Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow

"Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow" is a song telling the story of Christmas morning, describing a "star in the East" that will lead to the birthplace of Christ. The title derives from a lyric repeated throughout the song. Depending on how the song is arranged and performed, it is known variously as a spiritual, hymn, carol, gospel song, or folk song.

"Rise Up, Shepherd" was first documented in a short story by Ruth McEnery Stuart in 1891, where she likely transcribed a song overheard from plantation laborers. The song has since become a popular standard for spiritual and Christmas music, performed by numerous choirs as well as artists as wide-ranging as Odetta, Pete Seeger, Mary J. Blige, and the Muppets.

History
The exact origin of "Rise Up, Shepherd" is unknown. Although likely a folk song created and passed down by black laborers in the American South, the song cannot be dated to before Reconstruction. At least one source dates the song to 1867,

Stuart's lyrics employ heavy dialect in imitation of the slaves' speech (such as "foller" for "follow"). The song is untitled in her story, and other publications offered various titles such as "Plantation Christmas Carol."

Kate Douglas Wiggin is the first known source of written music for "Rise Up, Shepherd." The song appeared in Nine Love Songs and a Carol as the aforementioned "Plantation Christmas Carol." Wiggin credits Stuart for the lyrics and notes that the song should be performed in the "fashion of a plantation melody," but it is unknown how much she drew from actual plantation laborers versus her own composition.

Canadian-American composer and professor R. Nathaniel Dett published a collection of spirituals in 1927 titled Religious Folksongs of the Negro that included "Rise Up, Shepherd." His version of the song would become the basis for most modern renditions.

Legacy
"Rise Up, Shepherd" has become a popular song in a variety of traditions, appearing in collections of black spirituals, hymns, and Christmas carols. One source states its popularity grew in the 1980s during a revived interest in black spiritual music.

For example, it appears in the poet and playwright Langston Hughes' Black Nativity,