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December 13

"Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow" is a Christmas hymn based on an African-American spiritual. It was used in the play Beautiful Star, and I tried to style my arrangement after that version. The tune varies somewhat in the sources I used; the closest to my arrangement is the version from Folkinfo. The differences between these tunes is not great, but I think what I came up with sounds better and takes advantage of the sound of the banjo nicely.

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Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow

Words: African-American spiritual.
Music: African-American spiritual.

There's a star in the East on Christmas morn,
Rise up, shepherd, and follow,
It'll lead to the place where the Savior's born,
Rise up, shepherd, and follow.

Leave your sheep, and leave your lambs,
Rise up, shepherd, and follow,
Leave your ewes, and leave your rams,
Rise up, shepherd, and follow.

Follow, follow,
Rise up, shepherd, and follow,
Follow the Star of Bethlehem,
Rise up, shepherd, and follow.

If you take good heed to the angel's words,
Rise up, shepherd, and follow,
You'll forget your flocks, you'll forget your herds,
Rise up, shepherd, and follow.

Leave your sheep, and leave your lambs,
Rise up, shepherd, and follow,
Leave your ewes, and leave your rams,
Rise up, shepherd, and follow.

Follow, follow,
Rise up, shepherd, and follow,
Follow the Star of Bethlehem,
Rise up, shepherd, and follow.

Sources and more information