this whole wide world,
I'm left in this wide world alone.
I have no hope for tomorrow,
But I've started to make Heaven my home.
Well, sometimes, I am tossed.
Sometimes I am driven low,
Sometimes, my dear lord, I don't know
To which way I can roam.
But I've heard of a city called Heaven,
and I've started to make heaven my home.
@thatrandomad2641
I am a poor pilgrim of sorrow
And I'm left in this whole wide world
I'm left in this world alone
I have no hope for tomorrow, Lord
But I'm trying to make heaven, Lord, my home, my home
Well, sometimes, I am gonna fall, Lord
And I'm driven, sometimes, I'm your child
I don't know which way I can run, yes I can run
But I've heard of a city called heaven
And I'm striving to make heaven my home
@leonjordan9518
This song gives me chills. Remind of my mother. Lord Jesus help us all. One race. The human race.
@tonytriplett21
Very true in Gods eyes but down here while on this wreathed earth it’s not so in many folks eyes stay vigilant
@potluck42
i saw her in the movie"imatation of life" i couldn't speak for a hour after the movie, i was so moved by her song
@lindajones9304
Her voice goes right through you, i just wept 😢
@RafaelSantos-wu3iy
Eu sou um pobre peregrino de tristeza
E eu sou deixado neste mundo inteiro
Eu sou deixado neste mundo sozinho
Não tenho esperança para amanhã, Senhor
Mas estou tentando fazer o céu, Senhor, meu lar, meu lar
Bem, às vezes eu vou cair, Senhor
E eu sou movido, às vezes, sou seu filho
Não sei para que lado posso correr, sim, posso correr
Mas eu ouvi falar de uma cidade chamada céu
E estou me esforçando para tornar o céu minha casa
@iwillliftupmyeyes
This woman just gets better evertime i lisen to her .she is and always will be the greatest gospel singer that ever lived BH
@thadelightfulone
This is such a beautiful song...I had the honor of being the soloist for when my HS Choir sung it. Mahalia's voice is soooooooooooo amazing...I only wished I could have done it half as well as she did.
@countrygospel601
The presence of the Lord is here!! We glorify you Lord!
@PennTrafford
Mahalia loved singing the old songs - they were so rich with emotion and meaning. Thank you for posting this, DaSourceSpr06!
@g.o.a.tofnarutogames8837
You can truly feel her spirit thru her song's