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Joshua Fit the Battle

Rating:
4.3 / 5

Words & Music: traditional

Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
Jericho Jericho
Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
And the walls come tumbling down

God knows that
Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
Jericho Jericho
Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
And the walls come tumbling down

Good morning sister Mary
Good morning brother John
Well I wanna stop and talk with you
Wanna tell you how I come along

I know you've heard about Joshua
He was the son of Nun
He never stopped his work until
Until the work was done

God knows that
Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
Jericho Jericho
Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
And the walls come tumbling down

You may talk about your men of Gideon
You may brag about your men of Saul
There's none like good old Joshua
At the battle of Jericho

Up to the walls of Jericho
He marched with spear in hand
Go blow them ram horns, Joshua cried
'Cause the battle is in my hands

God knows that
Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
Jericho Jericho
Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
And the walls come tumbling down

You may talk about your men of Gideon
You may brag about your king of Saul
There none like Joshua
At the battle of Jericho

They tell me, great God that Joshua’s spear
Was well nigh twelve feet long
And upon his hip was a double edged sword
And his mouth was a gospel horn

Yet bold and brave he stood
Salvation in his hand
Go blow them ram horns Joshua cried
'Cause the devil can't do you no harm

Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
Jericho Jericho
Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
And the walls come tumbling down

Up to the walls of Jericho
He marched with spear in hand
Go blow them ram horns, Joshua cried
'Cause the battle is in my hands

Then the lamb ram sheep horns began to blow
The trumpets began to sound
Old Joshua shouted glory
And the walls came tumblin' down

God knows that
Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
Jericho Jericho
Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
And the walls come tumbling down

Down, down, down, down, down
Tumblin' down

Recordingdate: 1960/10/30, first released on: His Hand in Mine (album)

Musicians

Musicians who contributed to the first recording of Joshua Fit the Battle:

(guitar)
(guitar)
(guitar)
(bass)
(drums)
(drums)
(piano)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(sax)

Availability

Find available albums with Joshua Fit the Battle.

Lex wrote on June 02, 2008
Hands down in the top 5 of gospel songs. Great performance!
Natha wrote on November 16, 2008
I have nothing with gospels. This one has at least a nice beat to it, so once in a blue moon I listen to it.
bajo wrote on November 16, 2008
Great performance by Elvis! Should have been the flip to Crying In The Chapel back then, imo!
JerryNodak wrote on November 16, 2008
I love Elvis' gospel/religious/sacred/inspirational music (choose your own term), but this is one of my least favorite songs in that genre.
Rob Wanders wrote on November 16, 2008
wonderful version (close to the Golden gate Quartet-versions) of this famous gospel. great version of a great song
old shep wrote on November 16, 2008
Not a particular favourite on the album.
FLASHBOY wrote on November 16, 2008
I simply love it!
sitdown68 wrote on November 16, 2008
I would have loved to see this song appear on the setlist of 70's shows giving it a similar re-arrangement as they did with Swing Down...
TCB1974 wrote on November 20, 2011
A great rhythm with a glorious sense of collapse in its ending. It is believed to have been composed by slaves in the early 19th century and Jay Roberts tried to copyright this in 1865. Alternative title is Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho but Elvis chose for the title in dialect. Listen to speed with Elvis produces his words and keeping great rhythm! Elvis could do no wrong in a few years of his career and 1960 was definitely one of those years. Four stars for this recording.
GEORGE (GK) wrote on November 20, 2011
No doubt, one of the best songs, in the gospel legacy of Elvis Presley.
freedom101 wrote on November 20, 2011
Can you imagine other popular singers doing gospel music during their careers? Elvis doing gospel was a brave step for him some would say. Some even say he was the greatest gospel singer of them all. "The King" excelled in every genre he performed in.
Gorse wrote on December 20, 2012
Not one of my favourite gospel songs as I have heard it so many times, but this stellar performance by Elvis is something else. Brilliantly sung, and arranged with plenty of soul drive it is worth 5 stars from me.
sugartummy wrote on March 29, 2013
I love his uptempo gospel songs. Great singing with those difficult, fast lyrics.
ElvisSacramento wrote on February 01, 2014
This has always been my favorite track from Elvis' 1960 "His Hand in Mine" album. This uptempo gospel song is a true masterpiece. Elvis' rendition of it is a true masterpiece too. The best gospel music will definitely always be Elvis' gospel music. No one will ever be able to sing gospel songs as well or better than Elvis sang them.
Deano1 wrote on February 02, 2014
Another winner from Elvis first gospel LP. Infectious, fun and one of those songs I find myself singing days after listening to it. Elvis is full of energy and along with the Jords outstanding backing, they make this a top-notch track. 4 1/2 stars leaning towards 5.
Cruiser621 wrote on July 29, 2017
Initially when I received the album "His Hand ion Mine", this song was acceptable, but not one of the particular ones that "rang my chimes" as it is sometimes said. Now, in my infinite age, I consider this a 5-star song, much as the entire album, which I received back in 1960 for Christmas.
atomic powered poste wrote on March 25, 2018
Great sound (Bill Porter was fantastic), smooth vocals by elvis (who was in his prime as a vocalist in the early 60's) and a swinging arrangement. A great tune from one of elvis best (and most underrated) LPs. Five stars.
Milky White Way wrote on March 19, 2020
Pure vocal genius by Elvis and the Jords. One of my fav gospel songs along with Milky White Way. Never tire of listening to it. 5 stars
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