It is believed enslaved African-Americans composed the hymn 'Were you there when they crucified my Lord?' in the 19th century and it was first printed in in William Eleazar Barton's 1899 Old Plantation Hymns, however there were mentions of the hymn in prior writings.
The hymn was a favourite of Mahatma Gandhi and has been recorded by many artists including Paul Robeson and Johnny Cash.
'Were you there when they crucified my Lord?' lyrics
Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
2 Were you there when they nailed him to the tree? Were you there when they nailed him to the tree? Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
3 Were you there when they laid him in the tomb? Were you there when they laid him in the tomb? Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
4 Were you there when God raised him from the tomb? Were you there when God raised him from the tomb? Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?