<… Read Full Bio ↴The definitive Afroamerican gospel group in the jubilee quartet style.
Founded as the Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet in Norfolk, Virginia in 1934 by A. C. “Eddie” Griffin, Robert “Peg” Ford, Henry Owens, and Bill Johnson, they began as a traditional jubilee quartet, combining the clever arrangements associated with barbershop quartets with rhythms borrowed from the blues and jazz.
The makeup of the group changed over the years, as some members were drafted during the war and new members were brought in to replace those who had retired or left to join other groups. William Langford joined the group when Griffin left in 1935 and Orlandus Wilson replaced Ford the same year. Clyde Riddick replaced Langford in 1938, Johnson left in 1948 to join “The Jubalaires” and Owens left the group later to become a preacher and solo artist. Riddick remained with the group until his retirement in 1995 and Wilson until his death in 1998.
The Gates had a broad repertoire of styles—from Owens’ mournful, understated approach in songs such as Anyhow or Hush, Somebody’s Calling My Name, to the group’s highly syncopated arrangements in Shadrach, Meshach and Abendigo. Like The Mills Brothers of popular music, they would often include vocal special effects in their songs, imitating train sounds in songs such as Golden Gate Gospel Train. Langford often sang lead, using his ability to range from baritone to falsetto, while Johnson narrated in a hip syncopated style that became the hallmark for the group.
Preacher And The Bear
The Golden Gate Quartet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It was against his religion, but he took a shotgun along
He got himself a mess o' mighty fine quail and one old scraggly hare
And on the way home he crossed the path of a great big grizzly bear
Well the bear got down lookin' ready to charge
The preacher never seen nothin' quite that large
They looked each other right smack in the eye
Didn't take that preacher long to say bye
The preacher, he run till he spotted a tree
He said, "Up in that tree's where I oughta be"
By the time that bear made a grab for him
The preacher was a sittin' on top a that limb
Scared to death, he turned about
He looked to the sky and began to shout
"Hey lord, you delivered Daniel from the bottom of the lion's den
You delivered Jonah from the belly of the whale and then
The Hebrew children from the fiery furnace
So the good books do declare
Hey lord, if you can't help me,
For goodness sake don't help that bear"
Yea, look out preacher!
Well, about that time the limb broke off
And the preacher came tumblin' down
Had a straight razor out of his pocket
By the time he lit on the ground
He landed on his feet right in front a that bear
And Lord, what an awful fight
The preacher and the bear and the razor and the hair
Flyin' from left to right
Well first they was up and then they was down
The preacher and the bear runnin' round an' round
The bear he roared, and the the preacher he groaned
He was havin' a tough time holdin' his own!
He said, "Lord if I get out a here alive
To the good book I'll abide
No more huntin' on the Sabbath day
Come Sunday I'm headin' to the church to pray"
Up to the heavens the preacher glanced
He said, "Lord won't you give me just one more chance"
So the preacher got away, he looked around
Seen a tree where he'd be safe and sound
Jumped on a limb, turned about
Looked to the sky and began to shout
"Hey lord, you delivered Daniel from the bottom of the lion's den
You delivered Jonah from the belly of the whale and then
The Hebrew children from the fiery furnace
So the good books do declare
Hey lord, if you can't help me,
For goodness sake don't help that bear"
The Golden Gate Quartet's "Preacher and the Bear" tells the humorous story of a preacher who sets out to hunt on a Sunday morning, armed with a shotgun, despite the fact that it's frowned upon by his religion. On his way home with a successful catch, he encounters a large and menacing bear who charges at him. Fleeing in fear, the preacher quickly climbs a nearby tree, calling out to the Lord for help. As the bear tries to attack him by reaching for his perch, the preacher pulls out a razor blade from his pocket and prepares for a fight. The ensuing fight is intense, with both the preacher and the bear tumbling around and trading blows. The preacher ultimately emerges victorious, and he thanks the Lord for delivering him from harm's way.
"Preacher and the Bear" is a light-hearted tune that uses humor and exaggeration to evoke a sense of joy and amusement from its listeners. Although it is a comedic tale, the song does have a certain degree of religious reverence, with the preacher continuously invoking the Lord's name throughout the ordeal. The use of repetition in the chorus, "Hey Lord, you delivered Daniel from the bottom of the lion's den / You delivered Jonah from the belly of the whale and then / The Hebrew children from the fiery furnace / So the good books do declare / Hey Lord, if you can't help me, for goodness sake don't help that bear," underscores the preacher's desperate plea for divine intervention, while also serving as a witty and catchy refrain that invites audience participation.
