Mandisa grew up in Citrus Heights, California (Sacramento County) and graduated from El Camino Fundamental High School. She then attended American River College in Sacramento where she studied Vocal Jazz. Then she was off to Fisk University in Tennessee and graduated with a bachelor's of music degree with a concentration in vocal performance. Mandisa currently resides in the suburban Nashville community of Antioch, Tennessee. When she auditioned for American Idol in Chicago, she asked the judges to call her "just Mandisa", and she has been billed as Mandisa (with no last name) on the show since the shows Hollywood round. Mandisa was a backup singer for famed Christian author and speaker Beth Moore. She has stated her musical influences run the gamut from Whitney Houston to Def Leppard.
Idol judge Simon Cowell made several comments about Mandisa's weight during her audition. When he first saw her, he quipped are we "going to have a bigger stage this year." Later, when Paula Abdul commented that Mandisa had a "Frenchie" growl to her voice, Cowell responded that a more apt comparison would be to France itself. These were among comments that drew the ire of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, and would be one of the reasons Mandisa would entitle her 2007 album "True Beauty".
According to the Stronger Songfacts, the 11 tracks of Mandisa's 2011 album What If We Were Real encourage shining the light on whom we really are, including both the good and the bad; the theme of the record also coincided with Mandisa's public struggles with food addiction and weight loss. "A struggle is a struggle, and Jesus is there through it all," the singer explained. "He is there in compassion and grace. I have found that what He has spoken to me through these songs has been encouraging and I think that'll be true for other people who are going through their own hard times."
Children Go Where I Send Thee
Mandisa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One for the little bitty baby
Who was born, born, born in bethlehem
Said he was born, born, born in bethlehem
Children go where I send thee: how shall I send thee?
Hey, I'm gonna send thee two by two
One for the itty bitty baby
Who was born, born, born in bethlehem
Children go where I send thee: how shall I send thee?
I'm gonna send the
Three by three, three for the hebrew children
Four by four, four for the four that stood at the door
Five by five, five for the five that stayed alive
Six by six, six for the six that never got fixed
Seven by seven, seven for the seven who never got to heaven
Eight by eight, eight for the eight that stood at the gate
Nine by nine, nine for the nine that dressed so fine
Ten by ten, ten for the ten commandments
He was born, born, born in bethlehem
The song "Children Go Where I Send Thee" recorded by Mandisa is a traditional African-American spiritual that has gained popularity through various versions by artists such as Johnny Cash and Natalie Merchant. The song is characterized by a call and response structure with the lead singer calling out a number and then the group responding with "how shall I send thee?" Each verse adds a new number and grouping of people or events until it reaches ten.
The song starts with "I'm gonna send thee one by one" which refers to sending out the disciples to spread the word of Jesus. The little bitty baby born in Bethlehem is a reference to Jesus Christ who, according to Christian belief, was born in Bethlehem. The song then progresses to "two by two" which represents the pairing of Paul and Silas, two important figures in the Bible who were imprisoned but were freed by an earthquake after they praised God.
As the song continues, we hear "three by three" for the Hebrew children, referring to the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who were thrown into a furnace for not worshipping a golden statue but were miraculously unharmed. The number four represents the four apostles who stood at the door of heaven according to some interpretations. Five by five refers to the five loaves and two fishes that Jesus multiplied to feed a crowd of people. Six by six represents the six days of creation in the Bible, and seven by seven represents the seven days of the week and the importance of rest on the seventh day.
Eight by eight symbolizes the Eight Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount, which preach humility, mercy, and love. Nine by nine represents the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The song ends with ten by ten representing the Ten Commandments given to Moses on Mount Sinai.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I'm gonna send thee one by one
I will send each person one by one.
One for the little bitty baby
One person is for the newborn baby.
Who was born, born, born in bethlehem
The newborn baby was born in Bethlehem.
Said he was born, born, born in bethlehem
The one being sent confirms that the baby was born in Bethlehem.
Children go where I send thee: how shall I send thee?
The children will be sent where the sender wants; but how will they be sent?
Hey, I'm gonna send thee two by two
Two people will be sent at a time.
Two for paul and silas
Two people are designated to be sent for Paul and Silas.
One for the itty bitty baby
One person is designated to be sent for the newborn baby.
Who was born, born, born in bethlehem
Again, the newborn baby was born in Bethlehem.
Children go where I send thee: how shall I send thee?
Children will continue to be sent where the sender wants, but the question remains on how they will be sent.
I'm gonna send the
More people will be sent.
Three by three, three for the hebrew children
Three people will be sent for the Hebrew children.
Four by four, four for the four that stood at the door
Four people are designated to be sent for the four at the door.
Five by five, five for the five that stayed alive
Five people are selected to be sent for the five that survived.
Six by six, six for the six that never got fixed
Six people are sent for the six that could not be fixed.
Seven by seven, seven for the seven who never got to heaven
Seven people are sent for the seven that did not get into heaven.
Eight by eight, eight for the eight that stood at the gate
Eight people will go for the eight at the gate.
Nine by nine, nine for the nine that dressed so fine
Nine people are designated to be sent for the nine that dressed nicely.
Ten by ten, ten for the ten commandments
Finally, ten will be sent for the ten commandments.
He was born, born, born in bethlehem
One more time, the newborn baby was born in Bethlehem.
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: GLORIA GAITHER, RONN HUFF, WILLIAM J. GAITHER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind