His Eye Is On The Sparrow Transcript

- It really tells about the life of Jesus, from his living, He loved me, dying, He saved me, buried, meaning when He was placed in the tomb. And let's see buried, He carried my sins far away, rising, He justified because of his death, burial and resurrection, I am justified by faith to know that my sins are forgiven. You didn't want a sermon, did you?

- And then the final part is where in the scriptures it talks about Jesus ascending on the cloud and promising that He would come back one day.

♪ Living He loved me ♪

♪ Dying He saved me ♪

♪ Buried He carried ♪

♪ My sins far away ♪

♪ Rising He justified ♪

♪ Freed me forever ♪

♪ One day He's coming back ♪

♪ Glorious day ♪

♪ Living He loved me ♪

♪ Dying He saved me ♪

♪ Buried He carried ♪

♪ My sins far away ♪

♪ Rising He justified ♪

♪ Freed me forever ♪

♪ One day He's coming back ♪

♪ Glorious day ♪

♪ Living He loved me ♪

♪ Dying He saved me ♪

♪ Buried He carried my sins far away ♪

♪ Rising He justified ♪

♪ Freed me forever ♪

♪ One day He's coming back ♪

♪ Glorious day ♪

♪ Oh let your spirit rise up in me ♪

♪ Let your spirit rise up in me ♪

♪ You set my feet a'dancin' ♪

♪ And my heart rejoices ♪

♪ And my mouth singin' out your praise ♪

♪ Let your spirit rise up in me ♪

♪ You set my feet a'dancin' ♪

♪ And my heart rejoices ♪

- They always came in with a shout. There was Bishop Mason up there and he was dancing as they were singing and they were clapping and it was just a praise all throughout the house.

- Hallelujah

- So much music, so much gospel music has come out of this church.

♪ Lord the people praise you ♪ ♪ Lord the people praise you ♪

- Believing in the Pentecostal movement, which would be that of healing, deliverance and total victory over sin. The letter killeth, but the spirit maketh alive. And that's why you see the life, just even In the music and in the church.

♪ Bless your name Lord Jesus ♪

♪ The only name that frees us ♪

♪ Only name that frees us ♪

♪ For you are the holy one ♪

♪ You are the holy one ♪

♪ You are the one the only one ♪

- Most of the songs in Pentecostal churches are call response.

♪ I'm a soldier in the army of the Lord. ♪

♪ I'm a soldier ♪

- Now I'm singing the lead part and the background. So the lead singing, I'm a soldier, the people in the background, singing in the army of the Lord.

♪ I'm a soldier in the army of the Lord ♪

♪ I'm a soldier ♪

♪ In the army ♪

♪ I'm a soldier ♪

♪ The army of the Lord ♪

♪ I'm a soldier ♪

♪ In the army ♪

♪ If I die let me die ♪

♪ In the army of the Lord ♪

♪ Die let me die in the army ♪

- And it goes on and on and on and on. And then they may sing that same tune and be singing.

♪ Jesus on the mainline tell Him what you want ♪

♪ Jesus on the mainline now ♪

♪ Well if you want more power ♪

♪ Tell Him what you want ♪

♪ If you want more power ♪

♪ Tell Him what you want ♪

♪ If you want more power ♪

♪ Tell Him what you want ♪

♪ Jesus on the mainline now ♪

♪ God is ♪ ♪ My health and life ♪

♪ My health and life ♪

♪ God is ♪

♪ My great desire ♪

♪ God is ♪

♪ God is the song I sing ♪

♪ God is ♪

♪ My everything ♪

♪ Hallelujah ♪

♪ God is ♪

♪ The holy guider ♪

♪ God is ♪

♪ My provider ♪

♪ God is ♪

♪ My burning fire ♪

♪ God is ♪

♪ My desire ♪

- The Bible talks about there being minstrels of God. Those who are gifted to play music and anointed to play, so to the point that their playing is a ministry to people if they never sang a word and that's where Ethel is, Ethel's a minstrel of music, anointed by God. Therefore her music that she plays has life, regardless of whether it's slow or fast or whatever, the anointing behind it is what makes the difference and that's what reaches the heart of the people.

♪ Oh I sing ♪

♪ Because I'm happy ♪

♪ I sing ♪

♪ Because I'm free ♪

♪ I'm free ♪

♪ For his eye is on the sparrow ♪

♪ And I know ♪

♪ I know ♪

♪ That He watches ♪

♪ That's why I trust Him ♪

♪ In me ♪

♪ That's why I trust Him ♪

♪ He watches me ♪

♪ That's why I trust Him ♪

♪ He watches me ♪

♪ That's why I trust Him ♪

♪ He watches me ♪

♪ I trust in God ♪

♪ I know He cares for me ♪

♪ O'er mountains high ♪

♪ And o're the rolling sea ♪

♪ Though billows roll ♪

♪ He has my soul ♪

♪ My heavenly father ♪

♪ Watches over ♪

♪ Me ♪

- My father was a coal miner/preacher, who was converted in 1913. He worked for Eastern Gas Coal Company, New River Coal Company. All the time, he was a union man, all throughout his life and John L. Lewis was his Bible.

- If we must grind up human flesh and bones in the industrial machine that we call modern America, then before God, I assert that those who consume the coal and you and I, who benefit from that service because we live in comfort. We owe protection to those men first and we owe the security for their families if they die. I say it, I voice it. I proclaim it. And I care not who in heaven or hell opposes it. That's what I believe about that.

♪ This night ♪

♪ Secure ♪

♪ From all our fears ♪

♪ May angels guard ♪

♪ Us while we sleep ♪

♪ Till morning ♪

♪ Light appears ♪

- I was taught never to sit in front of a window at night. Some relative, his head was shot off. Someone just shot through the window and killed him. At nighttime, you closed those windows and drapes and never sit in front of 'em. My mother was a domestic and she would go to various homes. She was an excellent cook, but that was the one thing she didn't wanna do was, and when I say this, I don't mean anything by it but she said, I don't want cook for White folk.

♪ There are some things ♪

- This is her favorite one.

♪ I may not know ♪

♪ There are some places ♪

♪ I can't go ♪

♪ But there's one thing ♪

♪ That I am sure ♪

♪ That my God is real ♪

♪ For I can feel him in my soul ♪

♪ My god is real ♪

♪ I know that he is real in my soul ♪

♪ My god is real ♪

♪ For he has washed ♪

♪ And made me whole ♪

♪ His love for me ♪

♪ Is really like pure gold ♪

♪ My god is real ♪

♪ For I can feel ♪

♪ Him in my soul ♪

- Mount Hope, West Virginia.

- [Producer] And what was Mount Hope like?

- It was a wonderful place. We had two red lights and we had paved streets and it was called the city of Mount Hope. And we really lived in what they call the city.

♪ He will lift you up ♪

♪ If you ask Him ♪

♪ He'll show you ♪

- This was a big, big, coal town. It was a center of coal mining.

- She lived in the house there. We had just so much fun. We would play something called holy church. We get the tubs, turn 'em over and beat 'em and we play tambourines and we shout and she played classical music. She was a pianist for the Glee Club at Mount Hope. So there was just a variety of music that she played.

♪ We need you Jesus ♪

♪ Come by here ♪

♪ We need you Jesus ♪

♪ Come by here ♪

♪ We need you Jesus ♪

♪ Come by here ♪

♪ Oh Lord ♪

♪ Come by here ♪

♪ So come by here ♪

♪ My lord ♪

♪ Come by here ♪

♪ Come by here my lord ♪

♪ Come by here ♪

♪ Come by here Lord ♪

♪ Come by here ♪

♪ Oh Lord come by here ♪

- It was sung that fast, that fast. I learned "Come By Here" before I knew what a "Kumbaya" was.

- I kind of dwelled in the classics and patriotic number because I noticed a lot of schools did do the show tunes and everything, but I never was good on show tunes and I really didn't like them. So I went into that and sometime, well, when Ethel was there, we had a lot of the kids could read music. There was one, two things I always taught them before I start. Use your eyes, ears and intelligence. And if you go to Alpha mass you would then use your eyes, ears and intelligence. And when you're singing. And I would, the other thing I would say, music is a portrait of sound painted on a background of silence.

