10. HOLY BABE by Kelly Pace, Aaron Brown, Joe Green, Paul Hayes and Matthew Johnson
Vocal quintet.
Cummins State Farm, Gould, Arkansas, May 1939.

Children go and I will send thee
Where shall I send thee?

Lord, I shall send thee twelve by twelve
Well, twelve was the twelve disciples
And eleven was the eleven riders
And ten was the Ten Commandments
And nine was the nine that dressed so fine
And eight was the eight that stood at the gate
And seven was the seven that came down from heaven
And six was the six that couldn't get fixed
And five was the Gospel writers
And four was the four come a-knockin' at the door
And three was the Hebrew children
And two was the Paul and Silas
And one was the Holy Baby
Was born (by) to the Virgin Mary
Was wrapped in the hollow of a clawhorn
Was laid in the hollow manger
Was born, born, Lordy, born in Bethlehem

This popular carol is usually sung with shortcuts that avoid the lengthening countdowns, though it's the repetitions that make "Holy Babe" so engaging in the first place. John Lomax recorded this for the Library of Congress on a disc cutter, using both sides of an acetate disc to allow adequate time for a complete seven-minute performance.

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