{
 "id": "james-weldon-johnson/the-crucifixion",
 "title": "The Crucifixion",
 "poet": "James Weldon Johnson",
 "poet_slug": "james-weldon-johnson",
 "language": "en",
 "book": "God's Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse",
 "book_slug": "gods-trombones",
 "book_kind": "volume",
 "sequence": 3,
 "container": null,
 "epigraph": null,
 "first_published": {
  "year": 1927,
  "venue": "God's Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse (1927)",
  "note": "First located printing is this volume; an earlier periodical printing has not been established.",
  "uncertain": false,
  "sources": [
   "https://archive.org/details/godstrombonessev00johnso"
  ]
 },
 "source": {
  "kind": "standard-ebooks",
  "repo": "standardebooks/james-weldon-johnson_poetry",
  "file": "poetry.xhtml",
  "upstream": [
   "https://www.google.com/books/edition/How_the_National_Association_for_the_Adv/AAs-AQAAMAAJ",
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/17884",
   "https://archive.org/details/fiftyyearsother00johnrich",
   "https://docsouth.unc.edu/southlit/johnson/johnson.html",
   "https://archive.org/details/godstrombonessev00johnso"
  ],
  "rights": "public domain (SE dedication; underlying text pre-1931)"
 },
 "verification": {
  "level": "structural-only",
  "last_checked": "2026-08-12"
 },
 "stats": {
  "n_lines": 107,
  "n_stanzas": 13,
  "n_parts": 0,
  "longest_line_chars": 51,
  "max_indent": 0
 },
 "site_ready": true,
 "parts": [],
 "stanzas": [
  [
   {
    "text": "Jesus, my gentle Jesus,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Walking in the dark of the Garden⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The Garden of Gethsemane,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Saying to the three disciples:",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Sorrow is in my soul⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Even unto death;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Tarry ye here a little while,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And watch with me.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Jesus, my burdened Jesus,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Praying in the dark of the Garden⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The Garden of Gethsemane.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Saying: Father,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Oh, Father,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "This bitter cup,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "This bitter cup,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Let it pass from me.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Jesus, my sorrowing Jesus,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The sweat like drops of blood upon his brow,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Talking with his Father,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "While the three disciples slept,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Saying: Father,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Oh, Father,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Not as I will,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Not as I will,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "But let thy will be done.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Oh, look at black-hearted Judas⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Sneaking through the dark of the Garden⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Leading his crucifying mob.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Oh, God!",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Strike him down!",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Why don’t you strike him down,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Before he plants his traitor’s kiss",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Upon my Jesus’ cheek?",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "And they take my blameless Jesus,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And they drag him to the Governor,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "To the mighty Roman Governor.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Great Pilate seated in his hall⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Great Pilate on his judgment seat,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Said: In this man I find no fault.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "I find no fault in him.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And Pilate washed his hands.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "But they cried out, saying:",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Crucify him!⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Crucify him!⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Crucify him!⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "His blood be on our heads.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And they beat my loving Jesus,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "They spit on my precious Jesus;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "They dressed him up in a purple robe,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "They put a crown of thorns upon his head,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And they pressed it down⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Oh, they pressed it down⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And they mocked my sweet King Jesus.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Up Golgotha’s rugged road",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "I see my Jesus go.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "I see him sink beneath the load,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "I see my drooping Jesus sink.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And then they laid hold on Simon,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Black Simon, yes, black Simon;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "They put the cross on Simon,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And Simon bore the cross.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "On Calvary, on Calvary,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "They crucified my Jesus.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "They nailed him to the cruel tree,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And the hammer!",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The hammer!",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The hammer!",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Rang through Jerusalem’s streets.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The hammer!",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The hammer!",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The hammer!",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Rang through Jerusalem’s streets.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Jesus, my lamb-like Jesus,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Shivering as the nails go through his hands;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Jesus, my lamb-like Jesus,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Shivering as the nails go through his feet.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Jesus, my darling Jesus,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Groaning as the Roman spear plunged in his side;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Jesus, my darling Jesus,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Groaning as the blood came spurting from his wound.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Oh, look how they done my Jesus.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Mary,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Weeping Mary,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Sees her poor little Jesus on the cross.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Mary,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Weeping Mary,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Sees her sweet, baby Jesus on the cruel cross,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Hanging between two thieves.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "And Jesus, my lonesome Jesus,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Called out once more to his Father,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Saying:",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "My God,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "My God,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Why hast thou forsaken me?",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And he drooped his head and died.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "And the veil of the temple was split in two,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The midday sun refused to shine,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The thunder rumbled and the lightning wrote",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "An unknown language in the sky.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "What a day! Lord, what a day!",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "When my blessed Jesus died.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Oh, I tremble, yes, I tremble,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "It causes me to tremble, tremble,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "When I think how Jesus died;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Died on the steeps of Calvary,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "How Jesus died for sinners,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Sinners like you and me.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ]
 ]
}