- My father used to talk about a scripture in the Bible that Ethiopia shall spread forth her wings. During the civil rights time, he would always quote that scripture because he said he could see it in King. And in the people who were rising above, he was very proud and he felt that we were getting closer to the end of time because that scripture was being fulfilled. But when it came to freedom, my independence, my parents did their very best to keep their thumb on me and being taught in the fear and admonition of God and my father who was exceptionally strict, we had a real problem. I wanted to go to a traditionally Black school, West Virginia State, Bluefield State, they wouldn't let me go. So the only thing left was West Virginia Tech, which was an engineering school. They did not want me to take music. My father said that I'd never be anything. I couldn't be a nurse, they didn't have a nursing program, so the only thing I could do was be an English teacher. That was my choice, that's how I ended up teaching English for 19 years, almost 20 years. Every Friday I had to catch the bus. Then on Sunday evenings, after church, I'd get on the bus in Mount Hope and ride all the way back to Montgomery. Now I did that for two years and then one day I said, I'm not going home. I just won't go. I'm gonna stay here. But I want you to know on Sunday afternoon, I looked out of my window and an entourage from my church along with my father, came to the school.

- And they brought food, money and clothes.

♪ And just a little talk with Jesus ♪

♪ Makes it right ♪

- During that time, I started a gospel choir on campus.

- In West Virginia, she pretty much was the premier of gospel music and she really brought in James Cleveland and Edwin Hawkins and just wasn't received, it wasn't thought to be holy.

- [Producer] What was your feeling about it?

- I loved it.

- I think what would happened was from being in the coal mine, in the dark most of the week and just the life of the coal miner, a lot of their time was spent in the dark and gospel songs would bring light. She believes that everybody can sing. I mean, people who think they're absolutely tone deaf and have no ability to sing, she talks them into believing that they can sing. And then with her embellishing what they're singing with her music and playing, which is awesome, they really believe they can sing.

♪ Love Him ♪

♪ With everything you have ♪

♪ Yes all that you can ♪

♪ Love him ♪

♪ With all your heart and soul ♪

♪ Well he deserves our highest praise ♪

♪ Help me church to lift his name ♪

♪ Well he deserves our highest praise ♪

- Yeah, altos, altos, when you go when he deserve, no.

♪ He deserves ♪

♪ Well he ♪

- More yes, altos, we're tired of this.

- [Choir] We're tired of this.

♪ Hallelujah ♪

- Give me peace, Jesus. I'll clap it for you today. I'll clap it for you today, y'all just sing. Get the song first, then we'll learn to clap, 'cause this is pitiful. Pitiful. Oh Lord, all right.

♪ Hallelujah for the Lord ♪

♪ Hallelujah for the Lord our God ♪

♪ The almighty ♪

♪ Way ♪

♪ Hallelujah for the lord ♪

♪ Hallelujah for the lord our god ♪

♪ The almighty lamb ♪

♪ Hallelujah ♪

♪ Glory to ya ♪

♪ Hallelujah ♪

♪ He's worthy ♪

♪ He's worthy to be praised ♪

♪ One more time hallelujah ♪

♪ Hallelujah ♪

♪ Glory ♪

♪ Glory to ya ♪

♪ Hallelujah ♪

♪ He's worthy ♪

♪ He's worthy to be praised ♪

♪ Hallelujah to the lord ♪

♪ Hallelujah to the lord above ♪

♪ The almighty lamb ♪

♪ Hallelujah to the lord ♪

♪ Hallelujah for the lord our god ♪

♪ The almighty lamb ♪

- I like the little peppy songs. I don't know, sometimes folks think he's supposed to look all dried, dead and dried up.

- If you add a little bounce, it's all right, I think the Lord's gonna let us bounce around in heaven?

- Yes. I was in her marriage. I was in the wedding. She had a very, very wonderful husband. He was an ex-con. He was very sensitive. He's the one that introduced us to prison ministry.

- I knew how to love people but I had what you call a religious spirit. Everybody know what a religious spirit is? That's even when you think you're so great and you are saved, nobody else gonna be saved, but you and you look down on other people, even though you say you're saved you, there's only so far you'll go with people, you understand what I'm saying? And James Austin was put in my life to teach me how to love everybody unconditionally.

♪ Jesus ♪

♪ Sweet Jesus ♪

♪ You're the lily of the valley ♪

♪ You're the bright and morning star ♪

♪ Sweet Jesus ♪

♪ You're the fairest of ten thousand ♪

♪ Bless your name ♪

- How I love you

♪ How I love you ♪

♪ You're the lily of the valley ♪

♪ You're the bright and morning star ♪

♪ How I love you ♪

♪ You're the fairest of ten thousand ♪

♪ Bless your name ♪

♪ I woke up this morning with my mind ♪

♪ Stayed on Jesus ♪

♪ I woke up this morning with my mind ♪

- Some of your grandmothers used to sing this.