Line by Line Meaning
The preacher went out a huntin', it was on one Sunday morn'
The preacher went hunting on a Sunday morning.
It was against his religion, but he took a shotgun along
He broke his own religion's law by carrying a shotgun.
He got himself a mess o' mighty fine quail and one old scraggly hare
He managed to hunt a lot of good quality quails and a scruffy hare.
And on the way home he crossed the path of a great big grizzly bear
He accidentally encountered a huge grizzly bear on his way back.
Well the bear got down lookin' ready to charge
The bear approached him with a charging stance.
The preacher never seen nothin' quite that large
The preacher had never seen a creature that big in his life.
They looked each other right smack in the eye
Both the preacher and the bear made eye contact.
Didn't take that preacher long to say bye
The preacher left the place immediately in fear.
The preacher, he run till he spotted a tree
The preacher started running and found a tree to climb.
He said, 'Up in that tree's where I oughta be'
He realized that he should be up in the tree to stay safe.
By the time that bear made a grab for him
The bear tried to grab the preacher while he was up in the tree.
The preacher was a sittin' on top a that limb
The preacher was sitting on the tree branch.
Scared to death, he turned about
The preacher was extremely frightened and nervous.
He looked to the sky and began to shout
The preacher started shouting for help to God.
Hey lord, you delivered Daniel from the bottom of the lion's den
The preacher asked God to help him as he saved Daniel from the lions.
You delivered Jonah from the belly of the whale and then
He remembered how Jonah was saved from inside a whale by God.
The Hebrew children from the fiery furnace
He recalled how God saved the children from the burning furnace.
So the good books do declare
He acknowledged that these stories are written in religious texts.
Hey lord, if you can't help me, for goodness sake don't help that bear
The preacher requested God not to help the bear if he couldn't help him.
Well about that time the limb broke off, and the preacher came tumblin' down
The branch on which he was sitting broke, and the preacher fell.
Had a straight razor out of his pocket
The preacher had a straight razor with him.
By the time he lit on the ground
The preacher landed on the ground.
He landed on his feet right in front a that bear
The preacher landed on his feet, right in front of the bear.
And Lord, what an awful fight
The fight between the preacher and the bear was terrible.
The preacher and the bear and the razor and the hair
The razor and the hairs were parts of the fight.
Flyin' from left to right
During the fight, everything was scattered from one end to the other.
Well first they was up and then they was down
The fighting continued with both the bear and the preacher up and down.
The preacher and the bear runnin' round an' round
The fighting was intense with both running around each other.
The bear he roared, and the preacher he groaned
The bear roared out while the preacher groaned due to the pain.
He was havin' a tough time holdin' his own!
The preacher was finding it difficult to fight back.
He said, 'Lord if I get out a here alive, to the good book I'll abide
If he survived, the preacher promised to live according to the religious texts.
No more huntin' on the Sabbath day
He vowed to never hunt again on Sundays.
Come Sunday I'm headin' to the church to pray'
He decided to pray on Sundays instead of hunting.
Up to the heavens the preacher glanced, he said, 'Lord won't you give me just one more chance'
The preacher asked God for another chance to live and not die in the bear encounter.
So the preacher got away, he looked around
The preacher managed to escape and looked around.
Seen a tree where he'd be safe and sound
He found another tree to stay safe.
Jumped on a limb, turned about
He jumped on a branch and turned back.
Looked to the sky and began to shout
He shouted again to God for help.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RUFUS THOMAS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@AltoonaYourPiano
It's amazing how many modern genres of music have roots in religious music, the first rap song is a gospel song and so are some of the oldest rock and roll songs.
@HerrinSchadenfreude
The lyrics have nothing to do with Rapper's Delight but the cadence is almost identical. Wow. I LOVE this song and the harmonizing and cadence in the chorus is awesome
@datnyugga
Kascha K The melody is the same but some of Rapper's Delight lyrics come from Grandmaster Caz.
@oreally8605
Looks like Crappers delight STOLE from Ggq
@sassyears9573
And this was not unusual - this was a recognized style back in the day.
@DannyJustiniano
This is amazing, not only is it literally a rap from 1937, but since pop music today includes rapping, it's also like today's pop.
@tabascocat5102
Heard this on Angel radio. Thought I'd come and search for it to see if others thought the same about it being proto-rap. You did!
@nigelsaunders3573
Beautiful song; great harmonies and the lyrics are smashingly rhythmic...definitely very rap-like. Didn't Moby sample this for one of his songs?
@RobertoGinsburg
IS RAP...Only that not on the Hip Hop context.
@2nvsolo451
This is so DOPE. This is for the culture