There is a balm in Gilead - African-American spiritual

Translated into ASL by David Bar-Tzur

Created 29 January 2008, links updated monthly with the help of LinkAlarm.

EXPLANATION OF THE GLOSSING SYSTEM
(to understand how I describe the signs in this translation).

Refrain: HAVE OINTMENT IN G-I-L-E-A-D,
HELP PEOPLE HURT BECOME WHOLE.
HAVE OINTMENT IN G-I-L-E-A-D,
HELP SOUL SICK SIN HEAL.

SOMETIMES ME FEEL DISAPPOINTED,
THINK MY WORK WASTE TIME,
BUT THEN THE-ctr HOLY SPIRIT
WAKE-UP MY SOUL AGAIN. Refrain

IF (2h)YOU CAN'T PREACH LIKE PETER,
IF (2h)YOU CAN'T PRAY LIKE PAUL,
JUST TELL-STORY JESUS LOVE US.
SAY HE-lf DIE FOR (2h)#ALL. Refrain


Notes: OINTMENT - Mime squeezing ointment out of a tube onto the dorsal (back) side of the NDH and then spreading it with the DH.

WHOLE - (2h)[B^], POs up, FOs ><, DH circles around NDH and lands on its palm. For a QuickTime file of COMPLETE, see ASL Pro: Whole.

SIN - (2h)[X] touch their respective sides of the mouth, descend to neutral space and circle antisymmetrically parallel to the chest. For an animated gif of this sign, see Animated dictionary of religious signs - Deaf Missions: Sin.

THE - Underlined words are honorific indices ("indexes"), using the FT of the upturned palm to indicate who is being honored.

HOLY - H-CLEAN. For a QuickTime file of this sign, see ASL Pro: Holy - 1.

PETER - P-STONE.

PAUL - Middle finger of [P] taps on temple.

(2h)#ALL - (2h)[A], POs ><, FOs up, are held at shoulder height and move away while opening to (2h)[L].

Lyrics:

Refrain: There is a balm in Gilead
To make the wounded whole;
There is a balm in Gilead
To heal the sin sick soul.

Sometimes I feel discouraged,
And think my work’s in vain,
But then the Holy Spirit
Revives my soul again. Refrain

If you can’t preach like Peter,
If you can’t pray like Paul,
Just tell the love of Jesus,
And say He died for all. Refrain

treble clef as a symbol for musicTo hear a musical setting of these lyrics (without words), go to There is a balm in Gilead.

Home