♪ Stayed on the Lord ♪

♪ Oh I woke up this morning with my mind ♪

♪ Stayed on Jesus ♪

♪ Hallelu ♪

- [Miss Ethel] And then you see those struttin'.

♪ A walkin' and talkin' with my mind ♪

♪ Stayed on Jesus ♪

♪ I'm a walkin' and a talkin' with my mind ♪

♪ Stayed on Jesus ♪

♪ I'm a walkin' and talkin' with my mind ♪

♪ Good Lord ♪

♪ Stayed on Jesus ♪

♪ Hallelu yeah ♪

♪ Hallelu ♪

- Well to help you in this place, I want you to sing, Lord keep.

♪ Lord, keep me with my mind ♪

- My father died in '81. My mother died in '85 and 10 months later, he died. He was 34 when he died, young and loving life and loving people.

- [Parishoner] Thank him this morning, hallelujah, praise Him.

- Church is like a hospital. It's a spiritual place where those who may not have wounds on the outside but they're wounded inside can get some type of medicine, some type of salve, something, that will be able to pull them back together and be whole. In the traditional Black church, we do testify. By your testimonies, you shall overcome.

- [Parishoner] Hallelujah. Thank you this morning.

- It's one thing to be a person who listens to a testimony, it's another thing to be the person who bears it. And many times Sister Austin is the one who bears it.

- [Producer] Sorry.

- It's okay, it's part of life.

- You looking too cute.

- Singers, would you stand, it's not gonna take us more than five more minutes to get this together, all right, tenors.

♪ It belong to God ♪

♪ Who belongs to God ♪

♪ All the glory ♪

♪ Honor praises all day ♪

♪ It belongs ♪

♪ To God ♪

♪ In the morning I'll praise him ♪

- Midnight hour

♪ Midnight hour I'll praise Him ♪

♪ We belong ♪

♪ In the morning I'll praise Him ♪

♪ In the noon day praise Him ♪

♪ Midnight hour I'll praise Him ♪

♪ It belongs ♪

♪ It belongd ♪

♪ To God ♪

♪ It belongs ♪

♪ To God ♪

- Next part all you say is praise Him.

♪ Praise Him ♪

- Altos

♪ Praise Him ♪

- Okay altos!

♪ Praise Him ♪

- Come on.

♪ Praise him ♪

♪ Praise Him ♪

- Let the sopranos have it

♪ Praise Him ♪

- Come on sopranos

♪ Praise Him praise him ♪

♪ Praise Him Everybody praise Him ♪

♪ Praise Him ♪

♪ Come on now ♪

♪ Praise Him ♪

♪ In the noon day praise Him ♪

♪ In the evening praise Him ♪

♪ All day long now ♪

♪ Praise him ♪

♪ Oh yeah I'm gonna praise Him ♪

♪ With all my heart ♪

♪ Praise him ♪

♪ With all of my soul praise him ♪

♪ I'm gonna praise Him ♪

♪ I got to praise Him ♪

♪ For He's been so good ♪

♪ Praise him ♪

♪ It belongs ♪

- Yes, it really does.

♪ It belongs to God ♪

♪ To Him and to who ♪

♪ To God ♪

♪ It belongs ♪

♪ To God ♪

♪ We belong ♪

♪ One more time ♪

♪ To God ♪

♪ It belongs ♪

- This is it.

♪ To God ♪

- Now praise Him, hallelujah

- I feel my responsibility is to make certain as the music goes forth, that it's going to touch somebody in some way that they may be healed. Maybe they're broken hearted, maybe they're under a lot of stress and burdens and they need that uplift or they need that encouragement or they need something that will be able to cause them to pull together and know that they can go on and survive this life.

♪ Come what may ♪

♪ From day from day ♪

♪ I will never ♪

♪ Fret ♪

♪ For the Lord's ♪

♪ Been good to me ♪

♪ He has never failed me yet ♪

♪ For the Lord has been good to me ♪

♪ He has never failed me yet ♪

♪ For the Lord has been good to me ♪

♪ He has never failed ♪

♪ Me yet ♪

♪ For the Lord's really been good to me ♪

♪ And he's never failed me yet ♪

♪ Never failed me yet ♪

♪ Failed me yet ♪

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His Eye is on the Sparrow

1999 | 28mins