WILL YOU SAY THERE'S NO ROOM?

I love Christmas music and when I attended a cantata recently I heard a song I had not known previously. The name of the song is No Room At The Inn.

The rendition was a solo performed by a young woman with a beautiful voice. She gave a slow, soulful, bluesy presentation. It was if she were channeling Nancy Wilson or some other jazz singer. I was surprised because I was in a Pentecostal church!

After the performance I went to meet the singer to compliment her performance and to learn about the song. She told me that she had been singing it for years and that she knew that a great number of singers had recorded it.

I wish I had her version to share. The one that I found on YouTube from The Staple Singers is nice but misses the passion of the amateur singer.

Looking at the lyrics online and listening to the song from several different singers (including Mahalia Jackson and Anne Murray), I realize that the singer ad-libbed the closing line because I recall that she ended by singing a question:

"When Jesus comes, will you say there's no room?"