Every Time I Feel the Spirit

"Every Time I Feel the Spirit" is an African-American spiritual dating to before the US Civil War. The song has been frequently recorded by contemporary artists and gospel music groups.

Lyrics

Alternative Lyrics

As a Spiritual, "Every Time" draws heavily from the Bible.
The verse
Is drawn from Exodus 19:18, which describes Moses' encounter with god on Mount Sinai where god "descended upon it in fire"
The verse
In the bible, the Jordan River is significant in the Book of Joshua as separating the Israelites from the promised land of Canaan. In spirituals, the Jordan river often symbolizes death and the passage into heaven. Alternatively, it can symbolize emancipation, referencing the Israelite's escape from slavery. The line "chills the body but not the soul" is sometimes performed as "kills the body but not the soul."

"Every Time" likely originated during the Antebellum South by enslaved people. Abraham Lincoln is claimed to have visited a holding camp for contraband in Washington, D.C. during the Civil War and heard the group of former slaves sing to him. it is said that "Ev'ry time" brought him to tears. It remained a standard in black religious music and was standardized in hymn books in the early 20th century.

The first recording of "Every Time" was made in 1923 by the Morehouse College Quartet. It was recorded multiple times throughout the 1920s.