Prelude-Denouement Format - Come by Here

Topic: Early Versions
The Prelude-Denouement format of "Come by Here" was developing just as "Kumbaya" was beginning its slow journey into the camp song repertoire. As discussed in the post for 2 August 2017, the form was composed of two parts, a prelude that asked the Lord to come, and a denouement that dramatized his materialization.

Much of the meaning was conveyed by the progression of the music. The texts for the preludes usually had a set form, often with four lines that rhymed, either AABB or ABCB. They used the words "come by here" and "needs you."

Some singers became more specific in a transition that itemized the reasons the Lord’s presence was needed. This usually was done with sentences or phrases that might use incremental repetition or end rhyme, but did not adhere to a stanzaic format.

Once the Holy Spirit was present, the singer repeated lines, then phrases or words, in an improvised manner. Some performers included testimonials.

Not every artists included every part in a three-minute recording. The versions from 1953 emphasized the prelude and transition. The Hightower Brothers used a very short prelude, and a long denouement in 1958. Their performance was discussed in the post for 1 September 2017.

Five African-American men from Texas and Louisiana [1] recorded "Come by Here" in Los Angeles in 1953. The Chosen Gospel Singers began by repeating "come by here" six times. After coaxing Him with reminders they needed Him as a "guide" by their "side," they repeated "come by here."

Instead of a denouement that would have changed the pace of the music, they moved into the transition where they became more specific about their needs, repeating a commonplace expression twice: "sometimes I’m up, sometimes I’m down." They also repeated a warning to themselves that even if they were "worried," they should not be in a "hurry." [2]

Edna Gallmon Cooke, recorded a similar version the same year. Like the men, she began by repeating "come by here" and reminded Him she couldn’t get along without His Holy Spirit. In the transition she sang "somebody needs you," then "all of us needs you," and the more specific allusion to a wife waiting in tears. Her denouement testified she’d gone down on her knees in the wilderness and He had saved her with His grace. [3]

She grew up in Washington, DC, where her father preached in church formed by migrants from Edgefield, South Carolina. [4] The Blind Wonders of Washington, DC also recorded "Come by Here" in 1953, but so far I haven’t found a version of it. [5]

End Notes
These versions will be discussed in more detail in future posts.

1. Opal Louis Nations. "The Chosen Gospel Singers." RB April/Mary 1997:40-41.

2. Chosen Gospel Singers. "Come By Here." Specialty Records. Hollywood. 11 November 1953. Not issued.

3. Edna Gallmon Cooke. "Come by Here." Republic 7086. Nashville. 1953.

4. Donya Williams. "Two Cities, Two Churches, One Bond." Springfield Baptist Church E-Newsletter [Washington, DC]. February-March 2013

5. Blind Wonders of Washington DC. "Come By Here." Red Robin 3030. August 1953.