I don't feel no ways tired

I leave you this Sunday night with a song, one that I suspect none of you have heard. I came upon it in this manner:

I knew of the work of the pianist/storyteller/composer Ken Medema from my days in the Presbyterian Church back in the 1980's and 90's; I attended one of his concerts with the church youth group. He is enormously creative, but I had forgotten about him until encountering a mention of him in a book on church music that I am reading, “Jubilate: Church Music in the Evangelical Tradition” by Don Hustad.

So, when I had completed my work for the day, I looked Ken up on the internet and found his website. On it, he has a list of podcasts, and I listened to the one titled “Pipe Down” (Nov. 22, 2011) which deals with his lifelong fascination with the pipe organ.

At the end of the forty-five minute podcast, he includes a song he found by the Norwegian duo of guitarist Knut Reiersrud and organist Iver Kleive, on the compilation “Nordic Nights.” The song is an old spiritual, “I don't feel no ways tired.” The performance includes (besides pipe organ and guitar) the singing group “Blind Boys of Alabama.” Here it is on YouTube. Many items on YouTube have millions of views; this one has just 621 views and no comments. I do not think that I have ever heard a pipe organ used in this manner. This performance is a treasure, and I commend it to you.

May God's blessings be with you this night and always.