Go Tell It On The Mountain

The Story Behind Go Tell It On The Mountain

“Go Tell It on the Mountain” is a powerful Christmas spiritual that proclaims the good news of Christ’s birth. Its joyful refrain — “that Jesus Christ is born!” — has echoed through generations, carrying the legacy of the African-American spiritual tradition into churches and celebrations around the world.

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Who Wrote "Go Tell It on the Mountain?"

While the origins of the spiritual come from the oral traditions of enslaved African-Americans, John Wesley Work, Jr. is largely responsible for the fact that we still sing it today. Born in Nashville to a church choir director, Work grew up immersed in music. Though he earned a Master’s degree in Latin and taught classical languages, his true passion remained the music of his heritage.

Work became the first African-American collector and publisher of Negro spirituals — a remarkable accomplishment, especially considering the challenges of preserving songs that had rarely, if ever, been written down and were passed from plantation to plantation by word of mouth.

How “Go Tell It on the Mountain” Was First Published

John Wesley Work, Jr. undertook the difficult task of gathering and preserving spirituals, resulting in his first publication, New Jubilee Songs as Sung by the Fisk Jubilee Singers. Six years later, he released a second volume, Songs of the American Negro, and it was in this collection that “Go Tell It on the Mountain” appeared for the first time in print.

The Fisk Jubilee Singers helped carry the song across the country — and eventually the world — ensuring that the powerful message once sung by unknown voices would continue to inspire future generations.

Collection of Popular Christmas Hymns and Carols:

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
The First Noel
Joy To The World
O Holy Night
Hark The Herald Angels Sing
Silent Night
O Come All Ye Faithful
Go Tell It On The Mountain
What Child Is This
O Little Town of Bethlehem
We Three Kings of Orient Are
Ave Maria